BARCELONA, Spain--The U.S. team of Laura Kraut, Allessanda  Volpi, Callie Shott and Karl Cook finished just a rail out of a bronze medal in the League of Nations Nations Cup on Sunday, Oct. 5.  

Laura Kraut on Bisquetta (File photo by Jenny Abrahamsson)The faults that kept them from the podium included a questionable four faults for a foot in the water by Kraut on Bisquetta, a heart breaking light touch on the final fence that dropped a rail by Shott on Garant and a questionable decision by Cook on Caracole de la Roque hat caused a rail.

In a very exciting and tightly fought Final, after round one, Netherlands led with four faults while six nations, the U.S., Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, France and Germany were tied with eight faults , Belgium was eighth on 10 faults and Spain trailed with 20 faults.

Kraut was one of only a few that went clean in round one.

Bisquetta was just on form," said Kraut. "She flew the double, and she flew the water. When she's in one of those moods she can jump anything,"

"I've had her since she was 7, and each year she's gotten a  little better."said Kraut. 'This year's she's really come into herself."

In round two, only three riders from each country competed, meaning every rail down counted, and the lead changed with almost every rider.

 

"CALLIE had a brilliant second round." said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland of the touch that brought down the last fence.

"Bisquetta was so close to the tape that I went to the jury," he said. "The FEI needs to get a system that better judges the water. I asked for a review.  The jury showed me the tape (that lines the landing after the water),  and there were a couple of spots .It was impossible to tell from the video. It looked like she cleared the tape but kicked sand back onto it."

"But that was the decision, so that's that" said Ridland. 

Last to go for the U.S., Cook had an early rail down, but then he apparently tried to leave a stride out in a related like of fences, and crashed through it.

He was lucky Caracole didn't fall or he didn't fall off.

The second rail down dropped the U.S. to a total of 24 faults for the two rounds and fifth place.

"I felt badly for him," said Ridland. "But he's had a great year."

"This tear was fantastic," he said. "I'm pretty sure that at every Nations Cup we either won the Grand Pris or the Nations Cup, except for the Final, and we were second in the Grand Prix there. We did it with a lot of different riders in a lot of different situations. We're number one by a lot in the Nations Ranking.

"With next year being a championship year, we'll be concentrating on Aachen and the World Championship, so the other Nations Cup will reflect that," said Ridland.

In an exhilarating competition, it went down to the wire with a jump-off between the reigning Olympic gold medalist team, Great Britain, and Ireland, tied with 16 faults. 

With just one athlete per nation in the jump-off. chef d'equipes Michael Blake of Ireland and Di Lampard of Great Britain  both elected their anchormen Billy Twomey and Scott Brash.

Twomey set a blistering pace around the shortened track to finish clean in 38.42 seconds to lay down the gauntlet.

But Brash, already a winner of the 5* Grand Prix on Friday with Hello Follie, thrives under pressure and set about the task with his usual icey composure.

A series of razor-sharp turns had enabled him to take check on the final turn and make sure the final fence was cleared.

Brash’s inner clock wasn’t wrong, he did indeed have time to make sure the last fence was jumped as he left it intact to break the beam in 38.19 seconds clinching victory from Great Britain by the narrowest of margins.

So Great Britain won and Ireland placed second with last year's victors Germany third.

Belgium was fourth on 22 faults, with the U.S. fifth on 2 faults, and Netherlands sixth on 24 faults but a slower time, followed by France, 29 faults, Italy, 31 faults and Spain 32 faults.

“Today means the world," said Di Lampard. "To think this our third 5* team win on the trot is incredible and to finish the season winning Calgary, St-Tropez and now the Final is just the icing on the cake.”