FORT WORTH, Texas--Christian Simonson on Indian Rock finished second to Becky Moody of Great Britain on Jagerbomb in the Grand Prix at the World Cup Final on Thursday evening, April 9.
Christian Simonson on Indian Rock (Photo by Allen MacMillan Photography)Moody on her bronze medal-winning mount from the Paris Olympics scored 76.761% to win.
Simonson finished second on 75.413%, and 2024 World Cup Champions Patrik Kittel of Sweden on Touchdown was third with 72.869%.
When Simonson entered the ring, the Texas crowd was behind every movement as he executed his test with the 13-year-old stallion, Indian Rock.
The second-youngest athlete in the field at just 23 years old, Simonson was full of perspective as he shared the podium with Olympic veterans Moody and Kittel.
“It feels a bit surreal to even say that I’m here at a World Cup Final, let alone be here with two people I really admire and have watched for so long,” he said. “’Rocky’ was amazing tonight. He is a horse that is just so dependable. I love him so much, and I think he and I have such a good bond together.”
MOODY bred Jagerbomb more than 12 years ago, and she has brought Jagerbomb along through every stage of his life.
When you have bred them, it just adds that little bit of extra,” she said. “I don’t have any children, so he is my child. He’s just my pride and joy.”
"He felt really good today. I had that nice balance of energy, but with relaxation as well," Moody said. "I always say, he’s not exceptional at anything, but he is just really good at everything. So he’s just a joy to ride in an arena like that, and it was an amazing crowd."
“I had never flown a horse before, and he had never flown before, so that was a factor in my decision making to come here,” Moody said. “I wanted that experience, and for him to have that experience, and I’m really glad that I did, because we definitely learned things. This is just an amazing opportunity to come to such a fantastic place, and it’s so cool to be surrounded by such a strong equine culture in Texas that is completely different to anything I’ve experienced before.”
Kittel, making his 11th World Cup Finals appearance, did not have his strongest test, with mistakes in the first piaffe, but he still found himself enjoying the ride.
“Normally I don’t smile when I go around the ring, but then someone in the crowd shouted, ‘We love you, Patrik,’ so I smiled before I even started,” he said. “It’s just so nice to see the audience so with you, because that’s what it’s all about.”
By scoring above 60%, all 16 combinations in the competition qualified for Saturday's Grand Prix Freestyle, which will determine the World Cup Champion.
Moody on Jagerbomb will be the final combination to compete.
Simonson drew the 12th position, with Kittel and Touchdown slated to compete 14th on the start list.
The Grand Prix Freestyle begins at 7pm CST, 8 p.m Eastern, on Saturday, April 11.
