OCALA, Fla.--A heavyweight team of Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Aaron Vale and McLain Ward will compete against 10 teams that include the top riders in the world in the second leg Nations Cup of the League of Nations series.
Aaron Vale, who finished sixth individually in Abu Dhabi, on Carissimo 25 (Photo by Liz Gregg)
The U.S. has 55 points for finishing sixth in Abu Dhabi with an inexperience team.
Robert Ridland will lead the team as chef d'equipe,
A glittering cast of riders, including eight of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 riders in the latest world rankings, will compete in in Ocala on March 23 in inaugural League of Nations series
With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games looming ever larger on the horizon, this leg looks set to be a serious test of horse-and-rider combinations vying for selection.
And the quality of the field which is filled with Olympic, World and Regional champions, promises a spectacular day of sport.
The top-10 ranked countries in the world are competing in this brand new four-leg series which will culminate in the League of Nations Final in Barcelona, Spain in early October, and Germany took the early lead when getting the maximum 100 points for its victory in Abu Dhabi last month.
CHEF d’EQUIPE Otto Becke has two members of that winning team, Christian Kukuk and David Will on the team, to be joined by 2021 European individual gold and team silver medallist Andre Thieme along with the very much on-form Richard Vogel who, riding United Touch S, won the CSI5* Grand Prix in Wellington 10 days ago.
Germany could prove difficult to beat.
Ireland just missed winning in the final stages in Abu Dhabi when the three rider rule for the second round came into play and has 90 points fo rfinishing second..
The second round made a crucial difference, with any mistake proving very costly indeed.
Ireland had an impressive Nations Cup win in Wellington last Sunday, and Michael Blake has selected two members of that winning team, Olympic bronze medallist Cian O’Connor and world number 16 Darragh Kenny, joined by Bertram Allen and world number 14 Daniel Coyle who has been blazing a trail in the World Cup circuit.
Sweden finished third in Abu Dhabi and has 80 points, and world number one Henrik von Eckermann, who had one of just four double clear rounds that day, will compete again, as will four-time Olympian and 2017 European champion Peder Fredricson.
Amanda Landeblad, who with For Killy finished third in the King George V Gold Cup at Hickstead last summer and fifth at the last qualifier of the World Cup Western European League on home ground in Gothenburg 10 days ago, joins the team this time around alongside young horse specialist Petronella Andersson.
There are also two changes to the Brazilian team that finished fourth in Abu Dhabi for 70 points.
Yuri Mansur and Marlon Zanotelli this time will be joined by 2004 Olympic champion and three-time World Cup title-holder Rodrigo Pessoa and double-Olympian Cassio Rivetti.
The Swiss, fifth in Abu Dhabi for 60 points, are sending out their big guns.
World number three and reigning European champion Steve Guerdat, who has individual Olympic gold and three World Cup victories, and world number six and former European and World Cup title-holder Martin Fuchs will be supported by Janika Sprunger, who had another of the double clear performances in the first leg in Abu Dhabi. along with double-Olympian Pius Schwizer.
The British have reigning Olympic champion and world number two Ben Maher along with world number 13 and Tokyo Olympian Harry Charles.
Di Lampard’s team will also include Tim Gredley and Jessica Mendoza as they attempt to improve on a seventh place finish for 50 points in leg one.
Netherlands finished eighth in Abu Dhabi for 45 points.and Jur Vrieling is the only remaining member of the Dutch team in Abu Dhabi as Jos Lansink brings in his heavy-hitters Harrie Smolders, Willem Greve and Maikel van der Vleuten.
France and Belgium finished ninth and 10th in leg one and have 40 and 35 point respectively.
The French chef d'equipe Henk Nooren has Olivier Perreau, Olivier Robert and Kevin Staut once again, joined by Simon Delestre.
Belgium's Chef d’Equipe Peter Weinberg has Niels Bruynseels, Pieter Devos and Nicola Philippaerts joining Gregory Wathelet in Ocala.
The second leg of the League of Nations™ takes place in Ocala on Saturday, March 23.
The competition will begin Wednesday, March 20, and conclude Saturday, March 23.
The $330,000 Grand Prix CSIO5* will take place Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. ET, while the League of Nations Team Competition will close out the event on Saturday, March 23, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
In the new League of Nations Competition format, the top 10 teams from around the globe will field four man teams, and the best three scores will count from the first round.
For the second round, the best eight teams return with three riders, selected by the chefs d’equipe, and start in reverse order after the first round.
The final placings are determined by the combined penalties of each team’s three best scores in the first round and all of the team’s thre scores in the second round.
