Winning from the Beginning in Geneva at the 2010 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final
RELEASE: April 15, 2010
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Joanie Morris
McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster/Mustphoto.com)
- Jumping got underway at the 2010 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final in Geneva, and the horses and riders stretched their legs over the courses in the Palexpo Arena in Geneva, Switzerland before the big events got going on Thursday afternoon.
The American contingent is already winning at a fairly rapid rate. McLain Ward, who has been picked as one of the favorites to with the Final after his runner-up performance in 2009 with Sapphire, led the way with Rothchild in Prix du Léman on Wednesday. Sagamore Farms’ unorthodox Dutch gelding outran the field of 30 horses by more than two seconds. Fellow American Michelle Spadone riding Cadence was third – legendary German ride Marcus Ehning split the pair.
Not to be outdone by her two-time Olympic gold-medal winning teammate, 22-year-old Hillary Dobbs won the Prix de l'Arve on Thursday morning by a very narrow margin on Marengo. Besting Swiss rider Phillipp Zuger and 25 other riders, Dobbs was the fastest by 5/110ths of a second. Lauren Hough was third with Available Versace.
Hough continued the winning ways in the Prix des Communes Genevoises. Riding Prezioso S she took four seconds off Marco Kutscher’s time in the jump off to claim a third win for the Americans squad.
The first part of the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final gets underway at 7:15PM local time in Geneva. Watch it live on
FEITV and follow along at the
Rolex/FEI World Cup Final website . Complete information about the US riders is available
here .