Britain has fallen two places on the FEI World Cup Jumping leader board. An impressive win from Austria’s Thomas Fruhmann at Leipzig, Germany this weekend has relegated Nick Skelton (pictured) to seventh position on a score of 34 points.
On the eve of his 55th birthday, the Austrian pipped Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum with a breathtaking last-to-go ride aboard The Sixth Sense. The victory shoots him from 16th to 6th place on leader board, putting him on track for qualification for the final in Kuala Lumpur in April.
From a starting field of 40, a total of 13 combinations cleared Frank Rothenberger’s first round track with no penalties to go through to the second round. With six of the jump-off contenders flying the German flag, a home win seemed inevitable.
But setting off at a cracking pace, last-to-go Fruhman finished clear in 33.12 seconds – almost a full second faster than current leader Ludger Beerbaum.
“Ludger did a really fast time and I just knew that I had to go as fast as I possibly could if I was to have any chance of beating him” the Austrian rider said afterwards.
“The Sixth Sense is world class – at home he jumps better over 1.60m than he does over 1.50m and he really enjoys his competitions”.
With just four more World Cup legs remaining, the pressure for points is rising. Switzerland’s Beat Mandli currently tops the leader board on a score of 56 with Gerco Schroder in second and Marcus Ehning in third.
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