Kurten’s lucky streak continues

There is no stopping Jessica Kurten. The Irish show jumper continued her unbeatable form this weekend, winning a new Mercedes in the Swiss Masters and €32,000 in the Swiss Classic. An attempt by Britain’s Michael Whitaker to put a stop to Kurten’s domination proved unsuccessful when she trumped him by more than a second in the Swiss Masters.

Now ranked fifth in the world, the 36-year-old has clinched seven major competitions in 15 days including the Dubai Masters and Dubai Grand Prix where she scooped $250,000 – show jumping’s richest ever prize.

Kurten also won in Liepzig last weekend and last Thursday she took another €20,000 by qualifying for the Swiss Masters when winning the Credit Suisse Masters Qualifier.

After winning the Swiss Grand Prix, Kurten was one of only two in the 15- strong line up to jump a double clear in Friday’s Swiss Masters. Partnering Castle Forbes Libertina she finished over a second faster than Britain’s Michael Whitaker and Portofino. Swiss rider Christina Leibherr who won the World Cup qualifier in Mechelen, Belgium three weeks ago finished third with L B No Mercy.

Kurten’s run of luck seemed to falter when she clocked up four penalties in the Swiss Classic after knocking a pole in the jump off. But her speedy round was good enough for third place and an impressive €32,000. Germany’s Marcus Ehning took the trophy with a double clear on Sandro Boy.

Kurten is now en route to Bordeaux for the next round of the Samsung World Cup where she will come head to head with Michael Whitaker for a second time in a week, as well as John Whitaker and Robert Smith. With so many major titles under her belt in just 15 days, the British contenders have a lot to prove.

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