APRIL 2024 THE RIDER /45


Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider


APRIL 2024 Vol. 5, Issue No. 6


CELEBRATING 53 YEARS


Martin Fuchs Stars in Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix at World Equestrian Center – Ocala


Ocala, FL – Martin Fuchs (SUI) emerged victorious from a star-studded field to win the $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5* on Thursday, March 21, at World Eques- trian Center – Ocala (WEC) in Ocala, FL. The best Jumping


athletes in the world have converged at WEC – Ocala to contest the four- day Longines League of Nations™ event. Thurs- day’s featured competition saw 49 entries come for- ward to try their luck over the track set by Irish course designer Alan Wade. The clock proved to be just as challenging as the course itself, with five riders clearing all the ob- stacles only to pick up time faults for exceeding


the 80-second time al- lowed. In the end, five riders


posted clear rounds to qualify for the jump-off. Kevin Staut of France opted to withdraw his mount, Beau de Laubry Z, from the tiebreaker, leav- ing four to battle it out for victory. The packed house was treated to show jump- ing sport at its finest, with Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam leading off with a clear round in a time of 39.44 seconds


riding RR


Combella. Up next, Fuchs used the huge stride of his long-time partner, Leone Jei, to his advantage and moved into the lead. The pair’s time of 36.68 sec- onds would hold up to the challenge from fellow Swiss rider, Steve Guerdat,


night of sport. I have been looking forward to this week for a long time. As a founding sponsor of WEC – Ocala, to see a competi- tion like this take place here is unbelievable.” Ocala is the only


North American stop on the


prestigious


Longines League of Na- tions™ series that sees the top 10 countries go head- to-head in team competi- tion. There are only four events – Abu Dhabi (UAE), Ocala (USA), St. Gallen (SUI), and Rotter- dam (NED) – leading up to the final in Barcelona (ESP) from October 3 to 6, 2024.


Eight of the top 10


Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Leone Jei galloped to victory in the $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5*. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


who stopped the clock in 37.54 seconds for second place riding the relatively inexperienced


Alb-


fuehren’s Iashin Sitte, while the last to go, Callie Schott representing the United States, took third with a time of 37.88 sec- onds aboard Garant for owner Southern Arches LLC.


“Really a fantastic Chief Executive Officer Moti Ferder and Melissa Bran-


des, Director of Ocala and Vice-President Global Eques- trian Sales, representing Lugano Diamonds, with Jim


Wolf of WEC – Ocala and groom Sean Vard with Martin Fuchs aboard Leone Jei.


Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


performance of Leone Jei tonight,” said Fuchs of the 12-year-old Dutch Warm- blood gelding (Baltic VDL x Corland) owned by Adolfo Juri. “He jumped fantastic both rounds; he felt really good. He was re- ally working with me, and I felt like he enjoyed both rounds a lot.” Fuchs will also sad-


dle up Leone Jei for the Longines League of Na- tions™ and is hoping a win in the Lugano Dia- monds Grand Prix will lead to a great perform- ance for the Swiss team on Saturday. “When you’re in a


Steve Guerdat, Martin Fuchs and Callie Schott celebrate on the podium. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


grand prix like this, you re- ally want to win and you try your best in the jump- off,” said Fuchs. “You don’t think too much about the nations’ cup yet. Leone Jei has so much experience already at this level, and I really trust that he can go fast in a jump-off like


today, and then still be fo- cused and at his best on Saturday


for Team


Switzerland.” With 2012 Olympic


champion Guerdat also on Fuchs’ side, the Swiss have quickly become the odds-on favorite to win. Steve Guerdat, Mar-


tin Fuchs and Callie Schott celebrate on the podium. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography “It’s the very first


time that this horse has seen a ring like this, that he has seen jumps like tonight, and the first time he has jumped under the lights,” said Guerdat of Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte, a 10-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding (Ba- mako de Muze x Tinka’s Boy) that he owns in part- nership with Hofgut Albführen GmbH. “When you walk the course, it al- ways depends a little bit on what you’re sitting on. Knowing I had a little bit of lack of experience on my horse, I thought it was a very tough grand prix. I thought


the time was


maybe one or two seconds too short, so I knew it was going to be a tough ask. He responded beautifully to everything I asked him. It couldn’t have been any better, and he made me very proud tonight.”


resenting the U.S. as an in- dividual


While Schott is rep- at Longines


League of Nations™ in Ocala, she made her U.S. team debut at the opening event in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in February where the Americans placed sixth. “I think it was really


exciting to be able to com- pete with them,” said Schott of going head-to- head against three experi- enced Olympic riders in the jump-off. “I feel like jumping a clear round was a major accomplishment in itself, and then it was, ‘Let’s see what I can do.’ I haven’t had that much practice in jump-offs at this level, so I just felt like I was going to try to do my best.”


As for what comes


next in her partnership with Garant, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Warrant x Verdi TN), Schott noted, “Today was a big class, so we shall see. If I make the short list for the Olympics, I think we are going to try to pursue that and if not, we’re going to do the best for all of our horses and go from there.” Melissa Brandes, Di-


rector of Ocala and Vice- President


Equestrian Sales


Lugano Diamonds, stated, “It was an spectacular


Global of


Callie Schott (USA) represented the home nation with a third-place finish in the $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5* with Garant. Photo by Andrew Ry- back Photography


athletes in the Longines World Rider Rankings have made the trip to Ocala for the Longines League of Nations™ event. The home team of


Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Aaron Vale and McLain Ward of


the


United States will face off against Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Nether- lands,


Sweden Switzerland new $770,000 in


and the


Longines


League of Nations™ team competition in a two- round format. The first round gets underway at 4:30 p.m. before the top eight teams return for a second round under the lights at 7:30 p.m. Each country will put forward four horse-rider combina- tions in the opening round and drop the worst score, but only three riders per nation will return in round two where all scores will count.


Steve Guerdat (SUI) finished runner-up in the $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5* riding Alb- fuehren’s Iashin Sitte. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photog- raphy


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