Girl Power in Poland

An all-female team from Great Britain eventually beat an all-male trio from Australia after a tight competition at Strzegom (POL), fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2015.

Kevin McNab (Casperelli), the first of the Australian team to jump, eased the pressure with four faults; then, with excitement mounting, Britain’s Emily Llewellyn (Greenlawn Sky High) and Sarah Bullimore (Valentino V) both jumped clear.

When Hoy hit the last fence, Izzy Taylor (GBR) had two fences in hand for Britain to win a second FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing leg this season, following victory at Ballindenisk (IRL) in April, and extend their advantage at the top of the leaderboard.

Taylor has been one of the most stalwart members of Britain’s FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing squad since the series began in 2012 and she did not let her team down, producing a perfect clear on KBIS Starburst to finish in second place, the only rider to complete on her Dressage score.

It was good practice for the pressure stakes,” said Britain’s team manager for the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, Philip Surl. “The Cross Country was stiffer than usual and so to have four such good performances and then three clear rounds next day was very satisfactory and will certainly make the long journey home a lot easier. The riders were all very professional. This is quite a pivotal weekend for us, as we have 12 places at Blair Castle [the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in September] as host nation, and will be announcing the longlist of riders soon.”
The FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing 2015 moves next to Aachen (GER) in August, which attracts a huge audience and is always highly competitive.

Results

1 Great Britain, 150.3 penalties
Izzy Taylor/KBIS Starburst, 48.2; Sarah Bullimore/Valentino V, 49.9;
Emily Llewellyn/Greenlawn Sky High, 52.2; (Jodie Amos/Figaro van het Broekxhof, 71.2)