TALLINN, Estonia, Oct. 4, 2014–Inessa Merkulova on Mister X won the World Cup Freestyle Saturday to put the Russian pair in contention for a start in the Final at Las Vegas next April.
Inessa and the 10-year-old Trakehner gelding posted a personal best score of 76.875 per cent to log the ninth victory in 25 starts since beginning the Big Tour in June last year. The pair won the Grand Prix Friday on 73.020 per cent, also a personal best.
The Ukraine’s Inna Logutenkova on Don Gregorius placed second on 71.725 per cent with Sweden’s Malin Hamilton on Fleetwood third on 71.550 per cent.
The victory for Inessa and Mister X came a month after competing at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France and the World Cup Final in Lyon, France last April–the fourth WEG and the third title appearance in the annual individual championship for the 49-year-old Russian rider.
Their previous best Freestyle result was 75.700 set in June his year.
The result gave Inessa a total of 40 points and second place in the World Cup Central European League standings behind fellow Russian Tatiana Dorofeeva on 43 points. This was the sixth of seven Central European qualifiers for the 2014/15 series with the last scheduled for Kaposvar, Hungary next week.
The CEL is one of four leagues–North America, Pacific and Western Europe are the others–that are organized to qualify for the World Cup Final that is scheduled to be staged with the jumping championship in Las Vegas April 15-19.
Central European League standings after six of seven qualifiers:
1. Tatiana Dorofeeva/RUS – 43 points
2. Inessa Merkulova/RUS – 40
3. Dina Ellerman/EST – 36
4. Elena Sidneva/RUS – 35
5. Marina Aframeeva/RUS – 28
6. Vera Khalikova/RUS – 26
7. Anna Lukasik/POL – 22
8. Zaneta Skowronska/POL – 21
9. Regina Isachkina/RUS – 20
10. Katsiaryna Varchenia/BLR – 19
10. Nataliya Kazakova/RUS 19
12. Inna Logutenkova/UKR 17
12. Csaba Szokola/HUN – 17
14. Hanna Karasiova/BLR – 15
Results:
| Rank | Rider | Horse | € | E | H | C | M | B | TOTAL | ||
| 1 |  |
MISTER X Egeus Inessa Merkulova | 800 | 77.000 81.000 79.000 1 | 74.750 76.000 75.375 1 | 77.500 78.000 77.750 1 | 77.750 77.000 77.375 1 | 74.750 75.000 74.875 1 | 76.350 77.40076.875 1 | ||
| 2 |  |
DON GREGORIUS Don Cardinale – Placido LLC Vian-Group | 650 | 69.500 71.000 70.250 2 | 70.500 71.000 70.750 3 | 72.000 75.000 73.500 2 | 72.250 75.000 73.625 2 | 69.000 72.000 70.500 2 | 70.650 72.80071.725 2 | ||
| 3 |  |
FLEETWOOD Florestan I – Bormio xx Malin Hamilton | 500 | 68.500 71.000 69.750 4 | 72.500 73.000 72.750 2 | 69.750 75.000 72.375 4 | 70.500 75.000 72.750 3 | 69.250 71.000 70.125 3 | 70.100 73.000 71.550 3 | ||
| 4 |  |
LANDY S AKVARELLandcruiser – Noble Champion Dina Ellermann & Genofen Ltd | 350 | 67.500 69.000 68.250 6 | 68.250 71.000 69.625 4 | 69.500 73.000 71.250 5 | 69.750 72.000 70.875 4 | 66.000 69.000 67.500 6 | 68.200 70.80069.500 4 | ||
| 5 |  |
WIZARD II Wetano – Allegretto Equiettan Ab | 200 | 67.250 72.000 69.625 5 | 65.750 67.000 66.375 8 | 71.000 75.000 73.000 3 | 67.000 72.000 69.500 6 | 67.250 70.000 68.625 4 | 67.650 71.20069.425 5 | ||
| Not placed | |||||||||||
| 6 | |
KARTSEVO UPPERVILLECabochon – Creool Sonina Varvara & Bronnikova Nataliya | 68.000 72.000 70.000 3 | 68.000 70.000 69.000 5 | 67.500 71.000 69.250 6 | 68.750 70.000 69.375 7 | 65.250 70.000 67.625 5 | 67.500 70.60069.050 6 | |||
| 7 | |
EDVIN Tip-Topp – Amiral 764 PD Ridsport Per Duvefeldt | 66.250 69.000 67.625 7 | 66.500 69.000 67.750 6 | 65.250 71.000 68.125 7 | 68.750 72.000 70.375 5 | 65.500 69.000 67.250 7 | 66.450 70.00068.225 7 | |||
| 8 | |
DORAZIO Kira Kanerva | 63.750 65.000 64.375 8 | 66.250 67.000 66.625 7 | 61.000 70.000 65.500 8 | 63.500 66.000 64.750 8 | 65.250 65.000 65.125 8 | 63.950 66.60065.275 | |||