“I’m very proud. I have four amazing combinations on the team. It was tense until the final rider. And we were lucky that the last French rider made two faults,” said coach Wout-Jan van der Schans. “I hope we’ll have more of this luck later this year—hopefully at the European Championships in mid-July in La Coruña.”

Maikel van der Vleuten started the first round superbly with a sublime clear round on his trusted and experienced Beauville Z N.O.P. “This was Beauville’s first big course again since the World Cup Final in early April in Basel.” He and Beauville also delivered in the second round with another clear. “The crowd was really behind us. My task is to give the team a good start and motivation. It was a tough competition today. The horses really had to work. It was genuinely difficult to jump clear—only the French rider Jeanne Sadran and I managed it.”

Beauville almost always jumps clear. What is his strength? “Today he showed his fantastic mentality again. We truly work as a team. After the World Cup Final, he had a break, and now he’s back in the form we want. That gives me a great feeling.”

“I’m sweating from it,” laughed Harrie Smolders, who finished with 5 penalty points as the last rider for TeamNL on his star horse Monaco. That opened the door for France, who, like the Netherlands, also had 5 penalty points. Smolders’ result brought the Dutch total to 10. Two faults by Kevin Staut brought France to 13 penalties and secured second place behind the Netherlands. “Monaco is very experienced and very consistent. He’s 16 years old. Today was a tough course. There’s nothing better than winning at home. This is the third Nations Cup Monaco has won here in Rotterdam. With this format of three riders in the second round, it’s not over until the last fence is jumped.”

Kim Emmen picked up a time penalty in the first round, but her powerful grey, Imagine N.O.P., jumped superbly and didn’t touch a rail in either round. With just one penalty point over two rounds, she was the second-best performer on coach Wout-Jan van der Schans’ team after Van der Vleuten. “I’m very happy. Imagine jumped two great rounds. I didn’t feel I was too slow in the first round. In the second round, I pushed a bit more, and it paid off. This is my first win here in Rotterdam. It’s a very special feeling.”

“I’m very proud to be a member of this team,” said Willem Greve, who did not ride in the second round after his stallion Grandorado TN N.O.P. had two faults in the first round. “My round didn’t go as I’d hoped. After the World Cup Final, he covered many mares and still lacks some competition rhythm.”

Thanks to the victory in Rotterdam, the Dutch show jumpers have made significant progress in the FEI Longines League of Nations standings. After Abu Dhabi, Ocala, and the competition in Rotterdam, the Dutch team is now in 7th place in the overall standings. The next event is in early September in France, and the final will take place about a month later in Barcelona. The FEI Longines League of Nations is the premier competition for the world’s top ten nations, consisting of four events and a final.

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