The first of three rounds of the World Cup Final in Leipzig just came to a thrilling close. In this CSI-W Final 1.60m class, the riders were presented with a speed and handiness class. Martin Fuchs immediately proved his role as crowd favorite and secured victory in this first round of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final I.
Martin Fuchs could count on the fifteen-year-old KWPN Chaplin (by Verdi TN) to set the winning time of 65.11 seconds and secure the gold. He entered the arena as the second last combination and immediately made it clear why he is a feared opponent. Max Kühner finished second with Elektric Blue P (by Eldorado vd Zeshoek) in a time of 66.19 seconds after being in first place for a long time. Conor Swail completed the podium with Count Me In (by Count Grannus). The duo finished in 67.06 seconds.
David Will (C Vier) finished fourth, moving McLain Ward (Contagious) into fifth place. Ward rode a sublime round with lots of pace and cut every possible corner until he misjudged distance in a broken line towards the oxer which costed him three penalty seconds.
Course builder Frank Rothenberger had designed an enthralling hunting course. The riders had the choice between cutting corners or adopting a faster pace and saving time. Some riders ventured into the combination of the minimum number of meters combined with a very high base pace and that resulted in beautiful some courses.
Photo: © Tomas Holcbecher