At the start, the Mexican team entered the arena. Due to a timing error, the British team jumped ahead of them with one rider left to go. All eyes were on John Whitaker and Equine America Unick du Francport (by Zandor). The fifteen-year-old gelding flawlessly completed his second round under the 68-year-old rider, but the penultimate obstacle proved to be too much. Those four penalty points, along with an additional two time faults, once again put the Mexican team in the lead.
The climax rested in the hands of Manuel Gonzalez Durfrane. The Mexican rider could afford at most one more jumping fault while riding Hortensia van de Leeuwerk (by Corland). The second obstacle of the triple combination fell victim to it. The duo had a questionable distance at the penultimate obstacle, causing them to knock down both the penultimate and the last jumps. The British team took the lead once again.
Mathematically, victory was nearly certain for the British team. Last to go for the Belgian team was Gregory Wathelet riding Bond Jamesbond de Hus (by Diamant de Semilly). They had already incurred a jumping fault in the first round and also had a refusal at the combination after the water. Aside from that, the pair completed a faultless round.
The victory for the British team was not yet secured; everything hinged on the decisive round led by Scott Brash and Hello Valentino (by Diamantino). If the duo finished with a maximum of four penalty points, the victory would be theirs. Otherwise, a tiebreaker would determine the winner between them and Germany. The final element of the triple combination fell in the grass for the British pair, but the very last obstacle also resulted in an error.
Surprisingly, the German team claimed the victory in the Nations Cup in Belgium. In second place was the Mexican team, followed by the British team in third. The host country, Belgium, finished in eighth place.
At the start, the Mexican team entered the arena. Due to a timing error, the British team jumped ahead of them with one rider left to go. All eyes were on John Whitaker and Equine America Unick du Francport (by Zandor). The fifteen-year-old gelding flawlessly completed his second round under the 68-year-old rider, but the penultimate obstacle proved to be too much. Those four penalty points, along with an additional two time faults, once again put the Mexican team in the lead.
The climax rested in the hands of Manuel Gonzalez Durfrane. The Mexican rider could afford at most one more jumping fault while riding Hortensia van de Leeuwerk (by Corland). The second obstacle of the triple combination fell victim to it. The duo had a questionable distance at the penultimate obstacle, causing them to knock down both the penultimate and the last jumps. The British team took the lead once again.
Mathematically, victory was nearly certain for the British team. Last to go for the Belgian team was Gregory Wathelet riding Bond Jamesbond de Hus (by Diamant de Semilly). They had already incurred a jumping fault in the first round and also had a refusal at the combination after the water. Aside from that, the pair completed a faultless round.
The victory for the British team was not yet secured; everything hinged on the decisive round led by Scott Brash and Hello Valentino (by Diamantino). If the duo finished with a maximum of four penalty points, the victory would be theirs. Otherwise, a tiebreaker would determine the winner between them and Germany. The final element of the triple combination fell in the grass for the British pair, but the very last obstacle also resulted in an error.
Surprisingly, the German team claimed the victory in the Nations Cup in Belgium. In second place was the Mexican team, followed by the British team in third. The host country, Belgium, finished in eighth place.