In a dream scenario for the Swedish contingent, defending champion Henrik von Eckermann and his great gelding King Edward pipped compatriot Peder Frecricson and Catch Me Not S to win the opening competition at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 in Riyadh. “I have to say this round was ten-times better than Omaha’s round. It felt much, much better."
"It’s funny isn’t it, the result can be the same but the feeling can be completely different!”, von Eckermann said with a big smile.
It was frustrating for Fredricson to be pipped at the post but he was delighted with the performance of Catch me Not S. “We know each other inside out and it’s an advantage to have a horse you know really well in a course like that where there’s a lot of atmosphere and some spectacular fences and difficult lines. I think I had a fairly rhythmical round. I added a few strides where I felt I needed it but also I left a few out. In a class like this you need to ride fast and keep the horse jumping”, he explained, adding, “and this has been a great day for Sweden!!”
“Peder was super-fast but not quick enough!”, von Eckermann said with a big smile tonight. Hans-Dieter Dreher’s round was the last he saw before his warm-up, but he decided to stick with his own plan. “Even Henrik (Ankarcrona, Swedish Chef d’Equipe) started to talk about what Dreher did, but I said I don’t want to listen to it! I know my plan and I’m really happy that I stuck to it!”
“I kept myself calm, and from one to two I didn’t over-ride I just let him drift because if you attack him the risk is he gets a little shy and gets too careful”, he explained. As it happened it all worked out perfectly.
source: FEI