Joyful Jung sets the target in HSBC FEI World Cup™

Michael Jung (GER) has set a tough target in the HSBC FEI World Cup™ after becoming only the third rider in the history of the series to win two CIC3*-W events in one season, after he added a pillar-to-post victory at Strzegom (POL) to his equally comfortable win at Marbach (GER) last month.

This has propelled Jung to the top of the 2010 HSBC FEI World Cup™ rankings, in which a rider’s two best placings count, ahead of Megan Jones (AUS) who has a first and second place to her credit.

The results means that other competitors have just five events left to try to equal Jung’s maximum points. If there is a tie at the end of the season, the rider with the lowest penalty score takes precedence, which means Jung is in line to scoop the US$50,000 first prize out of the total fund of US$180,000 to the leading 15 riders.

And, for good measure, at almost exactly the same time as Germany was beating England in football’s World Cup, German event riders were filling the top four places at Strzegom.

Jung himself scored a one-two, winning with new ride Wiedezaunprofi’s River Of Joy, a nine-year-old bay gelding by Rubice ll, and finishing second on his brilliant European bronze medallist La Biosthetique Sam.

“River Of Joy was fantastic”, Jung said after clinching victory. “He was very clever across country and was really focused. He has got better and better and this is the best round he’s done so far. Sam was also in great form and I’m feeling really good about him.”

Jung’s compatriots Dirk Schrade on Gadget de la Cere and Andreas Dibowski on Pau CCI4* runner-up Euroridings Butts Leon were third and fourth, both of them finishing on their Dressage scores.

Tattersalls winner Oliver Townend (GBR), the only rider who could have challenged Jung for first place in the rankings, was fifth after Dressage on new ride Brigadier but dropped down the order with a runout in a water complex. The same fate befell Frank Ostholt (GER), third after Dressage on his veteran Air Jordan.

There were 42 starters, of whom 33 finished the competition, with 24 clear Cross-Country rounds, 10 of which were inside the optimum time of 6min 50sec.

And, for those following the progress of popular Olympic Champions Hinrich Romeike (GER) and Marius Voight-Logistik, they withdrew after leading the Dressage in the concurrent CCI3* at Strzegom.

Results
1 Michael Jung/Weidezaunprofi’s River Of Joy (GER) 36.6 + 0 + 0 = 36.6
2 Michael Jung/La Biosthetique Sam (GER) 38.0 + 0 + 4 = 42.0
3 Dirk Schrade/Gadget de la Cere (GER) 44.6 + 0 + 0 = 44.6
4 Andreas Dibowski/Euroridings Butts Leon (GER) 44.6 + 0 + 0 = 44/6
5 Niklas Jonsson/First Lady (SWE) 44.2 + 7.2 + 0 = 51.4
6 Harald Ambros/Quick 2 (AUT) 51.8 + 0 + 0 = 51.8
7 Julia Krajewski/After The Battle (GER) 46.0 + 0 + 6 = 52.0
8 Viktoria Carlerback/Bally’s Geronimo (SWE) 51.6 + 0 + 4 = 55.6
9 Frank Ostholt/La Fair (GER) 52.6 + 3.2 + 0 = 55.8
10 Peter Flarup/Silver Ray (DEN) 53.8 + 2.4 + 0 = 56.2

Standings (after 7 of 12 events)

1 Michael Jung (GER) 142 points
2 Megan Jones (AUS) 138
3 = Clarke Johnston (NZL) 128
3= Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) 128
5 Sonja Johnson (AUS) 119
6 Andrew Downes (GBR) 104
7 Mary King (GBR) 74
8= Mara Dean (USA) 71
8= Chris Burton (AUS) 71
8 = Sam Griffiths (AUS) 71
8 = Oliver Townend (GBR) 71