News

First World Cup points for Karl Cook

Aug 29, 2016

The USA’s Karl Cook jumped Tembla to a thrilling win in the $135,600 Longines FEI World Cup™ Qualifier at Langley CSI3*-W. Thunderbird Show Park hosted the first leg of the North American League West Coast sub-league on Sunday, August 28.
“As Tembla gets older, she gets better and better,” Cook said about his growing partnership with the 12-year-old Zangersheide mare. “She gets more consistent and always tries. When I ask big things of her in the jump off, she goes ahead and does it.”
Cook bested a six-horse jump off to take the show’s highlight prize and valuable World Cup™ qualifying points, with not only the fastest time of 42.95 seconds but also without recording a single fault.
“When you’re trying to qualify for the FEI World Cup™ Final and you start with a win, it obviously builds your confidence a great deal,” Cook added. “It also takes a lot of pressure off because you won’t have to work as hard, or come down to the wire as much, to qualify. It’s just such a confidence booster to do so well your first time out.”

The first of the class’s 26 starters to enter the ring—and the first to ride clear—was the local favorite, Brian Morton, riding the 11-year-old gelding, Atlantis T (Padinus x Guidam). Following in the fault-free footsteps of Morton, ten riders later, was fellow Canadian Brenda Riddell and Dutch Amouretta (Dutch Capitol x Wellington). The third clear of the afternoon came from the Audrey Coulter and Alex (Arpeggio x Mon Cheri).

Notable, yet heartbreaking, performances came early in the order from some of the younger riders in the field. Jennifer Gates (USA) and Jenna Thompson (CAN) left the rails standing in the first round, but both finished with a single time fault, ending their efforts to collect meaningful points.

One of the course’s mandated 1.60m fences, the Noel Asmar vertical at fence no. 8, kept frontrunners Andrew Ramsay (USA) and Nayel Nassar (EGY) from jump-off contention. A late, balancing check from a sweeping, rollback turn to jump no. 11 caused another upset for veteran rider Eric Navet (FRA). But it was the penultimate obstacle, a double combination, that claimed the most faults from riders like Rich Fellers (USA) and Patricio Pasquel (MEX).

The three additional riders that advanced to the jump off rode in the final third of the starting order: Nikolaj Hein Ruus (DEN), Karl Cook (USA), and Jack Towell (USA).
Cook consulted his longtime trainer, Eric Navet, to build a strategy for the class that emphasized the fences to ride carefully and the correct rhythm to hold. “Eric, after the first round, said to watch out for the pink, Asmar vertical at fence 8, rolling back away from the gate,” Cook said. “He said to not try to save time going to that vertical. Also, [he gave] the same advice to fence 11, the vertical right before the double combination, which he had down. Ride a course where you don’t have to interfere. Get your canter before the first fence and continue it along, is what Eric always says. Instead of fighting, the goal is to just flow.”

Source: press release