The competition is ON in Gothenburg, Sweden today during the first official day of competition for the FEI World Cup Finals. The rider list was chock-full of international superstars and it was Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat who rose to the top of the pack on day one. Watch his winning round aboard Alamo below. Official press release over today’s competition to come shortly!
Guerdat starts the class by giving Alama a good tour of the ring, which is quite tight making for a tough course for day one. Today’s round was a speed round and each rider had the same goal in mind: be fast and be clear.
Currently ranked number one in the world, it isn’t a surprise that Guerdat would claim the victory right out of the gate. He and Alamo sail over the first fence with a sense of determination that lets you know they are in it to win it. They move up to the second fence beautifully, making quick work of the course as they zip around to jump three.
The always tricky Longines wall didn’t phase Guerdat’s mount a bit and they fly around to the triple combination with quite a bit of pace. For a hot second you think there could be a rail at the third element, but Guerdat keeps Alamo in line and they get through the triple clear. The Gothenburg fence gets a bit tight (the commentator takes a deep breath here as well!) but its no issue for this duo. They stop the clock after the final fence at 61.28 seconds, just a hair faster than the previous time to beat.
Will Guerdat and Alamo maintain their pole position? Only time will tell, so stay tuned to Jumper Nation for more coverage of this year’s finale.
Go Jumping.