Michael Eilberg and Jon and Julie Deverill’s Half Moon Delphi will be flying the British flag at the final leg of the Western European League of the Reem Acra FEI World CupTM in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands 20 – 23 March.
This will be Michael and Maggie’s first international outing since they wowed at Olympia last December for 4th place and 78.7%. They did have a useful ‘leg stretch’ at Hartpury last weekend in the grand prix where they were second with 76.55%, only beaten by Charlotte Dujardin and Uthopia.
It’s a crucial competition for many of Europe’s best as they try to claim vital points for a coveted place at this year’s final in Lyon, 17 – 21 April. Germany’s Isabel Werth currently sits second in the rankings and has her newest GP star El Santo NRW to ride in the hope of a win and 20 points. However Dutch duo Hans Peter Minderhoud and World Number three Edward Gal will use their home advantage in the spectacular Indoor Brabant arena to secure a final spot. They have two in-form horses in Johnson and Clock’s Undercover to try and boost their points; they’re fifth and seventh in the rankings currently.
Other riders handily placed in the league rankings entered for Indoor Brabant include; Marcela Krinke Susmelj (SUI), Patrick van der Meer and Danielle Heijkoop, both from the Netherlands so competition is likely to be fierce. Michael has 13 points from Olympia so even a win won't be enough to get him to the final but 'den-bosh' is a huge show and it will only add to the DiMaggio-sired mare's experience and help their bid for WEG selection.
A total of 16 riders from nine nations will come forward for Friday’s qualifying grand prix which starts at 10:00 British time. 15 will then go forward to the crucial freestyle on Saturday at 12:30 our time. You can watch all the action on subscription channel www.fei.tv
For full running times and results, visit the Indoor Brabant website.
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Preview: 's-Hertogenbosch CDI-W
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