Off to Omaha: the five to follow
After a thrilling climax in Göteborg where the last available points were rewarded, Omaha stands as the last hurdle to the World Cup crown.
The World Cup Finals have been the highlight of many top-level riders’ calendars for years. They spend the winter season chasing points at the various World Cup Qualifiers for a spot in the Finals and shoot their shot at a place on the podium. Watch these five set their sights.
Sam, Diarm, and Nicole chat through the field's stats and metrics. Listen to the Omaha Preview here.
King Edward versus Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z
Three of the top 10 highest-rated horses on our Elo rankings will be competing in Omaha for the Longines FEI World Cup Finals this weekend. For the 9th time in their careers, we will see the two current highest-rated horses active in sport right now take each other on at the highest level. At their last head-to-head, Henrik von Eckermann’s KING EDWARD (798) evened the score after finishing third in the Grand Prix of Paris Saut Hermès while Daniel Deusser’s SCUDERIA 1918 TOBAGO Z (793) incurred four faults and finished in 27th place. These two powerhouse horses have proven they are each other’s worthy competitors, each having beaten the other on four separate occasions. One could say King Edward has the upper hand this weekend coming fresh off a third place finish at the Rolex Major Grand Prix of ‘s Hertogenbosch at his last outing, while Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z is showing a slight drop in form lately.
Is it time for Monaco N.O.P.’s moment of merit?
As Martin Fuchs has recently announced the retirement of CHAPLIN, we won’t be seeing the winner of the 2022 Leipzig World Cup Finals in Omaha this year. We will however be seeing last year’s runner-up. Harrie Smolders’ MONACO N.O.P. (765) is coming in as the third highest-rated horse in the field but perhaps the hungriest for the win. This combination’s luck has not been on their side recently with 6 second place finishes at 5* 160 level added to their record in the past 13 months, yet the pair is still waiting on their big career win. Could Harrie Smolders and Monaco N.O.P. improve on last year’s performance and finally get that win they have been chasing for years?
Form favourites
Another combination to look out for is the newly paired Harry Charles and BALOU DU REVENTON (750). At 17 years old, the stallion is one of the oldest horses in the field. This pair have only jumped two 5* 160 together but maintain a 100% clear rate at that level. Both horse and rider have considerable experience competing on the world stage, which could make them a force to be reckoned with.
When looking at clear rates of the past year, we cannot not highlight the performances of Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmerman’s MESSI VAN ‘T RUYTERSHOF (741). Over the past 12 months this pair have jumped 18 5* 160 classes, keeping a clean sheet in 13 and therefore maintaining a clear rate of 72.2%. Very few horses are able to maintain that level of consistency.
In terms of World Cup form this season, Pius Schwizer’s VANCOUVER DE LANLORE (721) is the one to keep an eye out for. He is the only horse have jumped four 5* 160 classes in 2023 while maintaining a 100% clear rate. All those clears were produced at World Cup shows, his third-place finish in Göteborg finally earning them their sport in the final.