Top 40 performances of 2022
The latest fruits of the EquiRatings data science department is another key number in the portfolio of ‘the metrics that matter most’ in show jumping.
The High Performance Rating (HPR) is an objective measurement of a single performance. It introduces the valuable concept of a ‘personal best’ (PB) that is so often the force that elevates performance in sport.
To test this metric, Sam and Nicole casually rattle through the top 40 performances of 2022! ‘The list’ evokes plenty of memories from the jaw-dropping moments as the Geneva Grand Prix reached its climax to the slight surprise victors at some of the season highlights.
The dominance of Deusser features heavily, particularly as this ‘top 40’ focuses solely on individual Grand Prixs and excludes the team competitions of Nations Cups and the World Championships.
So, without further delay and cutting straight to the top 10, here are the highlights:
Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (10) hits the top ten with a win in the Trophe de Geneve which was essentially the undercard. It shows the quality that turned up in Geneva this year and the venue features heavily in the top 40. VDL EDGAR M’s Elo hit a 4-year low prior to Geneva (654) but he’s back up to 695 after a very successful week in Geneva.
Nicola Philippaerts (9) just made the podium in the Aachen Grand Prix but that’s enough to make our top 10. KATANGA VAN HET DINGESHOF is a regular on our ‘top 10 rated horses’ (Elo) when he turns up at major shows. He may not feature in the headlines, but he features right at the business end of several performance metrics.
Shane Sweetnam (8) also claims a spot with a podium finish (3rd) in the Geneva Grand Prix. If you haven’t heard of JAMES KANN CRUZ then you’re living under a rock and you’ve not been following EquiRatings. This is the best 9-year-old in the world in 2022 and one of the best youngsters we’ve ever seen on ratings. This performance was a career PB and the icing on a very fruitful cake.
Steve Guerdat (7) takes us to another Rolex Grand Slam event, this time in Spruce Meadows and now for a runner-up position. VENARD DE CERISY claimed the title here in 2021 but the level of performance achieved on ratings are worlds apart. 2021 was significantly impacted in terms of field quality, but the rating for his 2022 performance shows that this horse is capable of holding his own amongst the world’s best.
Michael Pender (6) might be the surprise for many on this list for his win in Riyadh with HHS CALAIS. This performance didn’t just a PB performance but it also triggered a career peak Elo of 729 for this upwardly mobile combination.
Scott Brash (5) is the first of two runner-up finishers in Rolex Grand Slam events. His 2nd place at Aachen might have felt like an agonizing near miss at the time, but it sits in the top 5 performances of 2022 on figures.
Martin Fuchs (4) had emotions running high before a fence was even jumped in the Geneva Grand Prix. Clooney’s retirement was one of the moments of 2022, but within a couple of hours we were taken to a completely different spectrum of emotion by the Swiss maestro. He took the lead as 12th to go in the jump-off aboard LEONE JEI who was looking for back-to-back wins in the class. There was only one competitor left to jump…
Daniel Deusser (3) was responsible for an incredible five of the top 25 individual performances of 2022. His win at Spruce Meadows with KILLER QUEEN VDM takes the third spot on our ratings.
Gerrit Nieberg (2) might not have been the first name on the shortlist for performance of the year at the beginning of 2022, but I’m sure many would nominate his Aachen win aboard BEN 431 as a massive moment of the year. The performance to win the German feature is always going to challenge the top of the ratings, but this was a home favourite landing the decisive blow as the last to go. Quality, drama and the arrival of a new star to the top table.
McLain Ward (1) and HH AZUR might have all the experience, class and proven ability to win the highest quality of the year, but by the time they had to follow 12 of the best in the Geneva jump-off, the comfort zone must have been a distant spec in the rear-view mirror. They started with a level of pace that signified nothing was going to be left behind. They finished with a breathtaking round that delivered absolutely everything. The algorithm