Yesterday, the first leg of the 2022 FIMA Federation Steeplechase National Cup kicked off in Abu Dhabi, UNITED Arab Emirates, with Ireland taking the title, host UAE runner-up and Great Britain finishing third.
The atmosphere in the final showdown was very tense, as Ireland's manager Michael Blake said after the game, the game became a "game between two horses", because in the middle of the game, the top two teams were only one obstacle penalty point apart, Ireland led by zero points, and the host UAE team entered the second round with four free throws.
There was no room for error in the final stages, as Black added: "The UAE did put pressure on us. I couldn't have dreamed this morning that in the end we would need six rounds of zero penalties to win the game! ”
For the UAE team, their result easily won one of the two places allocated to the Middle East in the 2022 Longines ITM Team Steeplechase National Cup Finals, with the other place being won by saudi Arabia in fifth place.
Syria only had three pairs of players to compete, so when rider Ahmad Saber Hamcho was eliminated in the first round, Syria withdrew from the competition, leaving six national teams to compete, and Jordan finished sixth, missing out on this year's finals.
Championship battle
After the match began, Ireland's Shane Breen partner Z7 Ipswich contributed a zero-penalty performance in the second round, after which the team's youngest player, 20-year-old Jack Ryan, partnered with BBS McGregor to stage two rounds of zero penalties, and Ireland was in good shape.
However, as Ireland manager Blake commented at half-time, they had no chance of complacency as the UAE followed suit: first to play Abdullah Mohammed Al Marri and his partner Sama Dubai suffered an obstacle penalty, and his compatriot Hamad Ali Kirbi and Grey Horse Quell came in second Cadans Z scored two rounds of zero penalties and the gap between the two teams was just one obstacle.
Hamad Ali's 21-year-old son, Ali Hamad Al Kirbi, then teamed up with 13-year-old mare Dalida van de Zuuthoeve to put on an equally impressive performance on a route designed by route designer Alan Wade that included 12 obstacles, earning a round of four penalties and one round of zero, and now the ball is being kicked back to the Irish side again.
However, the third Irish rider, David Simpson, partnered with 12-year-old Foudre F, and once again finished the game with a calm and perfect performance, and the total penalty point for the Irish team was still zero.
The 50,000-euro prize of "two rounds of zero penalties" is shared by the combination of five teams: Ryan. Simpson, Hamad Al Colby, British rider Di Caprio and German rider Babalou HD.
The final scoring line showed Ireland winning the title with zero free throws, the UAE second with four free throws, and the United Kingdom team of Whitaker, William Funnell and Georgia Tame in third with 17 free throws. Germany was fourth with 34 free throws, Saudi Arabia was fifth with 48 and Jordan was sixth with 50.
The advantages are obvious
In the race earlier this week, Ireland's brothers Shane Bollinger and Trevor Breen won the 5-star and 2-star Grand Prix, and the Irish riders looked like they had a clear advantage, so the team leader Blake was confident about the Nations Cup race: "We played four times here and finished three runners-up, but I think the victory in this race should belong to us, we are the best team here!" ”
He was pleased with the performance of all the team members, especially with the maturity shown by Jack Ryan, who only participated in the National Cup for the second time. Blake said: "He was part of the team that won last year in Vilamoura, so he has now won two, which is impressive! He has known the youngster from Kilkenny, Ireland, for a long time: "I met Jack when I first competed in tournaments when he was only 11 years old and competing in children's competitions. Today he is riding here on an Irish self-bred horse, which is particularly special. ”
BBS McGregor is a horse with a story who suffered serious injuries in his early years and is now fully recovered. Ryan said: "We bred him ourselves, he was very ill when he was a year old and we guess he was kicked in the head by another horse while in the wild. His health took a sharp turn for the worse, and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him – he was getting weaker. There was a lump on his nose and X-rays showed that after he was kicked, it appeared that a tooth had pierced out of his palate because of the pain and he could not eat. He's much better now and it's great to see him perform so well and have fun on the field. ”
Experienced team
Ryan also said he felt "confident but nervous" to play in a 5-star tournament with such an experienced team today, but "they helped me a lot". He loves the brawling between the national teams: "Playing fair with the UAE – they're really chasing us all the way!" ”
Meanwhile, ABDU's Mohammed Al Mali of the UAE team is proud of his national team's achievements. He said: "Our best time here before was 17 penalties, so today's result was really great! This year we are aiming for two teams to compete – one for the Asian Games, one for the Nations Cup Finals, and of course today's tournament is also a qualifier for the World Championships, so it was a great experience for all of us! ”
Meanwhile, Irish team manager Blake is turning his attention to the next leg of the 2022 Longines FIRMA Club Steeplechasse National Cup, which will be held in Coapexpan, Mexico, in March. He was very happy with the match in Abu Dhabi: "It was fantastic as a start to the year! ”
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