Kronenberg, The Netherlands – The U.S. Jumping Team finished fifth in the Longines EEF Nations Cup Peelbergen CSIO3* which featured 13 international teams. The team finished with a final total of eight faults after two rounds and was led by Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski. They will next take part in the Longines EEF Nations Cup Roeser CSIO3* in three weeks' time.
“I was really pleased with our young 3* team here in Peelbergen. For Kelli, Coco, and Ansgar, this was their first Nations Cup. Our experienced Michael Hughes had an outstanding performance jumping an impressive double clear,” said Kursinski. “They learned a great deal riding in the second round, which is totally different than jumping a Grand Prix every week. The only way you learn how to ride a Nations Cup is to ride in them and learn from the experience in every round and I’m looking forward to Luxembourg in two weeks because I know they want another shot.”
Kelli Cruciotti Vanderveen (Wellington, Fla.) led the order as pathfinders in the team rotation aboard Gideon, impressively working their way through the 1.45m-track designed by Bart Vonck (BEL). The pair produced a clean effort to keep the U.S. right at the top of the standings following the first group of combinations to test the course.
With Aventador 5, Coco Fath (Fairfield, Conn.) took a positive approach to the track with both efficiency and precision, particularly through the rollback turn from fence four to the open water, followed by the related line to the triple combination at 9ABC. The pair, who have been partnered together since 2022, showed the strength of their partnership, marking another faultless round for the U.S.
Going third in the team order, Ansgar Holtgers Jr. (Wellington, Fla.) and Good Morning B, were strong through the first half of the course, before adding a late 12 faults to their first-round score following the triple combination.
As the anchor, Michael Hughes (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) with his longtime partner Kashmir van d’Oude Pastory, were excellent in their navigation of the course, producing a clear effort and stopping the timers in 78.07 seconds. The team would move forward to the second round on zero total faults, tied with Canada and Ireland, and the Netherlands on the same score.
Returning in the second round with positions tight at the top of the leaderboard, Cruciotti-Vanderveen and Gideon, a 2014 Zangersheide gelding owned by Serenity Farms and cared for by Sophia Bruny, notched another strong score for the team, just dropping a foot in the open water to add four faults to their score. Fath and Aventador 5, a 2012 Rhinelander gelding owned by Hillside Farm, LLC and cared for by Kendall Smith, worked their way through the first half of the track without error, but finished with two rails down for eight faults after crossing through the timers.
Holtgers Jr., eager to improve on the first-round score with Good Morning B, a 2011 KWPN gelding owned by Gut Einhaus, LLC and cared for by Miguel Perez and Leandro Bessil, proved their ability to bounce back in their second tour of the course. The pair were consistent and accurate, only adding four faults, with the front rail of the final oxer dropping from the cups.
The veteran combination for the team in Hughes and Kashmir van d’Oude Pastory, a 2010 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Stephex Stables and Vital Van Ham and cared for by Millie Schneider, delivered once again in round two, producing their second clear round effort for the team and showcasing consistency in their seasoned partnership.
Results
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