FALSTERBO, Sweden--The U.S.team of Spencer Smith on Keeneland, Carly Anthony on Heavenly W, Karl Cook on Caracole de la Roque and McLain Ward on High Star Hero finished second, just one rail behind the winning team home team of Sweden in the CSIO5* Nations Cup in Falsterbo on Friday, July 11.

Karl Cook on Caracole de la Roque It rained during the entire class, leaving the grass field a bit slippery, but the rain didn't deter the spectators, leaving the stands packed with standing room only.

Sweden won with four faults, the U.S. finished second with eight faults,  and Ireland was third, also on eight faults, but with a slower time than the U.S. 

Four teams, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland and the U.S were tied with four faults each going into the second round.

The Swedish team of  Petronella Andersson, Amanda Landeblad, Peder Fredricson, and Henrik Von Eckermann had three clean rounds in the second round.

So when the U.S. anchor rider, Ward on High Star Hero went, four faults would leave the U.S. tied for second with Ireland and a clean round would give the U.S.a tie for the win with Sweden, necessitating a jump-off.

 

HIGH STAR HERO was jumping beautifully, a foot over every fence, but then he had a rail down at the black vertical three fences from the end.

He slipped a little on the turn into the vertical," said chef d'equipe Robert Ridland.

That just threw off Ward's striding into the fence, and the rail came down.

In a tie for the win, one rider from each team is chosen by the chef to go in a jump-off.

We were all ready for a jump-off," said Ridland. "We had Karl and Caracole all prepped, and we'd put bigger studs on Caracole."

"It would have been fun to have a jump-of," said Ridland. "We've had two memorable ones with Sweden, winning in the World Championship and then losing in the Olympics."

Smith and Cook were two of the seven that were double clean in the Nations Cup, and Cook also had the fastest clear round of the class, finishing in 70.44 seconds in the first round. 

“Karl and Spencer were terrific,"said Ridland. "They rode incredibly well, and their horses jumped super." 

Anthony had just four faults in round one and had eight faults in round two, while Ward had four faults in each round.

"Carly was unfortunate in the first round," said Ridland. "Her horse lost a shoe at the second to last fence, and he slipped and had it down."

Sweden won for the second year in a row, and the seventh time in total .

"Falsterbo has meant incredibly much to us," said Sweden's chef d'equipe Henrik Ankarcrona during the prize giving ceremony. "This is where we want to be in the summer, this is where we want to perform and to stand on this podium."

The Rolex Grand Prix of Falsterbo CSIO5* is Sunday, July 13, beginning at 2:00 p.m., which is 8:00 a.m. ET.