International News
FEI World Cup™ Central European League Final: Warsaw (POL), 13-16 March
By FEI Press Realese
Mar 18, 2008

Winners of the Central European League - Michal Rapcewicz (POL) and Randon get ready fo the FEI World Cup™ Final to be held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED) from 27-30 March

On Saturday 15 March, the Central European League Final took place in Warszawa in Poland which would decide on the participation for the FEI World Cup™ Final Dressage in two weeks time in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands. Polish rider Michal Rapcewicz was the one to qualify aboard 11 year old Randon. The brown Polish bred Randon is looking powerful and energetic and does the passage exemplary well. Rapcewicz and Randon have a lot of Western-European experiences already. Michael Rapcewicz is living in Poland but training in the Netherlands with Belgian rider Peter Spahn and is very happy to be able to compete in the FEI World Cup™ Final. “Although in my speciality the passage some things this time went wrong with some interruptions, I am very happy with my horse and our qualification for the Final”, Rapcewicz commented.

The last time a Polish competitor entered the final has been in 2001 in Arhus. Polish Malgorzata Morsztyn rode to the eleventh position then. Judge Wojtek Markowski commented: “It is very inspiring for the younger riders in our country to be represented in the FEI World Cup™ Final Dressage once again. After a long break we again have a rider now in the Final. This will only be the third time yet. The first time was in 1997 when Poland was represented by Anna Bienias.”

Chair Mariette Withages was struck by the special music composed for Katarzyna Milczarek. “It had a wonderful classical but Polish sound. However her test didn’t go very well unfortunately. Some horses were very distracted by a big television screen in the arena. The winner Rapcewicz did a good job and had, for example, a nice canter part”, Withages commented.

From the list of competitors Polish Michal Rapcewicz and Belarus rider Svetlana Yevshchik had the best chance to get selected having the fourth and fifth position in the leader board, as the first three riders Lys, Sidneva and Ivanova refrained from competing. Svetlana Yevshchik did a good Grand Prix test but had too many mistakes to be a threat for Rapcewicz.

Due to the desire to qualify for the OG in Hong Kong, some Central European competitors made other choices rather than competing in the FEI World Cup™. Highest placed rider from the leader board before the central European final Iryna Lys preferred to participate in the Sunshine Tour in Spain. Unfortunately in the last moment Russian rider Elena Sidneva withdrew with no known reason to the organisers.

The World Cup™ Final Dressage now will be the next challenge, to be held for the eight’s time in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, 27-30 March. Rapcewicz couldn’t wait to be on his way to The Netherlands after the prize giving ceremony to prepare properly and spend two weeks training time with his trainer Spahn in advance.

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