Spain’s Moya returns to form with FEI World Cup victory in Zurich

Riding Carlo, the horse with which he finished fourth at the 2013 final in Gothenburg, Sweden, the 30-year-old rider looked in determined mood and out-galloped the Irish partnership of Bertram Allen and Molly Malone by one-tenth of a second to claim victory.

Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Casall ASK who had to settle for third and France’s Penelope Leprevost and Flora de Mariposa who lined up fourth.

The first-round course presented by Swiss designer, Gerard Lachat, proved big and difficult, to the extent that from the 40 horse and rider combinations that started - 10 of which came from the host nation, just seven qualified for the jump-off.

Switzerland’s Romain Duguet’s riding Quorida de Treho got the jump-off underway and the pair finished on four faults when the penultimate fence hit the floor.

Fellow Swiss rider Martin Fuchs and PSG Future suffered the same fate finishing with four faults meaning the door was still wide open for the remaining five.

Allen and Molly Malone then recorded record the first clear round of the jump-off in 39.48 seconds, before Leprevost also recorded a clear round, albeit over five seconds slower.

Bengtsson then also fell short of the young Irishman’s target-time by more than a second, leaving Moya as last-to-go with the opportunity to take victory. The Spaniard and Carlo duly obliged with a fine clear round that was fractionally ahead of Allen by less than a tenth of a second.

The win for Moya brings him up into the top 20 at 18th place on the FEI World Cup Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League standings, with a little more work and points needed to ensure his qualification for the final in Las Vegas, USA in April.

Despite his runner-up spot in Zurich, Allen has seen him shoot up to third place on the Western European League leaderboard and earn qualification for that Final.

The young Irishman now has 51 points and sits behind Olympic champion Steve Guerdat from Switzerland and France’s Kevin Staut, who continue to lead the standings, with reigning champion, Daniel Deusser from Germany in fourth with 50 points.

Other big mover into the top ten sees Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher – who claimed victory last weekend in Leipzeig, move into seventh position, either side of fellow countryman Marco Kutcher in fifth and Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander in eighth, with all three riders on 44 points.

Just two qualifying rounds of the Western European League remain, with the competition heading next to Bordeaux, France on Saturday 7 February, before concluding in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday 1 March.

1. Steve Guerdat (Switzerland) 57 points

2. Kevin Staut (France) 57

3. Bertram Allen (Ireland) 51

4. Daniel Deusser (Germany) 50

5. Harrie Smolders (Netherlands) 47

6. Marco Kutscher (Germany) 44

7. Hans-Dieter Dreher (Germany) 44

8. Edwina Tops-Alexander (Australia) 44

9. Lucy Davis (USA) 42

10. Douglas Lindelow (Sweden) 41