Netherlands win FEI Nations Cup at Barcelona

Newly-crowned world champions from the Netherlands have won the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2014 Final at Real Club de Polo here.

The Dutch, who were crowned champions at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy last month, oozed class and confidence as they put the result beyond doubt with fabulous clears from their first three riders, the FEI said Sunday, reports Xinhua.

The Dutch team was the only side to produce a clear from the first-line riders, Jeroen Dubbeldam's Zenith looking much more like the horse that clinched double-gold in Caen for him just a few short weeks ago.

Canada's Yann Candele and Showgirl clipped the bogey opening element at 11, but Tiffany Foster showed just how much her partnership with Tripple X, the horse that won team gold for Britain's Ben Maher at the London 2012 Olympic Games, has matured this year, as they cruised home for a classic clear.

Ben Asselin's Makavoy hit the second element of the triple combination, but when Eric Lamaze produced a faultless run from Zigali PS then that would prove plenty good enough for the Canadians to pick up the 300,000 euro second place prize money.

The Swedish team edged Belgium for third place by just a single fault.

Italy and Brazil shared a final tally of 13 faults each to fill the last two places.