HORSE DEALS COVERAGE 2008 Beijing Olympics, Hong Kong

Hard to imagine looking at this picture, but it was just not Jos Lansink and 'Cumano's' day. Clear in the first round, they lowered two in the second to finish in equal 10th place.

Twenty-three year old Matt Williams did a super job with the Holsteiner gelding, 'Leconte'. Matt qualified for the Individual Final and with four penalties in the first round made it to the final 25. Matt and ''Leconte'' finished in 21st place. Matt and 'Leconte' are pictured over the middle of the Beijing Opera treble, 152m x.160m. They finished in 21 place.

"Australian Made" Laurie Lever is demonstrating just what can be produced in Australia. Just the barest toe on the tape of the water jump in the first round kept Laurie and 'Drossel Dan' from the second round of the individual Final. "He just got better ever time he entered the ring," commented a delighted Laurie. They finished in equal 23rd place and won many admirers.

Big jump for a little horse. Although it is an outstanding result for Australia, Edwina Alexander was disappointed with her two round total of eight penalties for equal tenth place riding the little sensation, 'Itot du Chateau'. They finished in equal tenth place. They are pictured over the 1.55m x 2.10m Fan triple bar.

"Oh Canada" What a great result for Canada. They took the Silver Team medal a couple of days ago and Eric Lamaze got the better of the Two way jump off for Gold and Silver with his outstandingly careful, Dutch stallion, 'Hickstead'. Sweden's Rolf Goran -Bengtsson rode the Dutch gelding, 'Ninja' by Guidam to take the Silver medal. US stylish speedster, Beezie Madden won the seven way jump off for the Bronze medal with yet another Dutch gelding, also by Guidam, 'Authentic'.

The morning of the Jumping Individual Final an FEI Press Release was issued stating that riders, Bernado Alves from Brazil with 'Chupa Chup', Irishman, Denis Lynch and 'Lantinus', Germany's Christian Ahlmann with 'Coster' and Tony Andre Hansen and 'Camiro' had been "provisionally suspended by the FEI" following tests indicating that these horses tested positive for the hypersensatising substance, Capsaicin. The consequence for Norway, should the B sample also come back positive will be the loss of the Team Bronze medal. Hansen had qualified at number one with just three penalties over the three Individual Qualifying rounds. The South China Post was more interested in the "doping scandal" than it was in Eric Lamaze's Gold Medal.

Japan's Tazio Sugitani and 'California' over this beautiful, but flimsy 1.60m gate. They did well to qualify for the Individual Final and finished in 29th place.

Kirk Webby and 'Sitah' were the best place of the New Zealand riders. They Finished the Individual competition in 34th place and the Team in 14th place.

Frederico Fernandez and the Rabino stallion, 'Zorro' were one of two Mexican combinations to make it through to the Individual Final. They finished in equal 33rd place.

Jean Claude van Greenberghe and the typey Belgian gelding 'Quintus' jumping for the Ukraine are pictured over the brilliantly decorated Chinese Dragon planks. They finished in equal tenth place with a Individual Final two round total of eight penalties.

Just is just enough, as Dutch rider, Angelique Hoorn's stallion, 'O'Brien' by Peter Pan clears the Chinese Dragon planks. This combination was one of seven on a two round total of four to jump off for the Bronze medal. They had two down in the jump off for ninth place.

With eight penalties in the first round of the Individual Final, Swiss combination, Niklaus Schurtenberger and the Cantus gelding, 'Cantus' finished the competition in equal 23rd place.

A lovely and talented combination, Steve Guerdat and the Alligator Fontaine Selle Francais mare, 'Jalisca Solier' finished the Individual Final with a total of eight penalties and in equal 10th place.

Dutch rider, Marc Houtzager's playful Polydor stallion, 'Opium', kept the crowd amused with his bucking antics as he progressed around the course. Two down in the jump off against the clock for the Bronze medal, they had to settle for eighth place.

Canadian veteran and Team Silver medalist, Ian Miller, just missed the cut for the second round of the Individual Final with the Acord II gelding, 'All Inclusive'. They finished in equal 23rd place.

Sweden's Rolf Goran Bengtsson looks a picture of concentration as he guides the Guidam gelding, 'Ninja' to a double clear and force a two way jump off for Gold with Canada's Eric Lamaze. Four penalties at the last relegated the talented pair to the Silver medal.

Athens Gold medalist, Rodrigo Pessoa in full flight over the Olympic oxer riding the Dutch gelding, 'Landaris'. Clear in the jump off for Bronze, they were relegated to fifth place on time.

Known to think outside the box, Mclain Ward made a dramatic turn, jumping some of the decorative shrubbery in the jump off for Bronze riding the super Darco mare, 'Sapphire'. Alas his hopes were dashed with a misunderstanding at the last for four penalties. They finished in sixth place Individually.

The ground crew get to work to change the course for the Gold, Silver and Bronze jump off.

Ludger Beerbaumn and 'All Inclusive' lowered the last fence in the jump off for Bronze, The Summer Palace Promenade, a 1.55m x 1.60m oxer, to finish in seventh place, which would have no doubt been disappointing for the multi titled German.

The Dutch European Champions had a disappointing Olympics. At short odds before the Games, the took fifth place. Gerco Schroder and 'Monaco' by Locato finished in equal 16th place with a total of 16 over the two rounds of the Individual competition.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and 'Shutterfly' are reining European and World Cup Champions and the World Number One. They too failed to live up to expectations, but only just. They finished in fourth place on time in the jump off for Bronze.

Brazil's Camila Benedicto jumped into form at the Games to take equal tenth place riding the Bionic Royal gelding, 'Bonito Z'. Clear in the first round of the Individual competition, they could not quite maintain that form for the second, for two down.

With a two round total of 16, Stein Endresen and 'Le Beau' by Lasino finished in 16th place for Norway. They are pictured jumping the Hong Kong Skyline planks at 1.60m.

Tim Stockdale looking super over the huge triple bar with the Corofino mare, 'Corlato'. They could not maintain their first round form and four down the second round saw their hopes for a medal dashed. They ended up in equal 16th place.

Shrink wrapped crowd! No umbrellas were allowed, but all spectators received a plastic raincoat. Luckily they were only needed for a brief shower during the Individual Final.

Twenty-five year old British rider, Ben Maher (he looks much younger) had a great run with the Dutch mare, 'Rolette' by Lester to come through the tough Individual qualifiers in sixth place. Clear in the first round of the Individual final, he saw his dreams literally fall away with five rails in the second round to slip to 20th place.

Mclain Ward led the way with the jump through the shrubbery, but Beezie Madden and 'Authentic' perfected it. They jumped the fastest clear of the three to do so in the run for the Bronze medal.

"Lamazing". The Canadians will not forget, read, never forget, the Beijing Olympics in Hong Kong. Team Silver, with Eric Lamaze and 'Hickstead' a Dutch stallion by Hamlet. They had just one fence down all show , to be a popular and hugely delighted winner of the Gold medal.

Not only the Canadians, even the Dutch were pleased with Eric Lamaze and Hickstead's Gold medal. Hickstead is after all a Dutch bred horse.