Japanese rider Eiken Sato sprung a massive surprise to win the seventh leg of the 2009/2010 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Mechelen, Belgium on Wednesday.
With his 10 year old stallion BV Project Cartoon Z the relatively unknown 23 year old from Nagano produced one of eight first-round clears over the massive track built by Lucien Somers and with youthful enthusiasm then devastated the opposition with a daredevil ride against the clock. Ireland's Jessica Kuerten had to settle for second with her great mare Castle Forbes Libertina while the host country's Patrick McEntee and Ever Mury Marais Z slotted into third.
 Japan's Eiken Sato created a sensation when steering BV Project Cartoon Z to victory in the seventh leg of the 2009/2010 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Mechelen, Belgium. 
Sato was presented with his award by Philippe de Baets, Director, Rolex Benelux. © Dirk Caremans.
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Sato looked as cool as a cucumber while executing his historic victory, but with a great tremble in his voice he said afterwards "I have this most wonderful horse, and I am so lucky. He's not just my horse - he is my friend!".
During the course-walk, Kuerten described the track as "big and ugly", and that was how it certainly must have seemed to the early starters, many of whom found it too great a challenge. It was not particularly technical and the time-allowed was generous, but it demanded scope from the horses and strength from the riders, and 13 partnerships came into the ring before the first clear round was recorded by the home side's Yves Vanderhasselt and Adamo Van'T Steenputje. By then there had already been four retirements and one elimination as proof of just how difficult it could be.
The short-strided double at fence seven was the bogey fence of the day, catching out many of the favourites including the Dutch duo of Albert Zoer and Oki Doki, Belgium's World Champion Jos Lansink with Valentia van 'T Heike, Germany's Daniel Deusser (Hooligan de Rosyl), Switzerland's Christina Liebherr (LB Lilas de la Chaise) and Great Britain's Ellen Whitaker (Equimax Ocolado) amongst others.
Vanderhasselt had celebrated his first-round clear as if he had won an Olympic medal, and understandably so as the 30 year old, who is a former European Pony Champion, is not a full-time professional rider but spends his days managing the family transport business.
Germany's Christian Ahlmann and Taloubet Z had made it all look very elementary first time out but they fell foul of the new oxer at fence 15 in the jumpoff, so it was Spain's Pilar Cordon who set the first target with a nice clear from Herald in 42.21 seconds. But Sato blasted that into oblivion when following with a thrilling round in which he threw caution to the wind and galloped home in 38.82 seconds.
The final two looked threatening, particularly the penultimate partnership of Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina whose speed is legendary. But the Irish rider said before the competition began that she might be cautious because it was Libertina's first time back at top level following a seven-month layoff due to a leg injury. In the first round the mare was full of fire and pulling hard, and although Kuerten did take off the handbrake in round two the Irish partnership were not flat to the boards as they broke the beam, clear once again, a second short of the target time in 30.31 seconds.
Sato could hardly believe what he had achieved. Based for the past five years in Grobbendonk, Belgium with horse dealer Axel Verlooy who regularly trains Japanese riders, he has been learning his trade but only began to really make his mark after the purchase of Cartoon from the Zangersheide Stud 12 months ago.
"A lot of people had seen him, but nobody thought he was special - I know he's a very special horse," the rider said. They have developed a remarkable bond which is evident in the way they respond to each other - "Cartoon gets very excited when he sees Eiken - he can't wait for him to come into the stable and talk to him," said Patrick McEntee's groom.
Asked what his plans were going into the ring with speed-merchant Jessica Kuerten following behind him Sato said "I just thought I'd give it a try and go as fast as I could because I knew Jessica wouldn't be jumping out of a trot!".
Kuerten was very happy with Libertina's runner-up result. "This is her first 5-Star show after her injury, we have done three little shows and then did one jump-off class here and she was clear but there were too many in the jump-off so I decided not to go in the second round that day" she explained. And did she hold back in the jump-off this afternoon? "I didn't think I'd be clear when I saw the course but when I was I decided I'd have a go against the clock," she said.
But the day was all about a talented young man and a horse that only he and his trainer could see had the makings of a champion. "I rode at the WEG in Aachen in 1996 and went to Hong Kong Olympic Games last year but I never before had a horse like this," he said. And his plan now? "Kentucky - I want to go to the WEG in Kentucky and when we get there we will see what we can do ..."
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