SHOW JUMPING/World Cup finals: Jessica Kürten finished a sensational second in the World Cup finals in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, beaten not by the fences or by the clock - but by a single point in a thrilling finish that saw Germany's Marcus Ehning claim the title for the second time in three years.

Kürten had said at the start of the World Cup finals last Thursday a top-six finish was her goal with the relatively inexperienced Castle Forbes Libertina.

She got that and more, winding up the weekend second overall, €87,000 richer and guaranteeing her status as world number two for the fourth consecutive month.

The Co Antrim-born rider produced five magical clear rounds in Kuala Lumpur's Putra Stadium over three days of top-class jumping, but it wasn't quite enough to allow her to overhaul Ehning, the world number one.

Fourth after the opening leg, third after the second, Kürten was always moving in the right direction. At the finish, the winning post came just too soon for the 36-year-old.

The horsepower that produced all of those foot-perfect rounds - mirrored only by the winning horse, Sandro Boy - is a positive adolescent in international jumping terms.

The 10-year-old mare Libertina had been promoted from the subs' bench when her stablemate Quibell's fear of flying earned her a weekend off, but she has now proved herself more than just an understudy. Libertina, which Kurten says could be the best horse she has ever ridden, has earned superstar status.

Course designer Frank Rothenberger had built a massive 13-fence marathon for yesterday's opening round in the grand finale and many of the fences seemed intent on outstripping Kuala Lumpur's trademark Petronas twin towers.

Just seven of the 24 starters left all the poles in place. Kürten was one of them, Libertina never breathing on a twig as she galloped effortlessly around. Up in the stands, her supporters weren't doing too much breathing either.

Unfortunately, Kürten's three main rivals - Ehning, Switzerland's Beat Mandli and the defending champion, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany - also returned zero scores.

Eighteen came back after the break to pit themselves and their horses against a shorter but similarly demanding nine-fencer.

With three clears already on the board from the first half of the field, Britain's Michael Whitaker - the 2005 runner-up - recorded a second faultless performance to put pressure on the seven still waiting in the wings.

Italy's Juan Carlos Garcia followed suit, but Michaels-Beerbaum and Checkmate faulted at the big oxer midway round the track to drop below Garcia. And suddenly it was all about Kürten.

"The leading lady rider in the world, the number two in the world, JESSICA KURTEN," the announcer bellowed over the shouts and screams of the crowd.

The bell had gone and there was no time for nerves or second thoughts. It was now or never.

The Irish pair rose magnificently to the occasion. And they rose magnificently over the fences. The shouts and screams intensified and, less than a minute later, Kürten was hugging her horse's neck in recognition of another stunning clear as the giant screen homed in for a close-up of the Irishwoman's wraparound grin.

Just two riders now stood between Kürten and Ireland's first ever World Cup: Mandli and Ehning.

The Swiss rider obliged fairly rapidly when Ideo du Thot kicked out the purple and white vertical halfway round to drop below Kürten.

But Ehning's stallion Sandro Boy had been jumping impeccably throughout and the only possible chance of an Irish success was if he reverted to his old habit of downing tools in the middle of a round.

But the 13-year-old powerhouse didn't down tools. And, unfortunately for the Irish cause, he didn't down any fences either.

The 100,000 winner's cheque and the coveted World Cup both had Ehning's name on them, not Kürten's. But the runner-up spot was still cause for celebration and Kürten expressed her intention of making a considerable dent in the champagne stocks on the flight home to Germany last night.

"In my eyes Libertina was also a winner," she said, beaming at the press conference that followed the medal ceremony.

"She fought like a lion. It's a feeling I don't think I've ever had before, but I didn't ever feel in danger of having a fence down. The more I put her under pressure the better she responded."

So will Castle Forbes Libertina be Kürten's choice for the world equestrian games in Aachen this summer?

"No, it definitely won't be Libertina," she said. "She's too young and too talented and we're not going to break her heart. Nothing will be done at the expense of the horses."

Libertina has been nurtured over the past three years and yesterday's result was the culmination of intensive training as well as carefully selected competition.

It has proved to be a powerful combination.

Kürten's second-place finish in Kuala Lumpur mirrored Trevor Coyle's result in the 1999 final when he was runner-up with Cruising, the stallion that has added so much to the national gene pool.

Castle Forbes Libertina did a lot of growing up over the four days of World Cup jumping in Malaysia, but her performances over the past four days have guaranteed it will be some considerable time before she joins the breeding ranks.