Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam were the highest scoring Australian combination in the dressage phase

© Michelle Terlato Photography

Australian eventers shine in the dressage arena at Pratoni

 By Equestrian Life 

It’s been a stellar day for the Australian eventers in Pratoni, with all three Australian riders posting sub 30 penalty dressage scores on Day 2 of the Dressage phase at the World Eventing Championships. The Australian team will now head into the Cross Country phase in 5th position behind Great Britain, Germany, the United States of America and New Zealand.

Australia’s individual competitor Shenae Lowings and her 12-year-old thoroughbred gelding Bold Venture were the first combination in the arena on Friday. They produced an elegant, accurate and expressive test that impressed the judges – they were awarded an amazing score of 73.70%! This was an outstanding performance for the pair’s World Championships debut; having only arrived in Europe on the 1st of September they looked completely at home competing on the world stage for the first time. Shenae and “Bentley” will now head into the cross country phase in 17th position on a highly competitive score of 26.3 penalties.

Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture

© Michelle Terlato Photography

Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam were the first of the Australian team members to ride on Friday. The pair had certainly impressed at Tokyo 2020, where they played a key role in securing Australia’s team silver medal; in Pratoni, it was clear from the moment they entered the arena that something special was in store. The 14-year-old KWPN gelding is an exciting mover and Kevin rode beautifully; the 74.26% test this accomplished pair produced was not only good enough for a top 10 standing in the individual rankings, it was also their personal best CCI5* score. Sitting on 25.7 penalties, Kevin and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam head into the cross country phase in 9th position.

Andrew Hoy, competing in his 8th World Championships, was the final Australian rider to grace the arena with his Tokyo Olympic mount Vassily de Lassos. The pair worked in unison to produce lovely, accurate work, scoring 71.91%. The pair hold 26th position from 88 starters, on 28.1 penalties heading into the cross country phase.

Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos

© Michelle Terlato Photography

In the individual standings, it’s Germany’s Michael Jung that holds the number one position. He posted his best ever CCI-5* score of 18.8 with fischerChipmunk FRH to take the lead from Great Britain’s Laura Collett, who is now in second position on 19.3 penalties.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH lead the individual standings after the dressage phase.

© FEI

Brilliant performances from all British riders have resulted in Great Britain securing a commanding lead in the teams combination; their team total of 69.2 after the dressage phase is a world championships record! Germany are in second position on 76.1 penalties, with the USA close behind on 76.6 penalties. A strong performance from New Zealand sees them head into cross country in fourth position from 16 teams on 77.9 penalties, with Australia fifth on 84.1 penalties and France hot on our heels with 84.2 penalties. 

Attention now turns to the Cross Country phase, where undulating terrain and some challenging questions mean leaderboard shake-ups are likely! The action commences at 10:30am (6:30pm AEST) with the Australians riding at the following times on Saturday:

Shane Rose: 11:22 (7:22pm AEST)

Hazel Shannon: 12:46 (8:26pm AEST)

Shenae Lowings: 1:26 (9:26pm AEST)

Kevin McNab: 2:38 (10:38pm AEST)

Andrew Hoy: 4:10 (12:10am AEST)

Click HERE for the full starting list and results

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