Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos produced the best jumping round of the day in the SAP Cup (eventing).
By Equestrian Life / Roger Fitzhardinge
Eventing
Friday at CHIO Aachen saw the eventing kick off, much to the delight of many! It was a beautiful morning for dressage in the Deutsche Bank Stadium, and an early start for the Aussies with Isabel English and Feldale Mouse first up at 8.30am. Hailing from Queensland, Isabel has taken “Mouse” through the grades herself and the grey gelding (Domo Cavallo Praize x Final Straw) is now rising 17 but still looks as well as ever. It’s never easy to go first, however Isabel did a great job with only a couple of mistakes for a very respectable score of 34.50 penalties for 34th.
Isabel English and Feldale Mouse.
The next Aussie into the arena was Chris Burton and his first ride, the flashy black gelding Polystar I (Polytraum x Waldstar). Rising 14, this horse has lovely movement and Chris was looking elegant as always. The pair scored 26.40 penalties to take the lead early on, however by the end of the class they were in 7th.
Chris Burton was happy with his test on Polystar I!
Kevin McNab produced a great test with the Irish Sport Horse gelding Willunga (Olympic Lux x Coevers Diamond Boy) to score 26.90 for 11th place.
Kevin McNab and Willunga salute the judge.
Chris Burton on his second ride, the mare Quality Purdey (Quality x Leonid), scored 27 for 14th – although it was a great test that looked comparable to his earlier one.
Chris Burton and Quality Purdey, uphill in the canter.
Finally, Andrew Hoy and the young chestnut gelding Vassily de Lassos (Jaguar Mail x Jalienny) were the last Australians into the arena. The pair scored 28.3 for 18th.
Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos in the extended canter.
The standout test of the day was undoubtedly Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD. This tried and tested combination made it look easy, and their score of 20.70 was very well deserved. In second place after the dressage was Michael Jung on fischerChipmunk FRH with 21.50, and in third Great Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52 on 22.90.
Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob led after the dressage.
Heading into the showjumping phase, the German team led the Nations Cup on a total of 75.7, with Great Britain second on 78.8 and New Zealand in third on 79.1. The Australia team was a very close fourth on 81.6, setting the stage for a very exciting showjumping phase later in the afternoon. Held in the Main Stadium, there was plenty of atmosphere.
First cab off the rank again was Aussie Isabel English and the grey Feldale Mouse. Just one rail down and a time penalty saw her finish the day in 29th on 38.5, a couple of places higher than her dressage result.
Isabel English and Feldale Mouse had just one rail down.
The next Aussie to ride was Chris Burton on his first horse, the black Polystar I. The pair had one rail down to finish on 30.40 in 13th place. His second ride later in the draw aboard Quality Purdey produced a clear round, elevating them to ninth on 27 penalties and ultimately the highest placed of the Aussies at the end of the day.
Chris Burton and Quality Purdey.
Chris Burton and Polystar I.
Kevin McNab unfortunately had three rails down with Willunga, accumulating some costly penalties and dropping down to 30thafter being so well placed in 11th after the dressage.
Kevin McNab and Willunga.
The last Australian in the arena was Andre Hoy and the chestnut, Vassily de Lassos. Now we could be wrong, but we don’t think this horse has ever had a showjumping rail down since stepping up to FEI level. Well, it was easy to see why – the pair sailed around the course and made it look easy. A clear round, and the fastest of the day across the whole field! Andrew now sits in 10th place on 28.30 just behind Chris and Quality Purdey.
Vassily de Lassos and Andrew Hoy through the finish.
Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD, who were leading after the dressage, had a rail down and slipped to third. Laura Collett and London 52 jumped clear to snatch the lead, while Tim Price and Wesko also jumped clear to take second position.
Germany leads the Nations Cup, from New Zealand, Great Britain and then Australia in fourth.
Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD had one rail down but retained first place.
With just six penalties separating the top 12, tomorrow’s cross country is going to be very interesting! Equestrian Life was fortunate enough to enjoy a course walk with Lucinda Green this afternoon, and she singled out the first water and a tricky combination (with a VERY difficult line) near the end of the course as the likely trouble makers… let’s see how it rides!
Walking the course with Lucinda Green!
Driving
The driving event today was the obstacles “top score” class, where competitors pick their own lines and accumulate points depending on the difficulty. The cones that were closer together delivered higher points, while the “joker” in the centre of the stadium was essentially a tight maze of white poles that fell at the slightest touch.
Thibault Coudry of France was the winning driver, with an unbeatable score of 1870. Even World Champion Boyd Exell couldn’t catch him – although he came close. Boyd and his team scored 1730 to take second place, and would have been even closer had they not knocked a ball of a cone on one of their final obstacles. A great effort and a very entertaining class that drew a big, enthusiastic crowd!
Boyd Exell in the obstacle class.
This class did not contribute to the overall standings in the combined driving. Tomorrow is marathon day, and we’re all looking forward to seeing Boyd in action again – he’s leading the field after yesterday’s dressage phase.
Jumping
Jumping today in the main arena saw Sweden’s Evelina Tovek and Cortina 212 win the first class, a two-phase 1.50m competition. Germany’s Daniel Deusser won the 1.55m jumping competition over two phases with Killer Queen VDM. Finally, Ireland’s Cian O´Connor and Diego won the 1.40m hunter competition (part of the Speed Tour), which thrilled the crowd with its inclusion of ditches and banks.
Dressage
The Grand Prix Special for the 4* horses was won by Sönke Rothenberger with a rollicking 82.213%. This was simply exceptional as this elegant bay gelding swanned through the test with absolute ease and confidence. The passage to extended and back was seamless and flowed with ease to gain great marks and if they were higher I am sure no-one would have blinked. The changes straight and again small and effortless and it was easy to see that there was fuel in the tank. Sönke was riding to try and get a spot on the German team for the Europeans and he was playing it cautious, so no mistakes… so wait until he puts more energy in this test, it will rock the world! Cosmo still showed he was hot as he made a huge rear, or is it called “levade”, as he was gaining a standing ovation for his performance.
So¨nke Rothenberger and Cosmo.
In second was Isabell Werth and Emilio 107 on 76.681% and generous marks along the way with some mistakes in the tempis. In third was Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on the energetic, elegant Zaire E and then Adrienne Lyle and Harmony’s Duval, an impressive grey with good passage and piaffe and good balance and transitions. It was a good class but Cosmo stole the day!
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