Rosalind Canter and Izilot DHI lead Pau as cross country day dawns

While Great Britain’s Tom McEwen produced a fine test on the first day of dressage, his compatriot Rosalind Canter, the title holder, simply flew through this test in association with her partner of victory 2023, Izilot DHI on day two. The pair achieved their career second-best score of 19, almost a point better than two months ago at the CCI5* in Burghley. A few minutes earlier, the young Emily King had pulled off a fine performance with her French horse Valmy Biats, taking second place on 24.6. Last to start on his third horse Cooley Rosalent, Oliver Townend – another Briton – finished joint second.

While the English occupied seven of the top ten places, only the New Zealanders disturbed their hegemony by taking fifth, seventh and ninth places thanks to Clarke Johnstone, Samantha Lissington and Tim Price.

There are two Australian combinations at this year’s event. Isabel English is placed 35^th on 32.5 with Cil Dara Dallas, while Samantha Cesnik is 61^st on 37.3 with Graftango.

The best Frenchman is now Benjamin Massié. The 2024 French Champion placed his young Filao de Perle 26th, 12 points behind the leader.

Full draws and results can be found here.

A modified cross-country course

In order to guarantee the safety and well-being of everyone, horses and riders alike, the event management, in agreement with track manager Pierre Michelet and sporting director Guillaume Blanc, has decided to modify the cross-country course scheduled for Saturday, from 11.30am local time. Three obstacles – Nos. 17, 28 and 29 A – have been removed, while the route between obstacles 9 and 10 has been modified. A meeting will be held this morning to decide on any further changes, always with the aim of preserving the integrity of the athletes.

What they said:

Rosalind Canter (GBR), in the lead after dressage

“Dressage is never easy, I can tell you that. It’s always a challenge, have you done enough? have you done too much? I thought that we’d probably done a little bit too much out there and he was a bit heavy on the rein out there, but then he lifted when he came in here and he heard the clapping from Boyd and then he was really really lovely to ride. He’s a real professional now. What I’m really delighted about is last year, he came in there and he found the camera quite spooky and it took me a while to get round it. He was then quite good when he got in there but [Friday], I went in there and he just went straight past it and it just shows how much he’s come on in a year as well. I was really pleased with his balance and his medium-extended trots actually because he’s got quite a narrow wheelbase and so sometimes he feels a little bit young and wobbly in those, but he felt really stable in those and really in balance, so that was lovely.

“He always is along similar lines from oxers to corners, curving threes, curving fours… do you go three strides, do you go four strides? That’s generally the theme and that’s no different this year, but obviously a very different start which is a very interesting start, we don’t normally see that, you know in the trees, Fence 1 off a turn very quickly, fence 2 very big with a drop, feels a bit like arena eventing at the beginning! So that will be a completely different thing, but Izilot is desperate to jump between the flags these days, he really is, it’s just all about if something else takes his eye and stops him from being able to see the fence or takes him off his line. I know he wants to do the job for me. The ground conditions will definitely put a question mark in my mind. Last year he was held, it was top of the ground so that enabled me to be fast at the end and it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with tomorrow. I’m kind of on a fact-finding mission with him I’d say, sometimes we have good days, sometimes we don’t, so we’ll enjoy today I think. »

Emily King (GBR), 2nd in the provisional ranking

“My horse was so good! I’ve had him for a while now, and he’s just continued to get better and better. And I think it’s so nice that in this last year, he knows everything in the test now, and he’s so sensitive. As a young horse, he was learning stuff and he was such an overthinker, and then he’d go in and just get tense and strong because he tries so hard, but now I think he’s getting relaxed because he does just knows everything, and I also have the confidence that he knows everything and I can just breathe and just like pat him and hold his hand and show him off softly rather than having to over-ride him and then him getting strong and it jeopardising the movement. He felt awesome in the warm-up and he went in there and with the cameras and the crowds it actually nicely lifted his frame without making him go hot. So I went in and I thought ‘Oh this feels nice, I actually feel quite strong’. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had in a test with him and there were no big mistakes, so it was nice to be rewarded with a good mark and I was just so pleased with him!

“It’s all been forecasted this wet weather, and it hasn’t lied – there is standing water everywhere, and it’s meant to be all night as well, so it’s going to be wet. So I think we all wanted to put in a good test, but cross country is going to be a different day and I know they’re going to make some adaptations to make it kinder on the horses, but the going is still soft. Val, he loves the mud, he lives out in the mud, he is mud! But obviously God knows you’re going to really have to ride with how they’re feeling and also I think with the going being deep, it’s not like a Burghley or Badminton track out there but there are serious accuracy containment and precision questions which, then if it’s deep and you’re having to stick on your line and the going’s getting turned up, it’s going to make it really tough, so I think it’ll be a proper course and we’re really going to have to ride what’s underneath us and not get carried away with the time, really just go with how they’re feeling.”

Source: Event press release / edited by EQ Life