The predicted shuffle of the eventing leaderboard post cross country definitely came to fruition on Saturday at the FEI World Championships in Aachen.
An improvement in temperature was most appreciated by riders, horses, journalists, and the 35,000-strong crowd of spectators. With both time and turns tight, and almost 10 minutes of unrelenting questions, the impact of penalties was felt across both individual and team results.
British team extend their lead
But some things do stay the same. On Saturday, that was the British team. As what will come as a no surprise to avid fans of eventing, the Brits were formidable across the country. They not only maintained their lead but added some distance between themselves (75.6) and second placed Germany (90.4).
With their dressage drop score and pathfinder, Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley, having trouble early on course and ultimately walking home, there was no room for error with the remaining three team members, if gold medal position was to be held.
Either accustomed to pressure, or totally immune to it at this point, Tom McEwen, Laura Collett and Rosalind Canter added only 2.8 penalties in total to their team score – that’s just seven seconds worth of time between them. And that included a long option taken by Tom McEwen whilst out on course.
“I couldn’t be happier with him (JL Dublin),” said Tom. “I made a quick decision to go longer at the corner combination and sped through it as fast as I could. The direct option was faster but I’m here with the team and that comes first.” Tom is just shy of the podium currently, holding fourth place on 28.6 going into the final phase.
Laura Collett and London 52 appeared to be on autopilot, breezing through the Championship course and making Laura’s job easy, despite at some point losing a shoe and slipping around the turn to the final water.
“It felt like he had walked the course and knew what to do before we even got there. He had so much confidence from start to finish; he never wavered off a line. He is just the most amazing horse,” declared Laura, who is placed third on 23.6.
The Brits have a few of those amazing horses, and proved it yet again with Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who produced a textbook, masterclass round. In their usual style of full harmony and connection, they absolutely powered around the Aachen course, coming home a neat six seconds under the optimum and skipping two places up the ranks to provisionally hold the silver medal individually on 23.4.
“We pretty much stuck to the exact plan,” said Ros, who although was tempted to play it safe and take the long option at the second last fence, decided to go for it and stay direct. With a quick pep talk to herself – “For goodness’ sake, you didn’t come to a World Championships to wimp out now, go for it!” – she decided to.
Going for it paid off and it leaves the British team with three rails in hand over the Germans in the final phase on Sunday, where we could potentially see a repeat of Paris 2024. After all, it is the same three riders and horses on the team.
Whilst the gap did widen between the gold and silver medal positions, it was only due to time penalties incurred.
Michael Jung leads strong German team
All four team members for Germany were clear across the country, including World Championship debutantes Libussa Lübbeke and Malin Hansen-Hotopp, and it was much to delight of the host nation who could be heard cheering their champions every stride of the course. You could hear the exact location of a German combination at any time throughout their rounds based solely on the noise!
An expensive 34 seconds over the optimum time saw dressage leaders Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel slide down the placings to individual 20th (35.6) but still maintained the team position to hold silver overnight.
Michael Jung certainly contributed to the previously mentioned decibels of the home crowd, delivering the type of performance he is known for, with a round free of jump and time penalties. However, a bell boot launched into the crowd at speed at fence 24, and if anyone thought they may claim a piece of Jung memorabilia, that hope was swiftly dashed by a fence judge with deft fingers removing it to return to its rightful owner, fischerChipmunk FRH.
It’s memorabilia that could have instantly improve in value come Sunday afternoon too, as Michael holds individual gold overnight on a score of 23.
First ever team medal within reach for Switzerland
An interesting change to the team provisional bronze position sees the Swiss take a quiet, tentative step onto the podium – why quiet? Well, I don’t want to jinx them here, but Switzerland has never won a medal in eventing at a World Championships.
They’re on the precipice of doing so due to thanks to three brilliant rounds from Mélody Johner (Erin), Felix Vogg (Frieda) and Robin Godel (Grandeur de Lully CH).
With Felix and Robin adding only a combined 15.2 time penalties between them, the certified star of the Swiss team on cross country was Mélody Johner, who flew around the course aboard Erin to be one of only six rounds under time for the entire day.
No doubt the Swiss are limiting their celebrations Saturday night, as they have only three team members remaining (Nadja Minder fell at fence 8B) and no drop score available. They are less than a rail in front of team Ireland, who are keen to add to their medal collection from the FEI World Championships Tryon in 2018, where they won their first ever team medal (silver).
The USA, France, Sweden and New Zealand complete the current top eight teams, with all but Sweden having only three team members completing the cross country, and no drop score possible – not an ideal situation heading into the final vet inspection.
Not all joy and triumph
If you look at the full scoreboard, you’ll notice that it wasn’t all joy and triumph, but a decent share of disappointment too – felt particularly so in the Australian team, who no longer have enough members to post a team score.
Sam Woods and SS Eight Count were an absolute image around the iconic Aachen course. Committed, bold, and proof of the value of their selection to the Australian team – and they did all that minus one shoe that departed a hoof early in the program.
They were this fantastic, in fact, for 95.23% of the course. Yes, I ran the numbers – and if you can’t figure out based off that figure where it came undone, you’ll be shattered to hear it was at the second last fence. A misread on the second of two angled brushes saw them depart company, within sight of the finish flags.
Undoubtedly devastating for Sam, and the Aussie fans alike – but let’s not forget the brilliant round he and SS Eight Count put down before that and their tenacity in tackling a true Championship course. A positive insight into the talent and future of Australian eventing.
Narrow brush fences were no friend to the Australians on Saturday, with Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar also, and unfortunately quite literally, falling victim to one.
Oliver too was delivering an absolute class round on his homebred CCI5*L winner, when a bad take-off to the B element of the drop fence at 17 saw him ejected over the shoulder.
At only 22 years old and looking truly at home on a course of this calibre, it’s easy to envision Oliver at Championship level events in the future, with more luck hopefully on his side.
Individual representative for Australia, Olivia Barton and homebred APH Sodoku had, in Olivia’s words, “just one little mistake” at the corners at fence 24. “This is the toughest course he’s had to do. He was super; he galloped great and jumped all the questions,” said Olivia of her gelding.
They sit currently in 47th position ahead of the showjumping on 64.6.
Whilst majority of the Australian team didn’t have the day they dreamt of, two riders did: Sophia Hill and Andrew Hoy delivered rounds that they and all Australian eventing fans can be truly proud of.
Sophia Hill and Hughie produce a world class round
As pathfinder for Australia, Sophia Hill and Humble Glory were the sixth combination to leave the start box, and they didn’t hang about making it back to the finish line either.
To say they looked quick would be an understatement, especially when compared to the majority of the field. Nimble, athletic, speedy – the truest display of an off-the-track Thoroughbred at the very top of his, and everyone else’s game. Sophia and Hughie simply flew around the course, looking noticeably comfortable yet steady in their gallop and crossing the finish line fit, clear of jump penalties, and five seconds under the optimum time. They were the first combination to motivate the rest that a double clear was actually possible.
Not many did match that clear though: only five other combinations also achieved the elusive double clear and Sophia was in good company, sharing this small club membership with the likes of Ros Canter and Michael Jung.
If it wasn’t clear already that Sophia Hill is world class, then today proved it even further. She really did show the world just how amazing Hughie is.
“I’m so thrilled, he was just amazing today,” said Sophia. “He ate up the course, and made it feel easy, really. I just couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The duo remains on their dressage score of 37.6 and hold 25th place.
Aussie influence
Sophia’s influence was also felt on the Dutch team, where another Australian off-the-track Thoroughbred she produced was also one of the most successful on course. Seattle Park (Basil) accrued just 0.8 time faults for the Netherlands’ Jillian Giessen to finish the day on 34.7 and in 16th place.
Another Australian-produced horse, Diabolo, was one of the six clear-and-under-time horses with American rider Will Coleman, ending the day in sixth place on a score of 30. Diabolo was produced in Australia by none other than Gemma Tinney.
Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos turn back time
Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos completed the Australian performances, leaving fans and themselves on a high, with a masterful clear round in true Hoy style for just 4.8 time penalties to add to his PB dressage score for a total of 31.7.
“I had to be on my A-game the whole way around,” said Andrew. “From start to finish, there was not anywhere to relax [with this course]. I love my horse to bits, and he makes me look really good!”
They round out the top 10 placings ahead of the final phase – but first, the final vet inspection in the morning where hopefully a challenging course has been recovered from well by all combinations.
The trot up is at 5.30pm AEST Sunday, 16 August (9.30am local time) with the jumping phase to begin at 9pm AEST Sunday, 16 August (1pm local time). Draws will be confirmed after the trot up.
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