Bettina Hoy and Seigneur Medicott Dance to Early Lead at Haras de Jardy

Bettina Hoy and Seigneur Medicott. Photo by Eventridermasters.tv/Ben Clarke.

After earning the best three-star finishing score of this decade (27.3) at Luhmühlen last month, Germany’s Bettina Hoy is continuing her hot streak with Gerd-Hermann Horst’s Seigneur Medicott.

Bettina and the 11-year-old Westphalian gelding have won their last four FEI events, all at the three-star level, and are well on their way to making it five for five after winning the dressage phase of the Event Rider Masters (ERM) CIC3* at Haras de Jardy in France on a 31.4.

“He is so reliable,” Bettina said. “He always gives 150% and although he was a bit tense outside of the arena today, he delivered inside it. I now need to focus on being competitive tomorrow and delivering the results.”

Both the show jumping and cross country phases take place on Sunday and EquiRatings reminds us that so far in ERM history, every winner has jumped a clear show jumping round. Additionally, the optimum time at Jardy is difficult to achieve, so the pressure will be on.

Andrew Hoy and Cheeky Calimbo. Photo by Eventridermasters.tv/Ben Clarke.

The entire top ten scored in the 30s today with less than eight penalty points separating tenth place from first. Bettina will have only a couple time penalties of breathing space between herself and Australia’s Andrew Hoy, currently lying second with Cheeky Calimbo on 34.4, a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Andrew and Mrs. Christiane Classen.

“Cheeky Calimbo was super today. We’ve had a few interesting moments throughout our career together but he is very secure now and did great,” Andrew said. “It’s a great start to the competition, but it’s a still a long way to the finish with two more phases to go. I will not be taking anything for granted.”

Lt Col Thibaut Vallette and Qing du Briot ENE HN. Photo by Eventridermasters.tv/Ben Clarke.

Scoring a career best 34.8 to take third place overnight is Lt Col Thibaut Vallette and Qing du Briot ENE HN for France. Lt Col Vallette and his Rio Olympic Games partner, the 13-year-old Selle Français owned by Institut Français du Cheval et de L’équitation, have show jumped clear in their last six FEI starts at the three-star level and above but typically incur time penalties across the country.

“He is a very good horse and I am particularly pleased with his trot work today,” he said. “The time on cross country is difficult to get here, but he is proven in all phases and fingers crossed we will go well tomorrow.

Hot on his heels in fourth place with 34.9 is Vallette’s countryman and Rio teammate Karim Florent Laghouag and Entebbe de Hus. Germany’s Michael Jung and Star Connection are fifth with 35.7.

Click here for full results. Don’t forget you can watch all the ERM action LIVE on eventridermasters.tv. Show jumping begins tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. GMT (5:00 a.m. EST) and cross country begins at 12:30 p.m. GMT (8:30 a.m. EST).