“My horse is strong so he shouldn’t be affected by the rain. My plan at the moment is to take all the straight routes“
but…”the course looks pretty big to me; I’ll be very happy if I’m still in the top 10 at the end of tomorrow.”
“The ground has been so well prepared that it will take more rain. Even so, I’m glad to be going early on.”
“The jumps look imposing and inviting and that makes you want to attack. It’s a clever course with the twists and turns, but without having to pull the horse about too much, and I think it will be very challenging for the level.”
Tina Cook (3rd with Miner’s Frolic):
“If it keeps raining like it is now then I think that the ground in front of some of the narrow fences could get quite cut up“
“I’ve never jumped a fence like the log at the bottom of the quarry before. It’s a real old-fashioned test and I don’t know how it will ride.”
“The course is tough with plenty of places to make mistakes there is a lot of turning so I think the time will be difficult, especially with the rain today. Although we usually like a late draw for the dressage I think tomorrow an early draw will be an advantage.”
Andrew Nicholson (9th on Avebury, 37th on Nereo):
“I think Hugh’s done a great job. The dewpond fence (16) is clever. It’s a big rail in with a steep landing into water which horses won’t see until the last second and then an acute angle out. I also think the first log at the Quarry (3) is a big drop and the fence out of the Lake, an upright brush, is tricky too.”
courtesy of press releases throughout the weekend
