Classic Eventing Nation

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If, hypothetically, you’d won the World Championships at the tender age of 25 years old, and had won every British national age title going along the way, and had been second in one of the world’s foremost five-stars last year, you might be forgiven for thinking that winning comes pretty easily, and places on teams at the world’s most prestigious events are a foregone conclusion.

Unless, of course, you’re Yasmin Ingham. Despite her accolades, and the statistical probability of her success at any given outing, she still retains an air of gentle surprise to find herself on the top of a leaderboard, as she did today with her World Champs partner, Banzai du Loir.

“It feels so surreal,” she says with a broad smile. “Like, I just never thought it was going to happen — to be here at this sort of calibre event with my best horse. He’s my best friend; I love him to bits, and to show him off to everybody and try and get the best out of him is so great. He certainly did that, so to come out on top feels incredibly special. It’s just been amazing to be here all week, and the vibes have been so good, with great team spirit. I really enjoyed it.”

Yas and Banzai, who she rides for owner Janette Chinn and the Sue Davies Fund, set up in honour of its late namesake, who had taken enormous pride in owning horses with her daughter for the talented young rider, first found themselves in this position yesterday, when they took the first-phase lead on a score of 23.5. But although they delivered a clear round in last night’s showjumping phase, they slipped down to third – by an achingly narrow margin – after adding 2 time penalties. That, though, put the 26-year-old right where she preferred to be as she headed out of the start box – not as the final rider in the starting order, with everything to lose, but ten or so from the end of the class, with it all to gain.

“I think I personally prefer catching up from behind, but it’s something that you have to learn to deal with as a sports person, to sort of handle the pressure,” she says. “If I’d have gone clear yesterday, inside the time, I would have been out last, and you do have to learn to deal with that. So I think, maybe not this time, but I’m glad that I snuck up from the back on the two ahead of me – I think it was very lucky. I mean, I was 0.1 ahead of Michi, so I think that’s a bit too close for comfort really!”

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That 0.1 margin came when second-placed Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH added 2.8 time penalties to their two-phase score of 24.4 – and Yas, for her part, added 1.6 as the joint-fastest round of the day. No one would catch the optimum time of 6:55.

“It’s like a sort of racetrack out there, really,” she says. “It’s an intense short format, and the fences come up thick and fast; you’ve got combinations with an ABC and D, so lots of elements. Banzai came out the start box a little bit like a fire-breathing dragon,  so for the first minute, I was fighting with him a little bit and I just sort of said, ‘Just give me this minute and then I’ll let you gallop’, because we had a couple of stretches after the first minute. So once I’d let the handbrake off and I’d kind of let him gallop, he was like ‘okay, I feel better now’, and we got into a bit of a rhythm. He was looking for the flags and jumping brilliantly, so I couldn’t really fault him — and to come so close to the time is obviously a big achievement for me after my very slow performance in the show jumping yesterday, so I feel like I might have redeemed myself a little bit in that matter!”

Once Yas had returned with her very swift clear in the bag, all she could do was wait: teammate Tom McEwen, who would be the last out of the box as the overnight leader, was still ahead of her with the former Nicola Wilson ride JL Dublin, as was Michi, and few riders would be less likely to succumb to pressure than those two. When Michi added his own small handful of time penalties, she was in the clear by one – and so then, it was just about waiting to see if Tom and the reigning European Champion could be fast enough.

In the end, it wouldn’t be time that would push Tom out of the top spot. Aachen’s cross-country is always a rollercoaster of emotion – with a top-end CCI4*-S track to match its top-end calibre of competitors, it’s much more akin to a five-star short in intensity, and even the very best of horses and riders can pick up shock run-outs over designer Rüdiger Schwarz‘s twisty, turning accuracy challenge. And that’s exactly what Tom and ‘Dubs’ did: as they traversed the influential Turkish Bank complex at 16ABCD, which is peppered with driving obstacles that can distract the eye, the gelding skimmed right past the C element, picking up just his second-ever career run-out in an FEI event. Yas had won Aachen, and in doing so, became the first ever British winner of the enormously prestigious competition.

But even with the issues that had happened before her ride – including five eliminations, one of which was for missing a fence, six missed flag penalties, and eleven runouts, mostly at fences 16ABCD and 18AB – Yas kept her mind on the routes she’d originally walked, rather than making last-minute changes.

“I tried to stick to my plan when I walked the course,” she says. And luckily, “everything sort of came up as I hoped it would. Obviously, things happen and you’ve got to react quickly sometimes, but I’m just really pleased that after my mistake in Kentucky, I sort of put that to rest a little bit. I really let him down out there and I was so frustrated with myself, and I thought, ‘I need to put things right at this event’. I’m proud of myself, and proud of him, and hopefully we can keep improving now.”

Yas Ingham and Banzai du Loir: your CHIO Aachen 2023 champions. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In horse sports, you either win or you learn – and if you’re really lucky, you do both – and so Yas took the frustration of that early 20 at Kentucky this spring and used it to refine everything she’s been working on with the talented twelve-year-old by Nouma d’Auzay.

“It’s actually really funny, like these sort of problems — not problems, but the mistakes that you make — all stem back to going back to basics a little bit,” she muses. “So we spent a long time just jumping straight lines and then turning left; straight lines and turning right; and making sure that he wasn’t falling in through his right shoulder and making sure that he wasn’t drifting out left. You really do sometimes just have to go back to the basics, nail them, and then crack on again. We spent a lot of time in World Class training and training with Chris Bartle and [dressage rider] Richard Davidson and all the guys that help me on the ground, and we’ve put in a lot of work — and I’m glad that he’s responded well to it out here today.”

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH jump into the tough first water. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Michael Jung couldn’t quite nab the win today – though before he left the start box, he’d moved ahead of Yas on the leaderboard. But his 2.8 time penalties pushed him back into the runner-up slot by a scant tenth of a penalty.

Still, though, it was enough: enough to secure the home nation the win in the team competition, and enough to put the drama of last year’s CHIO, where he was deemed the winner and then stripped of his glory after an appeal saw him given a flag penalty, behind him.

“I think it was a nice course, and fischerChipmunk is an amazing horse,” says Michi, who has previously won here in 2011, with La Biosthetique Sam FBW, and 2016, with Takinou. “He galloped well, and he’s proved himself in the past with really tough, good rounds so I can trust him; I know him.”

Though several riders came achingly close to making the time today, none captured it – and that, Michi thinks, was partly down to the ground, which took a dumping of rain throughout much of the class.

“The ground was a bit soft, not deep — it was nice to gallop, I think, but maybe it takes a bit of energy from the horse,” he muses. “The course was very nice to ride — if you go fast here or there, you take a bit more risk than you want and then you can have a little mistake, but actually, I feel very happy with my horse. Maybe they measure a bit short so that the time was really short, but also the ground takes a bit of energy from the horse so you can’t go really fast from beginning to end — you have to feel a bit into your horse.”

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though the course exerted influence in both time and jumping faults from beginning to end, for Tamie Smith, “it actually felt a lot easier than I expected it to – I was waiting for it to not ride well, but it rode great!” And the proof is in the pudding there: she and her Kentucky CCI5* champion Mai Baum cruised home with 2.8 time penalties and an impressively smooth round behind them to take third place – two places up from their starting position of fifth, after they posted a 26.9 on the flat, and six up from their overnight ninth, which they slipped to after tipping a rail in last night’s showjumping.

But that smooth round came as the result of careful planning, honed around the nature of the horse she knows so well: “At fence three I knew he’d be spooky, because of the ditch there, but we just kind of clambered through that, and on we went – and the rest was perfect,” says Tamie. “I couldn’t have asked for more. I think it was a really good test; you had to have a solid partnership and a very in-tune team.”

Tight, intense tracks like Aachen, which can yield surprise run-outs and issues for even the most experienced of competitors, require an extraordinary level of communication in order to excel – and that, Tamie says, was their not-so-secret weapon today.

“I think it felt easy because of our partnership – you know, I mean we’ve been doing this together for a while now,” she says. “Watching all the problems happen today, I wasn’t expecting that it would ride as smooth as it did. It’s obviously very special to be on the podium at Aachen — that’s a once in a lifetime horse, and it’s a dream to be able to have a competitive score like that. Hopefully there’s more to come!”

Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If you haven’t been paying attention to young German star Christoph Wahler and his exceptional Carjatan S, here’s your wake-up call: after taking second in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen in 2021, and finishing in fine style in two European Championships, the 29-year-old – who produces his event horses around his ‘day job’ running his family’s busy dressage stud – was then put on the German team for last year’s World Championships, at which he helped secure team gold. Today, he once again got the job done, further proving his consistency in the two jumping phases with the 14-year-old son of Clearway, who began his week in 26th place after posting a 33.6, and finished in individual fourth.

“I think sometimes he makes my life a little bit difficult in the dressage because he doesn’t really enjoy a big atmosphere in the dressage arena,” reflects Christoph, who has previously piloted the gelding to very-low-20s scores, but has sometimes struggled to manage his reactivity in the first phase since revolutionising his fitness programme a couple of years ago. That, though, has been the making of him as a ‘banker’ horse for the Germans, who can rely on the pair to finish very close to whatever score they start with, as they did today with their clear round and 1.6 time penalties – the joint-fastest of the day.

“He’s such a fighter and such a confident horse when it comes to show jumping and cross country,” says Christoph, who felt the full scope of the horse’s fast footwork as he jumped up the steep bank at 11A, touched down too early behind, and then patted the edge of the bank to regain his footing and make it to the B element. “Yesterday evening he had a very nice clear round and gave me a super feeling, and then today, he felt extremely confident at the jumps. He didn’t really enjoy the ground, I think, because it felt like hard work for him, but he was super safe on the jumps, and I tried to ride him as quick as I could, because we’ve known each other for many years now and he’s done some difficult courses before. I knew I would be able to take some risks on the jumps and try and get the time, which in the end we nearly did.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s been a banner day for the US, despite some surprise hitches along the way  – not least, the slew of penalties accrued by 2021 winners and team anchors Will Coleman and Off The Record, who had problems after slipping on the turn at the Turkish Airlines complex at 16ABCD and were penalised for crossing their tracks, too. Each of the riders delivering counting scores, though, managed to pull off a top ten finish – and one of those was Liz Halliday-Sharp, who finished fifth with Ocala Horse Properties and Debbie Palmer’s Miks Master C in his first FEI competition since finishing third in his five-star debut at Kentucky.

“He’s a big, bold, galloping horse, that’s who he is, and he hasn’t had a run since Kentucky, so fair enough,” says Liz, who added 4.4 time penalties to climb from overnight fourteenth.

‘Mikki’ is just eleven, and the partnership between the two is still relatively new – and so Liz came to Aachen hoping that the twisty, technical track might solidify much of what she’s been working on with him. At the top of that list? Rideability – the key skill for success over a Rüdiger Schwarz course.

“I thought he was brilliant. This would be a very different track for him, and it was a great learning experience,” says Liz. “The first Aachen for any horse is a lot, and I was thrilled with him. He is a big, bold horse but this proved that he can still be fast around a twisty, turning track, which I was thrilled with. He was a little keen, but now he’s been here and we’ve learned a lot about each other, too, because our partnership is still pretty new. He was maybe a little green in the arena yesterday, but that’s part  of the reason why you bring them [to things like this]. It’s just great to get any horse here in this big atmosphere, and he’s not seen that much of it. He’s not been in a stadium like this, so that was educational. In our relationship he’s not been under pressure to go fast around such a twisty, technical track, so that was a good opportunity to put that to the test. He was world class, like I always thought he was.”

Despite her horse’s game, catty jumping, Liz did have one heart-stopping moment on course: as she negotiated the stiff mounds at fence 6, the Allianz Vertical, she heard a tell-tale thud – but as she discovered at the end of the course, the top rail of the fence hadn’t moved. Instead, they’d managed to activate the safety device on the middle rail, for which no penalties were awarded.

“It was never something that would’ve tipped him up,” explains Liz. “I had a bold distance to it, rather than start pulling on him [on the approach], and he just tapped it on the way up. It was just the nature of the fence, climbing the hill – but I was thrilled, when I finished, to see that it was just the middle rail and not the top one as I originally thought. The way the light was when I looked back, I thought that the top rail had gone – but I thought it best to keep the pedal down just in case.”

Though Liz, too, felt that the ground took a bit of energy from the horses, she says that Mikki “could’ve gone another four minutes – he’s got a freak of a capacity on him.”

Now, with another box ticked for one of the most exciting career partnerships she’s had, Liz is looking ahead to next year – and revelling in every chance to be part of Team USA’s upward trajectory in the meantime.

“I’m so thrilled for the team,” she says. “Everybody worked really hard all week. I couldn’t say anything better than that – everybody was very professional and had their eye on the prize, and it was a pleasure to be a part of it.”

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton followed closely behind her, taking sixth place after adding 5.2 time penalties – and completing a trajectory that’s seen him climb with Tokyo mount Z from a first-phase 24th place.

“He was really at his best in all three phases, and it was one of this weekends where you wanted to be a little higher, but it was such a tough competition,” says Phillip, who returns to the competition for the first time since 2019, when he took an unfortunate tumble from the gelding in the Rolex Water.

“We’re really proud of Z and all he’s accomplished,” he says. “The plan was to go as fast as possible without taking a huge amount of risk: I wanted to be accurate, and Z was very rideable. I don’t think there were many places we could’ve gone any faster. He doesn’t have a huge top speed, but he’s very efficient and we saved as much time as we could, so it’s pretty comfortable with what we did today.”

Phillip was quick to sing the praises of his stalwart partner, who he found game and gutsy over the tight, turning track with its abundance of loops and twists.

“He’s such an all-around horse. This probably wouldn’t be quite what he’s best at — more of an open, galloping track would be better for him — but at the end of the day good horses and good riding shines through and he did the best he possibly could.”

Something that made the week all the sweeter for Phillip was the chance to meet Marlies van Bezouw, the sister of Z’s late breeder, who was present at his birth and who journeyed to the show to enjoy a reunion with ‘her’ horse before the start of the competition.

“She traveled down two and a half hours to come and see him, and she just saw him and burst into tears – it was pretty emotional,” says Phillip with a smile. “He means a lot to a lot of people, and [former rider] Duarte Seabra changed sports and went to show jumping after his brother [passed away], and Z was his last event horse. So it’s a full circle of people that this horse has touched their hearts.”

Next up, Phillip hopes, is another trip to Europe later in the year to fine-tune some of the details and put the gelding in the selectors’ minds for Paris next year.

“We’d need to get his dressage a couple marks better, which would then put us up in a higher finish, but we’re talking about going to Pau – he ran great at Maryland last year, and it’s one he’s never been to and I haven’t been to in quite a few years,” he says.

Like Liz, he was delighted to play a part in another US team success, and acknowledged the part that luck – good or bad – can play in riders’ fortunes.

“It’s always great to be a part of the US team and all the riders did well. Will was pretty unlucky slipping coming to that fence, but that’s the risk you take — he was trying to have a real crack at it. Everybody did what they could and we ended up in a good finish — it’s great that America is on a bit of a roll now, I think.”

Though the New Zealand team’s luck definitely wasn’t up this weekend – they finished sixth out of eight after a rider fall for Jonelle Price from McClaren at the Rolex Water complex and two late run-outs for Pratoni teammates Tim Price and Falco, who dropped from fourth to 36th – they did secure a top-ten placing for one of their riders. Caroline Powell and the talented young mare Greenacres Special Cavalier took all that they’d learned from the ten-year-old’s educational trip to Badminton earlier this spring and zipped around today’s much more continental track for 7.6 time penalties and seventh place – a thirteen-placing climb through the competition, and another world-stage placing to add to the fifth they earned on her five-star debut at Pau.

Sweden, too, was well-represented at the business end of the leaderboard, even if they weren’t able to field a team this week: their sole individual rider, Frida Andersen, finished eighth aboard Box Leo with 4.8 time penalties, completing a climb from 33rd in the first phase.

Joseph Murphy and Calmaro. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Likewise, Ireland’s Joseph Murphy was the architect of an impressive climb with the former Laura Collett ride Calmaro, with whom he’s pulled out some of his best results at major events: he was 23rd after dressage on a 32.5, and dropped to 25th last night after lowering a pole and adding a second on the clock, but today’s round, which saw the pair cross the finish line with 4.4 time penalties, spirited them straight back up the ladder to a final ninth place. This marks their third consecutive year at Aachen, their third consecutive swift clear across this course, and their second consecutive top-ten placing at this most prestigious of four-stars.

Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and Ducati d’Arville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier was one of the earliest riders of the day, riding in the small batch of individuals at the opening of the phase with her Ducati d’Arville. But even without the benefit of the insight that can come from watching others out on course, she delivered one of the classiest efforts of the day, cruising home with 2.8 time penalties and climbing up from overnight 28th to eventual tenth.

Even with one of the fastest rounds of the day under her belt, though, Lara still feels that there was more left in the tank – and, perhaps, the possibility of logging the only clear inside the time of the day, but for a duo of lost shoes.

“He’s a fantastic horse – he’s really looking for the flags, and he really makes my life easy,” she says with a smile. “Unfortunately, I lost a shoe at fence three, and then later on after the two skinnies I lost the other front shoe – and I thought okay, now the two corners without shoes in front is going to be tricky, so I had to take an extra pull here and there to really ensure that he would stay in between the flags and not slide. So maybe it saved me a place in the top ten, but I do have some little frustration, because I could have kicked here and there a bit more, maybe. But on the other hand, he was just so focused and tried so hard for me, and I think Aachen is one of those tracks where you have to be 100% concentrated from start to finish, and he was – he gave me just the best feeling.”

If redemption has been the overarching theme of the day, there’s no one who can appreciate the joys of a great finish quite like Lara. Her 2023 season has been a rebuilding process – one that’s seen her climb back from the ashes of a heartbreaking Pratoni, where she fell at the first fence, to having her whole string of horses performing at their peak in the first half of this season.

“It takes a village to get here – my trainers, my grooms, everyone – and I’m so thankful to have all these people who kept believing in me despite last year, which was really not ideal. When I felt my head on the ground [at Pratoni], I was like, ‘no way – it’s a nightmare’, but I never woke up. It was reality. And everything happens for a reason; you don’t always know why, but I’m confident it will all come along. The horses I have are so good, and I just need to keep producing them the right way.”

Dan Krietl and Carmango. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

US individual Dan Krietl wrapped up his first Aachen experience with a completion and 35th place with Carmango, which he retained despite a run-out at the first part of the influential Turkish Airlines complex at 16ABCD, which wended its way through an abundance of combined driving obstacles – something that caused six very good horses to lose focus while picking their way through.

The top ten following a hugely influential cross-country at CHIO Aachen.

Though it looked, for quite a while there, as though the US team might snatch the win here, it wasn’t to be – but second by just 3.3 penalties to the home team isn’t too shabby, and finishing ahead of the Brits, as on-form as they are at the moment, is even sweeter.

“It was a great team – and the US has so many other great riders and horses at home, so our depth is getting there, and we’re on the uphill trajectory,” says Tamie, who’s been a consistent part of so many of the team’s efforts on that climb over the last few years. “It’s like no other, so I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

Team USA waits for their turn in the prizegiving ceremony. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just one shock moment marred the team’s scoresheet this week – and Will Coleman was sage in addressing his disappointment after picking up 60 jumping penalties with Off The Record.

“I think turning to the skinnies, my horse slipped a little and lost his rear end, and I really had no chance after that,” he reflects. “We were going for it, and like Michael [Jung] said, when you’re going that fast you bring on a little bit more risk. I paid the penalty today, but my teammates carried the day and I’m really proud of all them and how they rode. All credit to them.”

The Brits, who held top spot after each of the previous phases, suffered a drop to third after that high-profile run-out for overnight leaders Tom and Dubs, a run-out at fence 11B, a brush atop an up-bank, for Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI, and a missed flag for Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley, which added 55.8 penalties to their aggregate score. Ireland climbed from overnight seventh to a respectable fourth after three clears and a missed flag round for Susie Berry and Kilcandra Capitol, while the French snuck up a singular placing for final fifth.

That’s all from us – for now! – from the SAP Cup at CHIO Aachen, but keep it locked on EN as we bring you more content from this global celebration of horse sport. Until then: Go Eventing.

The final team standings at the culmination of Aachen’s SAP Cup CCIO4*-S.

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Rise and shine, all my fellow eventing nerds (and good reasonable-time-of-the-morning to all of our friends tuning in from the UK and Europe!) — it’s cross country day at one of my personal favorite events, CHIO Aachen.

If you aren’t sick of hearing us say it already, definitely add this event and its weeklong festival to your bucket list. Today’s cross country is just one small part of a World Equestrian Festival that spans all major disciplines and boats the absolute cream of the crop in terms of competition.

ANYWAY, enough poetic wishful thinking about actually being there this year — for now, I’ll settle for tuning in with you all for some cross country day fun.

The course designer here at Aachen is Rüdiger Schwarz, assisted by Kai-Steffen Meier, and he’s built a 4*-S track of 25 numbered fences, comprising of 39 jumping efforts. The optimum time is 6 minutes and 55 seconds – that works out at an average speed of 570 meters per minute. You can get a bit of a view of the track here.

In most countries, you’ll want to grab a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV to be able to view the action both live and on-demand. FYI, your USEF account connection to ClipMyHorse.TV will not grant you access to Aachen live streaming – you must have a separate subscription to CMH (monthly or annual). Click here to see ClipMyHorse.TV subscription options.

How will today’s events fit with the form? Follow along with EN’s Form Guide here.

Keep scrolling to see my live blog, and keep this page refreshed periodically for the latest updates. Here’s to safe rides to all, and Go Eventing!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

6:54 a.m. ET: And that will do us for cross country at Aachen. Yasmin Ingham, who was the original leader after dressage, will claim the individual title here with Banzai du Loir, all but stamping her ticket to Europeans (with which horse though?!). Michael Jung finishes second with fischerChipmunk, and Tamie Smith will take third overall with Mai Baum (with Liz and Phillip not far behind in 5th and 6th). Team Germany will take the SAP Cup, followed by Team USA and Team GB. This is the first British winner EVER at Aachen, and what better way to do it than with the reigning World Champion! Here’s a look at the final finishing scores — and stay tuned for Tilly’s report to come later today!

6:51 a.m. ET: Tom is currently riding for both a British individual and team win here – he’s got about 4 seconds to afford to make this happen. OH NO! He has a 20 at the B of the Sunken Road, and it will be Yasmin Ingham who wins the glory individually today! That will also drop GB out of the gold spot on the leaderboard, I believe, moving the U.S. up to second.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:50 a.m. ET: Oh my goodness – Michael Jung picks up just one second too many, guaranteeing Britain will win for the very first time here – either Yasmin Ingham or Tom McEwen! Here’s a quick look at Michael through the corners at 18:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:48 a.m. ET: Michael is through the final water, Tom is into the Rolex water with JL Dublin.

6:46 a.m. ET: Ah man. The wheels fall off a bit for Tim Price and Falco, who pick up two late 20s, one each at the two final combinations. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, overnight leaders and last of the day, are away!

6:44 a.m. ET: Tim Price and Falco are still flying! Michael is clear through the Rolex water.

6:43 a.m. ET: Will is well into time as he finishes and he will be sorely disappointed about this result today. Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH are now on course.

6:40 a.m. ET: Oh no! Will has picked up 20 at the A element of the Sunken Road after Timmy slipped on the turn. What a bummer. Ah, he’ll be really kicking himself there. Now, for the team, this means Phillip Dutton’s score will count and Tamie’s will be the top U.S. individual score. Germany has taken over the top spot, so it will come down to Michael Jung’s finish with Chipmunk. Tim Price and Falco are clear through the Rolex water. Will was given a 40 for crossing his tracks on the long route at the Sunken Road.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:38 a.m. ET: Will may not have much team pressure at the moment, but he is riding for a shot at the individual podium here this weekend. He’s only about 4 penalties out of first place as it stands right now.

6:36 a.m. ET: Kevin McNab and Miss Pepperpot run into trouble again at the A of the Sunken Road at 16. Gireg le Coz has been Eliminated for missing the jump at 21. Will is clear through the Rolex water complex.

6:34 a.m. ET: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge pick up a late 20 and are the first to have trouble at the angled combination at 21. Will Coleman is away with Off the Record.

6:30 a.m. ET: The final pair for Australia, Kevin McNab and Miss Pepperpot are away. Next to see will be 2021 Aachen winners. Will Coleman and Off the Record, who will have little pressure riding on their shoulders with three clear rounds from the U.S. so far. Sadly Miss Pepperpot picks up 20 at the A element of 5, similarly to teammates Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane.

6:29 a.m. ET: Joseph Murphy and Calmaro were evidently given 15 penalties for the out of the sunken road at 16, but it was so quickly removed that I never saw it on the scoreboard. They’re home clear with time. Gireg le Coz has a bold ride through the Normandy Bank complex.

6:28 a.m. ET:

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6:25 a.m. ET: Robin Godel is the latest to just get the wider part of the second corner at 18B after taking a direct line to make the three strides happen. Grandeur du Lully CH slides over the second corner a little, and they’re given question marks for the score there. I think those will be removed pretty quickly, from my view. Joseph Murphy is clear through 14 and French rider Gireg le Coz joins us now with Aisprit de la Loge.

6:24 a.m. ET: Last out for the Irish, Joseph Murphy and Camaro are away. Really love this horse, just a real “true event horse” look about him, if you know what I’m talking about.

6:23 a.m. ET: A peek at the environment in the Aachen stadium:

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6:20 a.m. ET: A look at updated team standings:

6:18 a.m. ET: Yasmin is home with just three seconds of time! She’ll finish the weekend on a score of 27.1 and takes the clubhouse lead. Robin Godel is the final Swiss rider to start the fourth rotation, aboard Grandeur de Lully CH.

6:16 a.m. ET: Yasmin Ingham is clear through the brush corners at 18. We may see some question marks for their jump at 18B, but we’ll see. Here’s a look at her and Banzai du Loir through the Sunken Road.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:13 a.m. ET: Another thing to remember here is that some of these pairs, particularly the Brits and Germans, will be looking ahead to the European Championships, which means not every round will be one that is used to chase the time and the glory this weekend. Sandra Auffarth is going to pick up enough time to give the U.S. the top spot on the podium!

6:12 a.m. ET: Looks like the way things are shaking out, the U.S. will finish at least on the podium as a team, and they’re currently in silver position. They could yet improve this stead if Germany picks up any jump penalties or a significant amount of time.

6:11 a.m. ET: Caroline Powell is home with 7.6 time faults. Yasmin is away!

6:10 a.m. ET: Catching up a little — things move fast here! — Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz, 2022 winners at Aachen, are on course for Germany and New Zealand’s Caroline Powell is making her way home on a clear with Greenacres Special Cavalier. Reigning World Champ Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir will be the next starters.

6:08 a.m. ET: Tamie is home clear with 2.8 time! She’ll finish at least in the top 10 on a final score of 33.7 and keeps Team USA in the running to at least hang on to third as a team.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:05 a.m. ET: Tamie is probably going to get into time here as well; they’re approaching the final combination before the arena and are clear at 21.

6:03 a.m. ET: Shenae Lowings has also been given 15 now for fence 18. An influential one this year! Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier are on course and clear through 4. Tamie is clear through 16.

6:01 a.m. ET: Haven’t seen her yet, but Tamie is on course and clear through 6. Shenae Lowings is clear through 16, and Ben is home clear with some time.

5:58 a.m. ET: Ben Massie has taken some interesting and economic lines here, so we’ll see if he can get a little closer to that time. Australia’s Shenae Lowings is on course and at the Rolex water with the OTTB Bold Venture. Tamie Smith will be the next starter.

5:55 a.m. ET: Cathal is another pair to not hang around one bit, but yet will still get into time faults as he heads to the arena questions. No one has made the time here at Aachen in at least the last two years, to give you an idea of how influential it is.

5:54 a.m. ET: Clear jumping with time for Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire for the Swiss. We’re also joined by our next French rider, Benjamin Massie and Edition Fonroy. Cathal Daniels is clear through 15. We are just one more rider away from our next U.S. pair, Kentucky winners Tamie Smith and Mai Baum.

5:50 a.m. ET: Great Britain drops into bronze position now — pending Gemma’s 15 penalties, if those were to be removed. Cathal and Rioghan Rua are clear through 5.

5:49 a.m. ET: Cathal Daniels and the #supermare Rioghan Run are next away.

5:48 a.m. ET: Next out for the Swiss and clear through the water complex at 8-10 are Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire. Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI are making their way towards the arena now.

5:47 a.m. ET: And now the Germans go into gold as Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI have a very surprising 20 at the Normandy Bank. This is also contingent on Gemma Stevens’ 15 penalties, which are still on the scores right now.

5:45 a.m. ET: Christoph and Carjatan S are among the quickest of the day, stopping the clock at 6:59 just four seconds over. This will slot him in front of Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C and also keep the pressure on for the current silver-placed Germans.

5:43 a.m. ET: Also on course now are the next for the British, Kristy Chabert and Classic VI, who were also at Kentucky this spring.

5:41 a.m. ET: For Germany, Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S is having a cracking round thus far and is clear through the Normandy Bank at 11. Here’s a look at Jonelle’s tumble, which she valiantly tried to save!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:40 a.m. ET: Here’s an updated look at the team standings in the SAP Cup competition:

5:37 a.m. ET: Liz is clear through the brush corners at 18. It looks like Jonelle has fallen from Mclaren at the Rolex water at 9. Noooo! This will be a big blow for the Kiwi team. Liz Halliday is nearly home, she’s going to have several seconds of time as Mikki looks quite strong still. She stops the clock 11 seconds. This clear, plus Jonelle’s fall, puts the U.S. back into a podium spot. Liz will take the clubhouse lead on a score of 36.5.

5:36 a.m. ET: Here’s a replay of what happened with Liz at fence 6:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:35 a.m. ET: Jonelle Price and Mclaren are next away, riding the wave of a stellar show jumping round yesterday. Liz is through the Rolex water and clear through 11. Bill Levett finishes with the 20 penalties and a little over 40 seconds of time.

5:33 a.m. ET: Iiiinteresting — I am going off commentary here as I didn’t see it fully in real time, but it looks like a part of the MIM rail at the vertical MIM rail at 6 dropped when Liz jumped it. But since the top rail did not break, this should not be 11 penalties. I’ll have a GIF shortly.

5:32 a.m. ET: Carouzo Bois Maroutin slips a little on the turn to the final fence, but he and Maxime are home clear with just a bit of time. Liz Halliday-Sharp is now away for the U.S. aboard Ocala Horse Properties’ and Debbie Palmer’s Miks Master C.

5:30 a.m. ET: Patrick Ruegg’s elimination has been updated to a fall of rider instead of a fall of horse. Gemma’s 15 penalties are still present on the live scores. Maxime Liven and Carouzo Bois Maroutin have about 20 seconds as they enter the arena.

5:29 a.m. ET: Sligo Candy Cane is another to look almost a little surprised by the ditch at the coffin at 4, but he and Bill use their footwork and experience to navigate safely. Now they actually slide past the A element of 5 — perhaps just not seeing the fence in time after a quick turn? They’re clear with a hard ride on the direct route. This will drop the Australian’s pretty well out of the sights of a podium finish.

5:28 a.m. ET: 10 seconds over for Susie, plus she now has question marks for that moment at 18. Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane are now away for the Aussies, now without a drop score after the elimination of Bec Braitling and Caravaggio.

5:27 a.m. ET: Susie kicks out the right flag at the brush corners at 18 — honestly hard to tell in real speed if the horse’s shoulders were over the fence or off to the right.

5:25 a.m. ET: Next out for the French are Maxime Livio and Carouzo Bois Marotin, who some U.S. fans will recognize as one of the top 10 finishers at Kentucky this spring. Here’s a belated look at the speedy Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:23 a.m. ET: After a couple of hairy moments, now it looks like Patrick Ruegg and Fifty Fifty have fallen at fence 15, a Trakehner fence. It looks like they are both up and walking away.

5:21 a.m. ET: This could be important – Gemma comes home just 3 seconds over, but she’s been given 15 for a missed flag at 18B. We’ll see if that stands! The next of the Irish is away in Susie Berry with Kilcandra Capitol.

5:20 a.m. ET: Gemma gives Flash Cooley some vocal encouragement as she comes through the angled combination at 21. She’s still flying as she comes into the arena and is going to be fairly close to the time.

5:19 a.m. ET: For the Swiss, Patrick Ruegg and Fifty Fifty hesitate a little at the ditch at 4A, but they’ve over it without penalties. Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley should be making their way into the final part of the track at the arena now.

5:17 a.m. ET: Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K makes her smashing Aachen debut complete with just 5.6 time collected today. Nicely done!

5:15 a.m. ET: Gemma is certainly not out to hang around and have a walk in the park today, and she’s got Flash Cooley thinking forward and bold from the beginning. Malin lives a little dangerously at the Sunken Road but gets away with it!

5:14 a.m. ET: Clarke Johnstone is home with a little more time than Phillip. That puts Clarke and Menlo Park onto a finishing score of 45.5. Next out for the Brits are Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley. Malin is clear through 15.

5:13 a.m. ET: 5.2 time and a total score of 38.0 for Phillip and Z, confirmed.

5:12 a.m. ET: Phillip’s time is currently listed as 10:03, which definitely isn’t right so we’ll see if he actually got a little closer to the optimum. Germany is on course now, with Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Quidditch K clear at the Rolex water.

5:10 a.m. ET: Phillip is clear and adds 15 seconds of time; he will have wanted to go a little quicker, but that’s a good score to go on for the U.S., currently the drop score for the Americans.

5:09 a.m. ET: First of the Kiwis is underway, Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park. Phil is clear through 21 and should be in the arena by now.

5:06 a.m. ET: Ah no! Bec and Caravaggio part ways at these tricky corners at 18, when they just got off their line and “Ernie” twisted a little in the air to make the wider part of the corner happen. Bec tumbles out the right door and she looks no worse for the wear but will be bummed to end her first trip overseas this way. Here’s a look at Phillip into the Rolex water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:04 a.m. ET: Bec is clear through 13, while she’s joined by the first U.S. team rider, Phillip Dutton and Z.

5:01 a.m. ET: U.S.-based Australians Bec Braitling and Caravaggio II are now on course, making their Aachen and senior squad debut this weekend.

5:00 a.m. ET: Sarah Ennis and the very keen Action Lady M are home with no jump penalties added, coming home about 35 seconds over the clock. Here’s a look at this pair through the penultimate combination at 21:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:59 a.m. ET: Nadja Minder now has 15 penalties showing on her card at fence 18A, the first of two brush corners.

4:57 a.m. ET: Nadja Minder and Aquila B puts in a good round for the Swiss, collecting just a few time penalties to go onto her mark. Right now, she’s the drop score for the Swiss but that could change depending on how the rest of her teammates’ rides go. For France, Luc Chateau is away with Cocorico de L’Ebat.

4:55 a.m. ET: The first Irish rider, Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M, are on course now and navigating the big, circular water at fences 8-10 (that’s how you know you spend a lot of time at one complex, when there are 3 questions in one place!).

4:53 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson’s 15 penalties have been removed, which puts her into the clubhouse lead on a score of 39.7.

4:51 a.m. ET: Cross country adrenaline, in one video:

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4:50 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson adds 4.8 time to her score as she crosses the finish. We now move into the team rotations, with Switzerland first of the bunch, sending Nadja Minder and Aquila B first away. Here’s a look at team standings ahead of cross country:

4:48 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson and Box Leo have question marks on their score box for fence 8, likely the B element of the water combination, a narrow arrowhead in the water.

4:46 a.m. ET: Lara is the quickest of the bunch so far, stopping the clock just 2.8 time penalties’ worth ahead of the optimum time. Belgium will be eyeballing the riders here as potential European Championships representatives as they aim for Paris qualification this year — and Lara just made more than a small statement.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:45 a.m. ET: Lara Liedekerke-Meier also takes a left-handed line to the second corner at 18 with Ducati d’Arville, jumping just the wider part of the second corner with a big effort.

4:42 a.m. ET: A couple finishes to update you on — Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia are home clear, as are Hector Payne and Dynasty. Frida Anderson and Box Leo as well as Lara Liedekerke-Meier and Ducati d’Arville are out on course and both clear so far.

4:36 a.m. ET: Hector Payne and Dynasty, the first of our British riders, are the next away. Church’lle rattles the MIM-clipped vertical at the final combination, but it stays up and they’re home safely with about 51 seconds of time.

4:35 a.m. ET: I didn’t see either on the live feed, but Arthur Marx has been assessed 15 for a missed flag at 12B and a 20 penalty incurrence at 16B.

4:33 a.m. ET: Dan and Carmango are safely home, and he’ll be more than irritated about that 20 but he still pumps his fist with a finish at his first CHIO Aachen!

4:32 a.m. ET: Also on course now are France’s Arthur Marx and Church’lle as well as Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia.

4:29 a.m. ET: Dan and Carmango have picked up a 20 at the brush arrowhead at 16A, part of the Sunken Road. This is a tricky area of the course, that sits right in the middle of a combined driving obstacle, and it looks like “Fritz” just didn’t quite lock on to the strategically narrow and easy-to-miss fence.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:27 a.m. ET: Dan Kreitl is clear through the ring-around-the-rosey Rolex water at 9 and 10.

4:27 a.m. ET: You can see how gray it’s looking out there today in this shot of Samantha Lissington at fence 5.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:25 a.m. ET: And here is our first U.S. rider! Dan Kreitl and Carmango are on their first big overseas trip and represent the U.S. as individuals this weekend. Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo are home with about 29 seconds of time.

4:23 a.m. ET: Ricker Ridge Sooty has to get his front end up quick to nip over the MIM Rail at 6, with Samantha glancing back to make sure the rail has stayed up (it did).

4:22 a.m. ET: Our next individual representatives to see will be New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ. I really hope his barn name is Sooty.

4:20 a.m. ET: Timmo leaves a bit of a knee jumping into the Rolex water but he’s safely clear through here. I know almost nothing about this horse, but he looks like a good, agreeable type that I’d quite like to ride around a big track like this.

4:19 a.m. ET: It looks like both Calvin and Altair de la Cense both took a tumble at the A clement of the Rolex water, but they both look to be ok. Our next starters are Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo for Germany.

4:18 a.m. ET: Looks like Calvin and Altair de la Cense will end their day much earlier than planned with a parting of ways at the Rolex water at fence 10. Rebecca-Juana Gerken and TSF Solara are home clear with some time, but they were also pretty speedy especially as one of the earlier pairs to see.

4:15 a.m. ET: Anna Siemer shows us that the time may be gettable today, stopping the clock just a few seconds off the optimum. Calvin Böckmann and Altair de la Cense are our next to see and our penultimate Germany individual pair.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:13 a.m. ET: FRH Butts Avondale jumps more the left side of the righthand corner at 18, and Anna’s foot actually hits the white flag as a result. She gives FRH Butts Avondale a big pat, and they actually aren’t too bad on time here with about 35 seconds to get home as she enters the arena. The rain is a little heavier now!

4:11 a.m. ET: Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale are clear through the Rolex water complex at the top of the track and are joined by Rebecca-Juana Green and TSF Solara — who has a U.S. sire in the great Windfall II. Pathfinders Lubissa Lubekke has been assessed 15 penalties for missing a flag at this time, at the right-handed corner at 18B.

4:07 a.m. ET: Next to see as Lubissa makes her way home via the questions in the arena — she’s clear with about 34 seconds of time — are Germany’s Anna Siemer with FRH Butts Avondale. They also rely on a bit of footwork to navigate the early coffin at 4.

4:04 a.m. ET: Lubissa is having to ride in some morning rain, but it’s not enough to have a huge effect on the going right now. This track, with its notoriously tough time, is a tricky balance between riding forward and boldly, while also maintaining the ability to control and turn tightly. Not every horse will be suited for this track, but the ones that will will really relish the challenge.

4:01 a.m. ET: And we are officially underway as Libussa is away and has a bit of a rough ride through the first combination at 4AB but is on her way!

3:59 a.m. ET: The CrossCountryApp preview of the 4*-S course here is now available! Click here for a fence-by-fence preview. Our first riders to see today will be the individual riders, with the team rotation starting a little later. Germany has the largest number of individual slots as host nation, and we’ll see a handful of their riders out first beginning with Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia 34.

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin take the CHIO Aachen lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

While this evening’s showjumping phase at CHIO Aachen’s CCIO4*-S may not have been enormously difficult by the numbers – 20 of the 44 starters jumped clear rounds, with 17 of those doing so inside the time, and just 40 rails falling throughout the breadth of the class – it certainly was influential on the leaderboard. That’s because this morning’s dressage scoring was more than a touch reminiscent of that at Luhmühlen a couple of weeks ago: just nine pairs were awarded sub-30 marks, and tenth through 35th place sitting within the scope of five penalties. And so if a pair were to pick up a time penalty or two – or, heaven forbid, a rail – it would cost them dearly.

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It was the former, rather than the latter, that saw our first-phase leaders, World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir relinquish the top spot and hand it, instead, to teammates Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. They opted to play it just a touch safe in the spooky Turkish Airlines Stadium, with its 40,000 seats, its busy, bustling arena, and its capacious spookiness, and while that allowed them to pin down a classy round without any jumping penalties, it did see them add two penalties for finishing five seconds over the time allowed. Now, they head into cross-country in third place – Germany’s Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, last year’s two-phase leaders, step up to second after a penalty-free round – but they’re not far from that top spot, even so: they’re just 1.2 penalties, or three seconds, behind first place.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom, for his part, was delighted to get the job done with twelve-year-old Holsteiner ‘Dubs’, who he inherited from fellow British rider Nicola Wilson in the latter part of last year.

“He jumped fantastically, to be honest,” says Tom. “He loved the main arena, which is always great, because you’d be hard-pressed to find a better championship-style arena. It’s amazing to get in there — it’s very open and flowing. I found that this year there wasn’t so many turn backs. It wasn’t too technical.”

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom finished third here last year with long-time partner Toledo de Kerser, but found that this evening’s course had a very different feel to the one he’d jumped last year, which was much more centre-weighted in the arena, maximising tight lines and turns.

“I thought maybe it was a bit easier this time, but sometimes with good horses, like Dubs, it can lure you in a little bit,” he says. “And he was jumping so well that it did lure me in a bit, because I decided to take a stride out and go to the planks at seven on five strides. I’d already told Dicky [Waygood, British team performance manager] that I had a fear that I might do something like that. I landed from six and thought, ‘I’ll sit up and get the six’, but then when I saw the five, I thought, ‘well, I might as well keep going!’ Luckily, he’s got plenty of scope and actually, that nearly made him more aware of the course, because he was like, ‘what are you doing?!’ He jumped amazing – he’s a pleasure to ride, and I’m looking forward to being in this position tomorrow.”

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom and Dubs haven’t yet celebrated the first anniversary of their partnership, but already, they’ve finished second at Boekelo’s CCI4*-L last October – their first international outing together – and second at Kentucky CCI5* this spring. At each milestone, Tom has been able to chart the progression in their communication levels as they adjust to one another.

“This morning’s test was the same test as I did at Boekelo, and the difference between tests was near enough polar,” he says. “It’s just learning small quirks. He’s the nicest, calmest, coolest person but there’s a few things I’ve learned. One is that he does actually need a bit more work than I thought – he sort of lures you into allowing him to have an easy time , and actually, he just needs a little bit of work. It’s all been about getting to know him as a person, and he’s been amazing, so we’re starting to get there. This is another step in our learning curve.”

Whatever happens tomorrow, Tom is counting it all as a positive – because win or learn, he knows the ‘five-star short’ course will help him reach the next level of communication and partnership with ‘Dubs’.

“While we came here as a learning experience, we did so knowing that we can be very competitive at the same time – it’s just putting those two together,” he says pragmatically.

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Seven of the newly-reformed top ten put faultless rounds on the board: beyond our new top two – who have just a tenth of a penalty between them and thus absolutely no margin for error tomorrow – we saw New Zealand’s Tim Price do the same with his World Champs bronze medallist Falco, which allowed them to retain their fourth place standing; 2021 winners Will Coleman and Off The Record did it, which pushed them from seventh to fifth and now has them best of the US contingent; pathfinder and young German rising star Libussa Lübbeke did it without the benefit of any rounds to watch first, which boosts her and Caramia 34 from ninth to sixth, and her fellow Warendorf student Calvin Böckmann from thirteenth to eighth with Altair de la Cense; and finally, France’s Gireg le Coz did it with his five-star ride Aisprit de la Loge, which saw them step up from twelfth to seventh.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The spooky, busy arena with its technical lines and big, square efforts did exert its influence on some otherwise excellent jumpers, though: Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, arguably one of the very best in the field in this phase, knocked the planks at fence seven, which fell just twice throughout the class – and that was enough to drop them from fifth to ninth.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C (owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Deborah Palmer) also picked up a rail at 10a, the first of two back-to-back doubles (the course had no treble combination, interestingly, but instead featured three doubles; two of these came consecutively at the tail end of the course, causing ten rails – 25% of the phase’s tally – among them.) That, plus her 0.8 time penalties, saw her move from first-phase sixth to two-phase fourteenth.

US individuals Dan Krietl and Carmango, too, had two rails – the fourth, and the first part of the first double at 5a – which saw them slip from 31st to 35th going into cross-country.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton was able to lay down a fault-free round for the US with Z, who’ll be the team pathfinder across the country tomorrow; they now sit eighteenth, up from 24th, thanks to their efforts.

The top ten going into tomorrow’s cross-country.

Though Aachen’s ‘Nations Cup’ isn’t actually a Nations Cup – that is, it’s not part of the official FEI series, which counts towards coveted rewards such as a team qualification for Paris. But even though it can’t be used to get that job done (and, actually, it couldn’t anyway; every nation with a team entered here is already heading to next year’s Olympics), it’s still seriously important, because it’s a chance to see how some iteration of each country’s A-team stacks up against its closest competitors.

With all that in mind, is it even worth mentioning that the Brits retain their first-phase lead going into tomorrow’s cross-country. Hardly: we all already know that they’re on extraordinary multi-year form, even if Pratoni didn’t quite go to plan for them as a team. (For what it’s worth, though, if Oliver Townend had had even half the rails he’d had, they’d have won gold, which might be a bit of an if-my-grandmother-had-wheels-she’d-be-a-bike sort of argument, but it does prove just how fine the margins are between medals and nothing that one round can make such an enormous difference, and it can, as such, hardly be held against the Brits as a loss of form.) Today, just one of their riders – Gemma Stevens, aboard the young, talented Flash Cooley – tipped a rail, giving them an aggregate score of 80.8 after two phases, which puts them 8.3 penalties, or twenty seconds, ahead of now-second-placed Germany, who stepped up a placing after three clears. The home nation did suffer some disappointment: Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K, eighth after dressage, became the team drop score and slid to 24th after knocking two rails.

New Zealand, too, climbed a spot and now sit third, taking full advantage of an open door left by the US team, who moved from second after the first phase to fourth after the second, though by a small margin: between second and fourth place, there’s just two penalties, or five seconds tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s cross-country, designed by Rudiger Schwarz, begins at 10.00 a.m. local time (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. EST). It’ll all be streamed live via ClipMyHorse.TV, and we’ll be bringing you the low-down and analysis, plus chats with plenty of the riders, after the action wraps. Stay tuned tonight, too – we’ll have a preview of what’s yet to come heading your way soon. Until then: Go Eventing!

The team standings after showjumping in CHIO Aachen’s Nations Cup.

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s as much of a treat for eventing fans to get to watch World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir as it is for the talented pair to ride in the most prestigious competitions in the world – and certainly, the young rider is as well known for her gratitude for these opportunities as she is for her extraordinary abilities in the saddle. And where gratitude is given room to flourish, so, too, is grace under pressure, even when things might go a bit pear-shaped – as they did for the pair at Kentucky this spring. They returned to the five-star a year after taking second in the French-bred gelding’s debut there, but after being held indefinitely at the start box, Banzai dropped off the boil just a touch, and they had a shock early run-out before regrouping and going on to finish the competition in fine style.

Now, they’re back at a major competition, and neither looks ruffled by what may be seen as a crucial opportunity to prove themselves ahead of this summer’s European Championships, for which they’ll be hoping for selection. Nor do the British powers-that-be seem concerned: they’ve put the pair in the hugely pressurised anchor slot for the team this week, which means they’ll be the last Brits to head out of the start box and, as such, will need to be prepared to save the day if one of their teammates has a tricky round.

There’s cool under pressure, though, and then there’s this girl. Riding in the final session of today’s dressage, Yas and Banzai danced their way to the lead on a sparkling score of 23.5 – though the margins are so tight today, even with tough marking across the board and an extraordinary number of people sitting in the 30-32 zone, that they’ve got less than a penalty in hand going into today’s showjumping.

“It’s amazing to be here – I feel very, very lucky, and it’s just so special to be at this sort of calibre of event, especially with my number one boy Banzai,” says Yas. “It’s amazing to be able to show him off on a stage again – and obviously, it’s been a couple of months since Pratoni, so it’s so nice to bring him to these big shows. When he performs like that it’s… well, I’m pretty speechless, to be honest!”

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though their test was without errors, Yas still quickly picked out areas that she’d like to improve on for their next outing: “He was really great out in the warm-up, and then just went slightly flat in there. I probably could have had a little bit more tempo and cadence in the trot, and a couple of his changes needed to be a little bit more expressive, but I can’t be too disappointed with that! But obviously, I’m a perfectionist and I like things to be as good as they can be.”

Though she’d been able to see the harsh marking all throughout the competition, which had several riders wondering what the judges were looking for, exactly, Yas stuck to the plan she’s developed with her coaches in order to lay down the marks.

“I try and stick to the way that I know, that myself and Chris Bartle and Richard Davidson have created to get the best out of him,” she says. “I think we just try and stick with that trend, really. It’s worked before in the past, so we try and keep everything fairly similar with his prep and the work in and then obviously going into the ring, we try and ride the test for maximum marks.”

Now, there’s the small matter of tonight’s showjumping – and tomorrow’s cross-country – to deal with.

“There’s absolutely no catching up to be done at the end of the cross-country,” she says. “I think you really need to be up on those minutes early on. Time will be of the essence tomorrow, and here’s some tricky technicla questions scattered around the course. But I like how in the main field, there’s two quite big opportunities to have a good gallop and  ride away from your fences quickly and make up a bit of time there and I’m very lucky to be sat on a big rangy, galloping horse so I’m going to try and make the most of those big stretches and then hopefully we’ll be there or there abouts with  the time

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Further bolstering British team efforts is Tom McEwen, also returning to the world stage after a trip to Kentucky this spring with the former Nicola Wilson ride, reigning European Champion JL Dublin. The pair very nearly managed to take the lead, but as they had been at Kentucky, they were just pipped at the post by Yas and Banzai, and had to settle for a close second place on their score of 24.3.

“I thought, apart from the first halt, that he was so relaxed and in harmony and absolutely loving what he was doing in there – so he was a pleasure to ride, to be honest,” says Tom. “We both had great fun; he’s loving the show, and he definitely enjoyed the appreciation from the crowd afterwards. He’s a truly special horse.”

Tom has had the ride on ‘Dubs’ for less than a full year, but today, they got the chance to revisit the early part of the partnership and evaluate how much they’ve progressed.

“Funnily enough, we did this test at Boekelo when I’d first got him,” he says, recalling the Dutch event in October, where they finished second on the same score as the winners. “Now, I’ve started to understand him, and we’ve really gelled – which is thanks, obviously, to Nicola and all her hard work. All that hard work she’s put in is really paying off.”

Tom, who finished third here last year with Toledo de Kerser, is prepared for a totally different challenge in tomorrow’s cross-country finale.

“It’s very different to last year,” says Tom. “There’s some real galloping sections with no fences, and then some places like the first water, where we’re doing circles within the water. It’ll be really interesting to see how it rides – we might find that it’s a little easier to get the time, but we might also find that it’s a lot harder.”

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s not often we don’t see Michael Jung in the lead here, particularly when he brings out the big guns – which Olympic mount and five-star winner fischerChipmunk FRH most definitely qualifies as. But although the pair trended in the top spot for part of their test, and then flitted, occasionally, into second, a late miscommunication and several subsequent erroneous transitions just moments before the final centreline proved expensive, and the 5s and 4s they earned their pushed their score to a still very respectable 24.4. That sees them head into showjumping in third place, just a tenth of a penalty behind Tom and JL Dublin.

Tim Price and Falco. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The last rider in the ring this afternoon put a pin in a seriously smart final session: Kiwi anchors Tim Price and Falco, who were victorious at Pau’s CCI5* in 2021, and took individual bronze at the World Championships last year, took hold of fourth place provisionally with a score of 26. But though the quirky 14-year-old delivered all the right kinds of dance move in his test, the moment his final halt and salute was behind him, his inner wild-child came out, and Tim cantered back out of the arena laughing at the gelding’s much-improved sense of timing.

“In contrast to that, though, his work in his test was some of his softest, most on-side work I’ve had with him,” says Tim. “I think that’s the mark of a proper good horse – he tries so hard, and he does everything through partnership and training, and if I stick closely to that in the ring, then as soon as he has a moment to take in his surroundings, he’s like, ‘woah!’ He becomes very sharp.”

Though the horse is in his mid-teens, he’s a type that looks as though he’s improving year on year – and Tim agrees that he’s a classic late bloomer, as so many sharp-brained horses are.

“I said to [groom] Kerryn [Edmans] on the way over, he’s got quite a lot of old man qualities, and I think he’s going to be a very cool old man, actually, in a couple of years,” laughs Tim. “He’s starting to just go through the motions of the job; he knows where we are in the week, and when the right occasion comes – he knows where to put his flamboyance now a bit more.”

This is Falco’s third trip to Aachen, and Tim’s hoping that it’ll be a case of third time lucky – because previously, it hasn’t gone quite to plan for the gelding.

“The first time it blew his mind; the second time, it was a little better – but we got stuck on the keyhole on cross-country,” remembers Tim. “So we’ll see! The course has been stiffened up this year; it’s bigger, and there’s a couple of places with proper questions that have to be ridden in a certain way. It’s always nice to have a contingency plan B and C, but there’s a couple here where there’s really only one way to make it work well – though I’m sure we’ll see a few versions! The Kiwis are good at being underdogs, so I’m sure we’ll go out and give it a good go.”

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Kentucky winners Tamie Smith and Mai Baum return for their first outing since that momentous win, and will go into showjumping sitting in fifth place – and best of the US team – on a 26.9. While fans of the 17-year-old German-bred gelding will recognise that the score awarded isn’t on even keel with his usual low-20s efforts, Tamie explains that that’s because she’s trying some new tactics in the ring – and those led to some visible early tension, which she deftly rode through.

“I felt wild,” she says with a laugh. “I’m trying to leave a little bit to chance and I had bobbles because of it, but I’m on the right track – I think he’s more in front of me and not just hovering around, which is where I think he loses points. So I experimented a little bit to see, and the beginning was a little frazzled: when he’s tense, he starts throwing one front leg a bit unevenly, but he has to just learn to push and engage, so I went for it and had mistakes, but I’m happy with him.”

Even the most consistent of performers can have days when the buzz of the situation bubbles over, and ‘Lexus’ felt that today – and when he does, Tamie says, it’s not always a straightforward job to get him back on terra firm. Instead, it’s all about the fine art of compromise — and the slimmest of margins – especially in the fishbowl of the Deutsches Bank Stadium.

“He’s a funny horse – he’s awkwardly hot and sensitive but then he’s also behind me,” she says. “It’s a weird mix of knowing how much is enough or not enough, and  it’s millimetre by millimetre; I just kind of corrected him a little bit, more maybe too much. But that’s the sport – they’re pretty electric in there. He halted before I went to go in, and he reared, and he doesn’t ever do that. So he was just feeling it in there. It feels very closed in and claustrophobic, and I think it’s hard on a horse with movement, who needs room to move. They feel like they’re getting swallowed up a bit.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C, who she rides for Ocala Horse Properties and Debbie Palmer, find themselves in sixth place after earning a 27.3 – a score that the rider felt didn’t quite reflect the horse’s work in the ring. Nevertheless, she was delighted that the talented gelding’s rideability – an ongoing work in progress – continued to head in the right direction, despite the challenging, compact stadium setting of this first phase.

“I was really pleased with him; he’s still a relatively young, inexperienced horse,” she says. “He’s only eleven, and we’ve only been together a year so I’m happy. This would probably be the most challenging ring he’s been in, so I had to ride what I had a little bit, but I was very, very pleased with him. The scoring has been really tough, so I obviously came here hoping for a better mark because he’s a really talented horse, but there’s plenty to do still and he did a lot of great things in there.”

Though Mikki has certainly seen atmosphere before – he finished third at Kentucky on his five-star debut this spring, and so logged plenty of time in that venue’s sprawling stadium – Aachen, Liz explains, has a very different feel.

“I think it’s very tight. It’s very closed in – they feel really like the whole stand is on top of them. But he was actually fabulous, and he didn’t really react to it that much,” she says.

Mikki’s a horse that’s firmly on the Paris pathway, and every outing gives Liz a chance to revisit his educational checklist and work on the marginal gains that’ll help him peak at the perfect moment.

“I think he still just needs more strength,” she says. “He offers a lot and when he gets a little tired in the ring he gets a little strong on me, so I have to just keep working away and training him. I need about another six months and then we’ll really have it where we need it, but but he’s got a lot to come still. We have a lot more of a partnership now and I definitely know him better, and I’ve changed what I’m doing as a result: I’ve got him back in a snaffle because I just wanted to try and go there. So we’re kind of working through that a little bit, but everything is so much more solidified than it was – and there’s still another level to come, which is actually exciting. I believe he’s capable of doing a sub-20s test – he’s a gorgeous horse, and I’ve just got to keep plugging away.”

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In 2021, they rose to the top spot here and became the first-ever American winners of CHIO Aachen – and this year, Will Coleman and Off The Record are back, another year older and wiser, for their third consecutive visit to this German crown jewel. And the great news? They’re only getting better. They sit seventh going into showjumping on a smart score of 28.1, which continues a trajectory of improvement from the 29.7 they posted in the year that they won, and the 28.5 they put on the board last year, which helped them to an eventual sixth place.

The German team, currently sitting in bronze position on the podium, is helped along enormously by the efforts of 2022 Blenheim CCI4*-L champions Malin Hansen-Hotopp and the expressive Carlitos Quidditch K, who sit eighth on 28.9, while the day’s pathfinders, young Warendorf trainees and German individuals Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia 34, hold onto ninth on 29.5. Tenth place is held by Australia’s Kevin McNab on his relatively new ride, the former Caroline Harris mount Miss Pepperpot, who earned a 30.2 with a sweet, workmanlike effort in the ring.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton sits 24th at the end of the first phase, having posted a 32.8 with his experienced Olympic mount, Z.

“I was hoping for better score,” he admits, “but I was really pleased with the way the way Z went — he went in the ring and was very workmanlike, which is rewarding.”

Despite their long partnership and extraordinary wealth of shared experience, Phillip explains that scenarios such as Aachen, with its combination of atmosphere and team pressure, can still throw challenges, curveballs, and chances to learn and improve in the pair’s direction.

“You’re constantly trying to improve and understand what he’s going through, and how to get him there and to be at his best, and so it’s always a balance of making sure he’s not going to be too fresh and too on edge, but then still having plenty of pizzazz and plenty of activity and sparkle in the test,” he says. “I thought I got it about right, but when you go a bit early [in the day], you’re trying to figure out what the judges are actually looking for as well. So maybe I should have gone for a little bit more and made it a little bit more expressive.”

Though his first-phase score might feel a touch disappointing, as a hugely decorated stalwart of the sport, Phillip is all too aware that the competition doesn’t end in this stadium – and both phases yet to come pose significant challenges, beginning with tonight’s showjumping in the 40,000 capacity stadium.

“Jumping in that main arena is a little bit different for us, because it’s such a big, expansive arena,” he says. “So we have to be on our game there, and then cross country is an interesting track. There are galloping patches, but then there’s quite intense patches where the time is going to be very influential. At a lot of the events you just try to stay on your minute markers, whereas here, some parts you’re going to be way up on your minute markers, but some minutes you’re going to be way down. It’s going to be interesting, and you’ll need a horse that’s really adjustable, but fast and obviously brave. The challenges keep going right through to the end.”

Dan Krietl and Carmango. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

US individual competitor Dan Krietl is having one heck of a summer: the CCI4*-L National Champion hadn’t competed in Europe – nor, in fact, even visited – before this year, but now, he’s practically an honorary resident after having flown over a couple of weeks ahead of Luhmühlen with Carmango. First, they logged some valuable training with their hosts, Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and her husband, Germany’s Kai-Steffen Meier, at their home base, Arville; then, they moseyed on over to Germany to tackle the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen, which is one of the toughest and most hotly-contested events of the level on the continent. That didn’t quite go to plan – a battle of wills against a seriously influential double of angled hedges in the arena led to the hard decision to retire – but if education is the name of the game this year, then he’s collecting a wealth of the stuff, all of which he hopes will pay off in the long run as he continues to develop his talented young horse.

“I was so disappointed out in Luhmühlen, because I’ve never had a stop with him in his whole career,” says Dan. “He’s just gotten a little spookier and sharper over here – partly, I think, because I switched his feed and didn’t realise it’s, like, jet fuel for horses!”

That, he explains, created a bit of a perfect storm when the horse met the busy arena, its two angled hedges, and, crucially, the water trays beneath them: “He’s a little spooky with liverpools, and that jump scenario will be hard to recreate. But I also I think I’ll plan to ride a little ‘be ready’ here, and if he wants to look or spook, I’ll say, ‘Boy, you can get in there and do it.’ Normally,  he actually loves the job. If you point him he’s going to jump, no matter what, and so maybe I took it for granted a little too much. I’ve just got to be ready to give him a good ride.”

That lesson isn’t the only valuable intel Dan’s picked up since coming over – he’s also been refining this first phase, and though today’s score of 34.8, which puts him 31st after dressage, doesn’t necessarily reflect a huge change on paper since Luhmühlen, Dan can feel the gains being made.

“We’ve worked a lot on his dressage and just improving the basics — that throughness, and kind of putting a few pieces back together. I feel like the horse is going better here this weekend,” he says. “I was really proud of him; he tried so hard. I messed up the first flying change, so I’m disappointed about that, but the rest of it, we didn’t really have mistakes, and so I was really happy with that. I think we’re improving from  Luhmuhlen — our score wasn’t much better, but the coach and everybody thought we’re moving in the right direction, and for a ten-year-old and in the atmosphere, I was really happy.”

Dan’s been trying a unique tactic to get ready for this evening’s second phase, which takes place in the unique and enormous main stadium: “I’ve been walking the 1.60m jumping courses,” he laughs, “because then, I’m hoping ours might look small!”

The individual top ten after the first phase of competition.

Their extraordinary first-phase efforts put the British team in the lead going into jumping, though they’ve not quite got a rail in hand: with their aggregate score of 78.8, they’re 3.5 points ahead of second placed team USA on 82.3, who themselves are just 2.1 penalties ahead of third-placed Germany on 84.4. From there, the margins get a bit wider – fourth placed New Zealand is 5.9 penalties behind Germany, which puts them 11.5 penalties – or two rails and just over eight seconds – off the lead.

Now, with the first phase behind us, we meet one of CHIO Aachen’s great anomalies: we’re not done for the day, because there’s showjumping yet to come tonight in the extraordinary main stadium here. That’ll begin at 17.45 local time (that’s 16.45 BST/11.45 a.m. EST), and will run in the same order as this morning – that is, individuals first, and then in rotations through the team draw. You can find the order of go here, and to tune in to watch the action live, click here. We’ll be bringing you further news on all the movers and shakers later on this evening, plus plenty of photos of our stars of the sport in action. Until then: Go Eventing!

The team standings after the first phase.

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

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