Classic Eventing Nation

Welcome to cross country morning, on German time at least! We’ve got a few hours of incredible cross country on tap this morning — the entry list is so star-studded that it nearly feels like it’s World Championships. If nothing else, it’s a solid preview of some pairs we’re very likely to see heading to Italy in September — and maybe even a few who could top the podium at the end of it all.

Today’s cross country course is designed once again by Rüdiger Schwarz, and we’ll see a total of 42 horses and riders over the next few hours, with the first pair out on course at 3:30 a.m. EST / 9:30 a.m. local time in Germany. You can view all ride times here; some notable times include:

4:38 a.m. EST / 10:38 a.m. CEST: Will Coleman and Off the Record (13th – 32.5) – CLEAR 2 time
4:46 a.m. EST / 10:46 a.m. CEST: Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire (34th – 41.6) – CLEAR 7.6 time
5:06 a.m. EST / 11:06 a.m. CEST: Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent (15th – 32.8) – 40 jumping / 24.4 time
5:54 a.m EST / 11:54 a.m. CEST: Buck Davidson and Carlevo (7th – 29.9) – 20 jumping, 24.8 time
5:58 a.m. EST / 11:58 a.m. CEST: Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS (6th – 29.8) – CLEAR, 10.8 time
6:10 a.m. EST / 12:10 p.m. CEST: William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire (3rd – 27.2) – CLEAR, 7.6 time
6:14 a.m. EST / 12:14 p.m. CEST: Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser (2nd – 26.4) – CLEAR, 6.4 time
6:18 a.m. EST / 12:18 p.m. CEST: Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH (1st – 22.2) – 15 missed flag penalties, 1.2 time

Keep this page refreshed often for more updates! If you want to start from the beginning, scroll all the way to the bottom — I update this from the top so the latest update shows first. My updates are nothing compared to the real thing, however, so be sure to spin on over to ClipMyHorse.TV — you can sign up for a free month-long trial if you’re a new member, or pay for a single month for about $16 if you aren’t. I believe you may also be able to access the live stream in a small player — but don’t quote me on that! The English commentary cross country stream can be found here if you want to try. The phases are also made available on demand and can be sorted to watch a specific rider/horse — pretty cool!

You can take a quick spin around the track with Team USA below (or here if the embedded post does not show up for you):

 

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And here is a map view of the track — you can also follow along for a cool live tracking on SAP Equestrian Analytics here. Optimum time is 6 minutes, 59 seconds with 35 efforts across 25 numbered obstacles.

CHIO Aachen CCIO4*S: Website, Eventing Info Hub, Timing & Scoring, Live Scoring, ClipMyHorse.TV Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Twitter, EN’s Instagram

8:10 a.m. EST: An update for you: after a very lengthy review and delayed press conference, Michael Jung has been assessed 15 penalties for a missed flag at fence 14, a right-handed brush corner. This will drop him down to eighth overall and give fellow German and 2014 WEG champion Sandra Auffarth the win with Viamant du Matz. What a dramatic finish! View final scores here.

6:38 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at the final team standings — this isn’t a formal FEI Nations Cup Leg, but there is a Nations competition here, which Team GB takes the title for. Tilly will be along later with the full final report — thank you for following along with me!

6:35 a.m. EST: And here we go: now we see confirmed that Chipmunk was given a clear at 14. This confirms Michael’s win — here’s a look at the final board — you can also see final scores here.

6:34 a.m. EST: Still no update on scores — I keep missing the replay so I can’t show you, but it was a poor angle on the stream and makes it hard to see whether the right side of the fence was jumped.

6:28 a.m. EST: Wait just a moment – Michael’s going to be under review for a hairy jump at 14. It’s hard to say whether he got through the flags or not. If he didn’t, Sandra Auffarth would win with Viamant du Matz.

6:26 a.m. EST: Michael finishes his Novice round, not quite catching the time but with 11 seconds in hand he didn’t need to rush to get home. fischerChipmunk picks up the win here at Aachen and we’ll be most likely to see him next in Italy. What a pair!

6:24 a.m. EST: Michael shaves off a second here and there, taking a more angled, daring line from the keyhole to the arrowhead that has caught out quite a few pairs and of course makes it look like a schooling exercise.

6:24 a.m. EST: Toledo de Kerser won’t catch the time, but he’s home with another clear for Team GB. He’ll be third for now.

6:21 a.m. EST: William Fox-Pitt collects some time with Little Fire but is home with a superbly chill-looking clear. Tom and Toledo de Kerser are clear through 17, and Michael is clear through 10.

6:19 a.m. EST: And away we go with our overnight leader, Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH! Quite a showdown out there at the moment.

6:18 a.m. EST: My GIF app is a bit lagging today, so here’s a belated look at Will and Chin Tonic at the final water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:16 a.m. EST: Yikes, very quick thinking from Tim Price as Falco gets hung up in the keyhole at 16C. As Falco scrambles, Tim popped off and helped guide him off the jump. They both look ok but that was a bit scary. Meanwhile, William Fox-Pitt is now on course with Little Fire, as are Tokyo silver medallists Tom McEwen with Toledo de Kerser.

6:14 a.m. EST: We’ve barely seen her on the live stream, but 2014 WEG champion Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz is barely off the optimum time, picking up three seconds of time to be the second quickest of the day so far. She’ll go into the provisional lead now on a 29.5 for Germany.

6:12 a.m. EST: Chin Tonic HS stops the clock with 10.8 time accrued, but man what a cool horse this is. He has answered every question put in front of him this year — I may be wrong here, but I don’t know if it was the original plan to run this horse here at Aachen. But what a champion — keep an eye on this one!

6:10 a.m. EST: Tim Price and Falco are away as we get into the meat of the top 5.

6:10 a.m. EST: Carlevo is home safe — Buck, riding with a broken foot, will be kicking himself for the trouble and we’ll await the decision on the score at 14. Meanwhile, Will and Chin Tonic are clear through 16.

6:08 a.m. EST: Buck has taken the foot off the pedal on Carlevo after that trouble, opting for the long route at the open corner question just before the Main Arena.

6:07 a.m. EST: Bummer – Buck comes up on the feed with a runout at the D element of 18, a right-handed brush fence. He also has question marks for his jump at 14.

6:06 a.m. EST: A handful of a team and a round that looked like a walk in the park for Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ — you’ll remember Yasmin, of course, from her runner-up Kentucky finish with Banzai du Loir.

6:05 a.m. EST: A look at Andrew over the last:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:05 a.m. EST: Now also away are Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS who could go into the lead with a quick round. We have not seen much of Buck, but he’s clear through 10.

6:01 a.m. EST: Into the lead for now on a 30.5 for Andrew and Vassily de Lassos — what a horse! Just one second over for the fastest of the day so far.

5:59 a.m. EST: 8 seconds over for Joseph Murphy and Calmaro and into the clubhouse lead on a 33.6. And we have Buck Davidson away with Carlevo! Great to see Buck out here on a team again.

5:58 a.m. EST: Okay, Rehy DJ getting a bunch of face pats from Team Ingham in the start box is probably the best thing I’ve ever seen and will forever be my biggest GIF-ing missed opportunity.

5:56 a.m. EST: A peek at Joseph and Calmaro at the Rolex Water — you can just see their experience and Calmaro’s keenness here:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:55 a.m. EST: Next to see will be Australian individual bronze medalists Andrew Hoy with Vassily de Lassos — one of my favorite cross country horses and also one of the most consistent performers out there. Andrew’s another who can be counted on to wear a helmet cam, let’s hope he’s got his Cambox on this time!

5:52 a.m. EST: Now away are Irish pair Joseph Murphy and Calmaro — this is another pair we saw at Kentucky earlier this spring.

5:45 a.m. EST: It looks like Allstar B is on the horse ambulance — we’re really hoping he’s going to be ok. I’ll keep you posted on anything else I hear. We should be back underway shortly with Joseph Murphy and Calmaro.

5:43 a.m. EST: We’ll be on a hold now while Allstar B is attended to.

5:39 a.m. EST: Allstar B looks to maybe have hit his leg on the arrowhead after the coffin and unfortunately has come up very lame. I’ll report back as soon as I can tell more — Ros has popped off and it looks like the horse ambulance is on its way over.

 

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5:35 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at Ingrid’s jump through into the Rolex Water with EQUISTRO’S Siena Just Do It:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:34 a.m. EST: Here we go now with defending WEG champions from Tryon, Ros Canter and Allstar B. This pair is on a 30.5 coming into this phase.

5:32 a.m. EST: Whew – another heavy landing in the final water, this time for Gespard Maskud and Zaragoza, only this time we see a parting of ways. They both appear to be fine — I’m still voting you post the helmet cam, Gespard!

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5:30 a.m. EST: Here we go now with French rider Stephane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau. We also have another French rider on course, Gaspard Maksud with Zaragoza.

5:27 a.m. EST: Bummer! Ingrid has a very similar issue to Meghan (hopefully that’s maybe a bit of salve for you, Meghan! Olympians, they’re just like us?) at the arrowhead following the coffin at 16D. She now has another drive-by at the second angled brush at 18C, the Turkish Airlines Complex.

5:25 a.m. EST: Ingrid uses all her strength and experience to sit tight on Siena Just Do It after a huge jump over the oxer ahead of the Rolex Water. After an equally huge jump in to the water, Ingrid uses her body strength to get back on her line — what a masterclass. I can’t wait to watch this helmet cam! Meanwhile, Clarke survives a similar hairy moment in the final water to Julia’s with Leopard’s Action. They’re now safely home clear with some time.

5:21 a.m. EST: Next to see will be German Olympian Ingrid Klimke with EQUISTRO’S Siena Just Do It, currently on a score of 34.0. We have yet to see anyone make it within the optimum time of 6:59 and may well not see one until we get closer to the top of the leaderboard. Michael Jung has about 11 seconds of time in hand and theoretically should only need about 3 minutes to get home with fischerChipmunk.

5:18 a.m. EST: We’ve just seen a replay of Camille Lejeuene and Good Size des Quatre Chenes surviving a very hairy moment through a fence I couldn’t quite recognize, but they’ve since gotten home with one broken pin at fence 16. Ireland’s Cathal Daniels is also on course with Barrichello, clear through 17. This pair is another Badminton re-route, having had quite a tumble near the end of cross country at Badminton but no worse for the wear, fortunately. New Zealand’s Clark Johnstone is also out with Leopard’s Action and clear through 8.

5:16 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at the epic save from Julia and Amande de B’Neville:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:13 a.m. EST: Ugh, Meghan will be kicking herself after that 20 and now she picks up another in the Main Arena at 24B with just a bit too open of a stride on the approach. But, this is Palm Crescent’s biggest challenge to date, at least from a technical standpoint, and there was a LOT to like about this gutsy round.

5:11 a.m. EST: Rats! Palm Crescent just doesn’t quite lock on to the arrowhead after the coffin owl hole. SUCH a bummer — I don’t think he saw it until it was a little too late. That’s 20 on the team for U.S., and Meghan will now be the drop score as it stands now.

 

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5:10 a.m. EST: Julia and Mandy somehow stay on their feet after a trip in the water in the Main Arena, but they’re home with some time. Palm Crescent absolutely flies past the camera on their way to the coffin.

5:08 a.m. EST: Here’s our next Team USA rider, Meghan O’Donoghue with the OTTB Palm Crescent, currently on 32.8 with one of the rare clear rounds yesterday in show jumping.

5:05 a.m. EST: Camilla Speirs is now showing as eliminated on three refusals, having been given a 20 instead of a flag penalty (I misreported the flag penalty earlier — it was always a 20 on scores). Jesse Campbell also has question marks at 11. Meanwhile, Julia is clear through 15.

5:02 a.m. EST: And here she is! Julia Krajewski is away with “Mandy” — this is the first major event we’ve seen this pair in since Tokyo, and we trust Julia will make a strong bid to book her ticket to Italy today.

Clip via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:59 a.m. EST: Camilla Speirs survives a trip through the arrowhead at the Deutsche Bank Complex at 11 — scores show a ??? for now while the ground jury reviews whether the horse successfully cleared the flags. Also on course are New Zealand representatives Jesse Campbell and Gambesie. Camilla does have trouble at 18B and 18C, and it does look like she’s been given a flag penalty at 11.

4:56 a.m. EST: Catching up quickly, we have French rider Ben Massie on course with Climaine de Cacao and clear through 22, as well as Irish rider Camilla Speirs and BT Angelo. We’re also just one rider away from seeing the Tokyo individual gold medalist, Julia Krajewski with Amande de B’Neville.

4:54 a.m. EST: 7.6 time accrued for Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, who have quickly established a reputation of reliability on cross country for Team USA. Here’s a look at them through the final water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:51 a.m. EST: Jonelle is home clear with Kilbunny Andy, and Sydney is now clear through fence 17.

4:48 a.m. EST: A bit of a peeky jump into the Rolex Water for QC Diamantaire, but they’re clear through 6.

4:47 a.m. EST: Next away are our second pair of Americans, Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire, currently on a score of 41.6. Jonelle Price and Kilbunny Andy are through the Rolex Water.

4:45 a.m. EST: 5 seconds, 2 time penalties for the quickest of the day for our defending Aachen champions! What a blasting ride from our American trailblazer. We’ll see him back later with Chin Tonic HS. Off the Record goes into clubhouse second on a 34.5.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:45 a.m. EST: Will has about 30 seconds as he tackles the final water…can he get closest to the time so far?

4:43 a.m. EST: Now away is our first for New Zealand, Jonelle Price and Kilbunny Andy. Meanwhile, Will is through the coffin complex at 17.

4:41 a.m. EST: A look at Will and Off the Record at the Rolex Water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:39 a.m. EST: Now we have our first U.S. pair of the day and our 2021 winner, Will Coleman with Off the Record. They come forward in 13th on a 32.5.

4:36 a.m. EST: Michael has a green moment with Kilcandra Ocean Power, just ducking out to the right at the brush following the owl hole at 16D.

4:34 a.m. EST: Whew……Felix and Cartania are very lucky. They come in too long and hot to the fruit table in the Main Arena and catch front legs, somersaulting over and pinning Felix momentarily. Thankfully they are both up and appear to be ok.

4:32 a.m. EST: Michael sits chilly and lets Kilcandra Ocean Power find his feet as they wind their way through the Rolex Water.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:30 a.m. EST: Michael Jung is now away with his first ride, Kilcandra Ocean Power, the first Aachen cross country for this 9-year-old.

4:28 a.m. EST: Felix is beautifully through the Rolex Water — no issues with the jump in here for this pair.

4:26 a.m. EST: Ok, we’re back underway now with Felix and Cartania. This also means Louise Romeike and Waikiki 207 have also withdrawn.

4:25 a.m. EST: William Fox-Pitt says “lemme take a look at what y’all are messing with here”:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:21 a.m. EST: Interesting. They appear to have moved the sprinkler to where it’s now splashing on almost the exact landing spot of the rail into the water. To me, this looks like it would be more of a distraction? But there have been quite a few to have very funky jumps from here so we’ll see if this affects anything going forward. India’s Fouaad Mirza has withdrawn Siegneur Medicott, and I think Felix Vogg, winner of Luhmühlen last month, with his WEG hopeful mare, Cartania, will be out next.

4:19 a.m. EST: The grounds crew is checking out that rail into the Rolex Water to just check out the landing side — they seem to be maybe moving the sprinkler to hit the surface of the water and agitate it for visibility purposes.

4:16 a.m. EST: Wow, not one you’d expect to have trouble but Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa has called it a day with two stops at the in to the Rolex Water at 6 with the very experienced Calle 44. When it’s not your day, it’s simply not your day unfortunately. Meanwhile Lea Siegl has about 18 seconds left on the clock as she comes into the Main Arena with DSP Fighting Line.

4:13 a.m. EST: Ooo! Lara and Ducati D’Arville survive a little stumble in the final water in the Main Arena, but she’s home clear after a gutsy round. She’ll collect about 25 seconds of time.

4:10 a.m. EST: We’ll now see another Olympic pair, Austria’s Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line. Meanwhile, Lara de Liedekerke-Meier takes the long route after a funky jump into the Rolex Water at 6.

4:09 a.m. EST: Well Nadja and Aquila B have had quite the round here on their Aachen debut — they’ll certainly have some time, but she’s got a very impressive clear under her belt now as she makes a bid to represent the Swiss at Pratoni in a couple of months.

4:07 a.m. EST: Next out will be Belgian Olympian Lara de Liedekerke-Meier with Ducati d’Arville.

4:03 a.m. EST: Sarah Bullimore and Corouet finish — Sarah had to work for that one with just how enthusiastic of a ride Corouet is — collecting 22.4 time penalties. We’re joined by Swiss rider Nadja Minder and Aquila B, making their Aachen debut this weekend.

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4:00 a.m. EST: Another one to take a big peek at the rail into the Rolex Water for Sara Algotsson Ostholt and Chicuelo. Sara came around to attempt the long route, but Chicuelo says no again and this will sadly be a very early end to their day.

3:58 a.m. EST: Oof, not the feeling you want up a huge bank: Corouet leaves a leg taking off up the bank at 11, the Deutsche Bank Complex. It makes for a funny jump over the big, skinny arrowhead at the top of the hill. Sarah’s air vest also appears to have popped — always fun trying to breathe with that going on.

3:57 a.m. EST: Gosh I just can’t get enough of this horse’s expression — he jumps huge into the Rolex Water but handily makes his way through. Meanwhile, it sadly looks like Anna Siemer has pulled up FRH Butt’s Avondale just before fence 21. I didn’t quite catch it, but it looks like perhaps the mare took a funny step just ahead of it. I’ll keep an eye out for more.

3:55 a.m. EST: Now comes Sarah Bullimore with the absolutely cheeky and adorable Corouet, who you may recognize from Kentucky earlier this spring.

3:54 a.m. EST: Anna Siemer navigates the final two elements of the Rolex water at 6:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

3:53 a.m. EST: We’ve yet to have anyone come close to the time, and Sophie’s going to be one of the quickest so far but still collects about six seconds to add to her clear round.

3:51 a.m. EST: Anna Siemer now tackles the track with FRH Butts Avondale, while Sophie now winds her way through a combined driving question to tick off questions near the end of her course.

3:50 a.m. EST: A strong finish for Jan Matthias, who finishes just with time at Granulin 2.

3:48 a.m. EST: Sophie is very handily through the Rolex Water at 6 — one of those twirly, spaghetti-feeling complexes that spins you around and dares you to stop coming forward at the same time. Questions like this really set the tone for what Rüdiger Schwarz has up his sleeve as you continue on.

3:46 a.m. EST: Ah, now the mare has ducked out at the first angled brush at 18, the Fendt Complex. She’s lost her rhythm and confidence a bit after the trouble earlier on and will now have to walk home. Meanwhile, Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi are now on course for Germany, on a score of 31.5 after two phases. This pair has rerouted here after a spot of trouble on cross country at Luhmühlen in June.

3:45 a.m. EST: The in to the Turkish Airlines coffin complex at 16 is quite offensive to Dame Decouer Tardonne, who essentially faceplants into the frangible open oxer at A, taking the front pin. She’s through on the second attempt.

3:43 a.m. EST: Now joining us is another German rider, Jan Matthias on the very keen-looking Granulin 2.

3:40 a.m. EST: Dame Decoeur Tardonne has a look at the big rail dropping into the water at fence 6, the Rolex Complex, and a big jump in on the second attempt prompts Camille to pull around for the option. This 9-year-old would still be a bit green at this level; this weekend marks her third start at 4*.

3:38 a.m. EST: Arne is going to finish with plenty of time accrued, but a really nice first round here at Aachen — this is their first appearance at this event together. Now we’re joined by French rider Camille Lejeune and Dame Decoeur Tardonne, currently on a score of 34.3. Time is always a factor at Aachen, with its tight roping, twists and turns, and technicality — so expect to see a bit of shuffling done on that alone today.

3:36 a.m. EST: You can follow each rider’s progress around the track here on SAP Equestrian Analytics — I feel like I’m suddenly back tracking Leslie as she traipsed around Mongolia on the back of a wild horse.

3:30 a.m. EST: We’re getting all set here with our first pair out on course, Germany’s Arne Bergendahl with Checkovich, coming forward on a two-phase score of 51.3.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk retain their Aachen lead in the second phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boy, does Aachen move fast: we were scarcely free of the Deutsche Bank stadium, the site’s secondary devoted to dressage, before the eventing competition moved over to the capacious main stadium with its 40,000 seats and wide swathes of grass footing. There’s nowhere quite like this in equestrian sport, and it’s even more unique in eventing – though Kentucky’s main arena offers an impressive stadium setting, this feels like striding into something more akin to Wembley. That can be a bit of an eye-opener for horses, who often go rather starstruck in their rounds, and it also lures riders into using a bit too much of the available space. As a result, poles fall liberally — and the time penalties rack up pretty prolifically, too.

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser continue their Badminton redemption arc, moving up a placing after delivering a clear round. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We saw no small amount of action in the ring this evening, with just nine of the 42 combinations delivering fault-free rounds. Notable among those four-faulters were previously second-placed Will Coleman and the ten-year-old Chin Tonic HS, who tickled and toppled the airy upright at seven to drop to sixth place going into cross-country; Ros Canter and her World Champion Allstar B, who had an early rail to drop from fourth to eleventh; Germany’s Boekelo winners Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi, who tipped the second element of the double to slip from seventh to twelfth; and Will Coleman again, this time with last year’s winner Off the Record, who had the same rail as Sophie to move from ninth to thirteenth. France’s Stephane Landoise, tenth after the first phase with Chaman Dumontceau, also slid from the top ten, moving down to fourteenth after knocking an early pole as the last to go.

William Fox-Pitt’s Little Fire delivers the goods as his breeder watches on. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That opened the door for those nine clears to act as the catalysts for fortuitous leaderboard climbs. Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser, arguably the most reliable show jumpers in the field, delivered the goods to step up from third to second, while William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire, whose breeder is here spectating this weekend, did the same to climb from sixth to third overnight.

Tim Price’s Pau winner Falco delivers a stylish clear. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Many of the clears came at the tail end of the class as the anchor riders of each team delivered their best efforts. Among those was Tim Price, who orchestrated a one-place climb to fourth after a characteristically stylish round with his 2021 Pau winner Falco – though he’ll be ruing the 0.4 time penalties he picked up, which prevented him from going ahead of William Fox-Pitt.

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz make their move up the leaderboard with a super clear. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sandra Auffarth, third to go for the German team, moved up from eighth to fifth with her Tokyo mount Viamant du Matz, which put them ahead of previously second-placed Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS in sixth.

Will Coleman and Chin Tonic HS. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Buck Davidson and Carlevo halve their placing with one of the nine double-clears of the day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There was plenty to celebrate in camp USA, though: they also hold seventh place after a sparkling clear from Buck Davidson and Carlevo propelled them up from 15th – and the team itself moved up from fourth to third place in the standings.

Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ step up to eighth overnight. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British partnership Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ — or Piglet, to his friends — moved up to eighth place from sixteenth after an attacking, confident clear, and Australia’s Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, with whom they were equally placed after the first phase, delivered the first faultless round of the day to move up to ninth overnight. The top ten is rounded out by Ireland’s Joseph Murphy, who survived a sticky jump mid-course with Calmaro to move up from 21st.

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent get the job done under pressure. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We also saw a super clear with 1.2 time from the USA’s Meghan O’Donoghue, who jumped from 26th to fifteenth place with her ex-racehorse Palm Crescent, while fellow US teammate Sydney Elliott had an unlucky pair of rails, plus 1.2 time penalties, to slip from 28th to 34th place.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The margins are looking tight as a tick as we head into tomorrow morning’s cross-country finale — well, expect at the top of the leaderboard, of course. Michael Jung boasts a 4.2 penalty lead over Tom McEwen, which translates as 11 seconds in hand, and though Aachen’s time is notoriously hard to catch, it’s hard to imagine the super-fast pair needing that much of a buffer. Tom’s margin ahead of William is slimmer: he’s 0.8, or two seconds, ahead, and from then on out, much of our line-up stands within seconds of one another. We’ll be taking a closer look at the challenge to come soon — in the meantime, Go Eventing!

The team standings after two phases at Aachen.

The top ten after an influential showjumping phase at Aachen.

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Michael Jung’s Kentucky champion fischerChipmunk FRH delivers a 22.2 to take an unsurprising first-phase lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In perhaps the least surprising moment of 2022’s sporting calendar so far, Michael Jung has taken a decisive first-phase lead at Aachen with his Kentucky champion, fischerChipmunk FRH. The pair scored an exceptional 22.2 in a faultless test, putting them 3.6 penalties ahead going into this afternoon’s showjumping.

“Everything was a highlight — he was nice to ride, relaxed, and positive,” says Michi, who brought the horse back into work just a couple of weeks ago. “He’s just done a bit of training and hacking — it’s all easygoing, but he’s on very good form.”

Will Coleman and ten-year-old Chin Tonic HS impress again on German soil, sitting second after dressage. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

After an impressive effort at Luhmühlen’s CCI4*-S two weeks ago, where he led the dressage and ultimately finished eleventh in a top-class field, Will Coleman‘s Chin Tonic HS is back with a bang: he sits second on a 25.8 after an expressive, fluid test that didn’t at all betray his innate inexperience.

“He still feels like a kid at his first state fair — he goes in there and he’s like, ‘wow, look at this!’,” says Will. “He doesn’t do anything wrong, but you sort of feel that you’re not really attacking the test. But I think we’ll get there, and for a young horse on his first big excursion he’s been great, and we’re really, really happy with him.”

Will’s sojourn with the exciting gelding has been part of a mission to give him valuable experience that’ll hopefully set him up well as a championship horse for the future.

“It’s taken a bit out of him, and I do feel like he’s a little bit not totally himself, but he’s got a great brain in a lot of ways and he’s an honest, genuine horse, so even when he feels a little bit like he’s had some of the spark taken out of him, it’s been really nice to see that he’s still answered the bell to this point. It’s all part of the process, and that’s really why we brought him over and are doing this — it’s to see how he copes and see where we can support him better for the future. It’s a fact-finding mission, but I think he’s well worth the investment.”

2021 champion Off The Record betters last year’s test – despite errors in the canter work. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Will heads into the second phase with an impressive two horses in the top ten: his 2021 Aachen winner, Off The Record, posted a 28.5 to better last year’s score by 1.2 penalties, which was enough to put him in ninth place at the end of this phase. That’s two places up from where he started last year, despite mistakes in the canter work, proving that the overall  picture has undeniably improved – helped along, perhaps, by ‘Timmy’s’ recent swap to a double bridle.

“It’s a really strong field — like, an Olympic quality field, and so anyone who’s put in a test that’s in the top ten should be fairly happy,” says Will. “There are little things that you always think can be better, but my horse has tried really hard and although we had a couple of little unfortunate mistakes at the end, it’s a three-phase competition, so we have to put it behind us and just look ahead.”

The uncharacteristic mistakes included a swap to the left lead coming out of the corner at the start of the canter work, and another swap after the extended canter: “that was maybe a little bit of tension creeping in, or maybe when he made the first mistake it rattled him a little bit. He does try in his own way, and it’s one of those things where I don’t know if I can explain why it happened, but it’s not catastrophic. I do think he’s a bit farther along, and I was really happy with the test, but I’m just bummed for him more than anything — I probably could have done something a little better in there, and I’m not going to blame him for that. Hopefully I can make it up to him in the other phases!”

Those other phases — which begin with this evening’s showjumping in the main arena and conclude with tomorrow morning’s technical, intense cross-country course, should certainly fill Will with some confidence, because he’s sitting on a horse that won this competition last year with two clear rounds and just 0.8 time penalties across the country. But ever the pragmatist, Will’s determined to keep looking forward, rather than dwelling on prior successes.

“I’m just trying to keep things in a good perspective,” he says. “It’s a different year, and even the horses are different than they were last year. The course is different; everything is different. We’re back at Aachen, and that’s the only thing that’s the same, so I’m trying not to have a whole lot of memory of last year — I’m just trying to focus on what’s in front of us.”

Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser look on super form, taking provisional third after the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Another rider who’s committed to looking forward — though for rather different reasons — is Great Britain’s Tom McEwen, who sits third on 26.4 with his Tokyo individual silver medallist Toledo de Kerser. They come to Aachen after a tough spring for the rider, whose Badminton bid with the Selle Français ended with a shock fall near the end of the course, and who has since had similarly odd blips at Bramham, where his ride Dream Big fell in the final line while showjumping for a top ten placing, and at Luhmühlen, where a dog on course caused his horse Bob Chaplin to spook and fall at the penultimate fence on cross-country.

But Tom, who’s a stalwart member of the British team, is wise beyond his 31 years, and he’s aware that bad luck — just like good — tends to come all at once, and all you can do is keep on working through it. Already, he’s got plenty to be excited about: the walk, which has been something of an Achilles’ heel for the gelding, looked at its best in today’s test, which was packed to the hilt with quality.

“That walk was an 8 for him, comparable to everyone else, and I’m really pleased,” says Tom. The one expensive blip came in the first flying change, which earned them 4.5s from the judges at C and E.

“It’s a shame, because that’s been nailed all the time outside — but I didn’t quite have him connected coming out of the corner,” he explains. “The rest, though, felt really nice — really clear, really supple, and really forward.”

Tom, whose bid for World Championships selection likely hinges on a good run here this week, didn’t actually rely on an arena-based game plan for improving the details, including that walk — instead, it comes down in large part to backing off the now-15-year-old.

“All the pieces have connected on their own, to a degree, and we’ve really worked him out and had a good set plan here. He’s getting older, and he doesn’t need to work half as much as he used to. Our prep probably wasn’t perfect; he had a run at Farley last weekend just to give him a run after Badminton, and normally I wouldn’t do that, so he’d probably have a bit more punch to his trot. But I couldn’t be happier; he tried his heart out and was brilliant.”

World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B add a karaoke element to their test, but still deliver a competitive performance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

World Champions Ros Canter and Allstar B have also scaled back the schooling to great effect this year, and although we got ‘Allstar B: The Musical’ in the arena today, the pair earned themselves a very good score of 26.5 to take fourth place going into showjumping.

“Albie’s best friend Zenshera is here this week to do the Ride & Drive class, and they’ve got particularly attached to each other since they’ve been here,” says Ros of Albie’s near-constant whinnying throughout the test. “He actually hadn’t whinnied at all until he started his test, but I think he was amazing, actually, because he managed to whinny and only have half his mind on the job and still pull out one of his best tests. Most horses, if they were whinnying and distracted like him, would jog in the walk or something, or their heads would move, and he really felt no different than usual. I was over the moon with how he went — I think this year, I’m probably getting better and better at riding him.”

Since the European Championships last September, Ros has taken all of Albie’s schooling out of the arena, choosing instead to hack him extensively and let him mentally and physically unwind – and that method is still serving her well, particularly as the seventeen-year-old gelding hasn’t long been back in work after his post-Badminton holidays.

“He hasn’t done an awful lot — he hacked for a couple of weeks, and then went in the arena twice and jumped a few times and then he’s come here,” she says.

The rangy gelding is a consummate long-format specialist and excels over tracks such as Badminton and Burghley, so while Ros concedes that Aachen might not be his ideal event, she was keen not to pass up an opportunity to compete at the extraordinary venue for the first time: “I’ve never been and I really wanted to come, and he was probably the only one that fitted in, schedule wise. I don’t run him at many four-shorts, because he’s a better long format horse, but I’d kind of run out of options — it probably isn’t his ideal track, but he’s such an old pro and we’ll give it our best shot.”

Tim Price and Falco dance to a spot in the top five after the first phase. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

2021 Pau winners Tim Price and Falco looked on great form to take provisional fifth place on a score of 26.8, while sixth place is held for now by William Fox-Pitt, whose Little Fire could be on track for Pratoni selection with a competitive run here. Their 27.2 just betters the score they earned at Badminton, where they finished thirteenth this spring.

William Fox-Pitt and Little Fire contain the spark for a 27.2. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The home nation holds seventh and eighth place, with Sophie Leube and Jadore Moi taking the former on 27.5 after rerouting from Luhmühlen CCI5*, where they retired at the first water after an exuberant entrance and a subsequent loss of reins meant they were well off their line for the next element, prompting Sophie to make the call to save her Boekelo winner for another day. Behind them on 28.3 is Sandra Auffarth with her Tokyo partner Viamant du Matz, who produced a test of improved fluency from their Luhmühlen effort, which saw them earn a 31. The top ten is rounded out by young Frenchman Stephane Landois, who earned a 28.6 with Chaman Dumontceau.

Buck Davidson and Carlevo go sub-30 despite it being Carlevo’s ‘worst test’, per Buck. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A broken-footed Buck Davidson and Carlevo sit fifteenth on a 29.9 despite a mistake in the first canter strike-off, which saw them pick up the wrong lead for a stride: “It’s really irritating; I don’t think I’ve ever missed a canter strike off with him, even in practice — but sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug, right? There’s two more phases, though, and I can’t fault him. I’ll take it on the chin and be better next time, for sure.”

Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent fly the flag for ex-racehorses. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Aachen debutantes Meghan O’Donoghue and Palm Crescent, who were eleventh at Kentucky this spring, go into showjumping in 26th place on a very respectable 31.6.

“I was thrilled with him; he tried really, really hard — and we’re here for the team, most importantly, so I hope that we can contribute to that,” says Meghan. “He’s an American Thoroughbred, and he raced, so I’m definitely also trying to show that they still have a place in the sport.”

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire far eclipse their previous Aachen test, posting a 32.4. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire sit 28th on a 32.4, which doesn’t quite rival the competitive scores they’ve earned at venues such as Boekelo, but is a considerable improvement over last year’s test here, which saw the leggy gelding boil over in the ring. Part of Sydney’s plan of action? Arriving to Europe early, so she could get a couple of weeks of training in at the Belgian base of Lara de Liedekerke Meier and Kai Steffen Meier.

“We really wanted to let him settle, and Kai has been helping us keep that theme going from Boekelo,” says Sydney. “He’s very fragile, and a bit of a delicate flower, so he likes to get settled in — and Kai and Lara are basically family now, so it’s hard to even think about leaving!”

We’re heading straight into showjumping now, so stay tuned for more updates from Aachen. Go Eventing!

The top ten after dressage at CHIO Aachen.

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