Classic Eventing Nation

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Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Monsieur Schnabel pop through the tough Meßmer water complex. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There have been accusations levelled at Luhmühlen in the past that it’s something of a ‘soft option’ CCI5*. This hasn’t always been an unfair statement, either: there have been plenty of years wherein the stats prove the point, and many riders have chosen Germany’s feature event as a kind move-up track for themselves and their young horses. But to be softer than, say, a Badminton or a Burghley isn’t the same as being easy — and this year, course designer Mike Etherington-Smith evidently decided he’d had enough of the naysaying.

We got a glimpse, in 2019, of how tricky a Luhmühlen track can be, when Mike made best use of the four water complexes on course and the twisty, tricky wooded galloping stretches to create a pillar-to-post challenge at the European Championships. That was a CCI4*-L, but it showed just how creatively the unique terrain here in northern Germany could be used. This year, as the CCI5* returns for the first time since that tough championship, it’s clear that Luhmühlen is ready to flex its own considerable muscles.

Trailblazers David Doel and Carneyhaugh Rua make the course look deceptively easy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This morning’ CCI5* saw 24 horse-and-rider combinations leave the start box in the sweltering summer heat, but ultimately, just 15 of those would get the chance to jump the final fence. British rider David Doel served as trailblazer on the relatively inexperienced Carneyhaugh Rua, who made his CCI5* debut at Pau last year – and when he sailed home clear and nine seconds inside the time, the initial impression given was that conquering the course would be a straightforward job. But then the problems started.

Next away was New Zealand’s Tim Price, one of the most experienced riders in the field, aboard his 2018 Burghley winner Ringwood Sky Boy, arguably the most experienced horse. His was to be a round that other riders hoped to use for hints for their own upcoming rides, and perhaps, in some perverse way, it was. He opted to go the direct route at the Meßmer Water, the second water complex on course, which required riding a turn around a tree, cantering into the water, and popping a brush arrowhead in the water before continuing onto an island with a stiff log drop into the pond and, finally, an angled brush back on dry land. But as he presented to that first element, something almost unfathomable happened: the supremely reliable Ringwood Sky Boy popped his shoulder to the right and sailed by the fence. Tim regrouped, went back for a second attempt, and the same thing happened. That shock moment set a precedent that would continue for a further four riders, before word drifted back to the collecting ring that the direct route required an earlier turn and a more established line. From then, the problems would be scattered more evenly around the course, but with a striking frequency: neither Tim Price‘s 2019 Luhmühlen winner Ascona M nor Jonelle Price‘s 2018 winner Faerie Dianimo completed; Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois took a tumble at the frangible corners in the main arena; France’s Clara Loiseau fell at the penultimate fence from her experienced five-star partner Wont Wait; even Michael Jung picked up 11 penalties for a frangible pin activated at the coffin complex. With a 54% clear rate, there was nothing to suggest that this could be an ‘easy’ course for an inexperienced partnership.

Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden jump the last. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But perhaps it helped, then, that dressage leader Mollie Summerland didn’t have time to watch any of the riders ahead of her on the live-stream, because she was busy at the stables screwing studs in. She heard word of the difficulties at that Meßmer water, so knew she had to work twice as hard as she might have planned there, but otherwise, it was all about sticking to plan A with the 12-year-old Charly van ter Heiden. The pressure of being in the lead — and riding the horse in front of his proud breeder, who had journeyed to the event for a long-awaited reunion with the horse after nigh-on a decade — would need to be shelved for now. It was time to kick on and make it happen.

And so they did, with a bit of grit and gumption, a few leaps of faith, and plenty of trust in one another. Not only did they record one of the five clear rounds inside the time over today’s course, they also delivered the fastest round of the day, coming in fourteen seconds inside the optimum time of 11:04.

“I was so messy, especially through a couple of combinations, but that horse is so genuine,” says a delighted Mollie. “He just keeps going, and keeps trying, and if I get things wrong he always tries to understand the question and what’s wanted of him. It’s rare to sit on a horse who can move in the dressage like him and gallop like him.”

Without trainers in situ, as the British support team couldn’t make it out to the event, Mollie relied on sending course-walking videos to British Performance Manager Dickie Waygood and her own cross-country coach, Robin Dumas, for analysis to help plan her ride. The rest of the trip, as documented in our Luhmühlen Tour Diaries, has been all about relying on the people around her: she tacked up and studded the horse herself ahead of cross-country, and then was joined in the collecting ring by Jillian Giessen, head girl for Dutch rider Tim Lips. After crossing the finish line, Jillian and your own EN roving reporter took over looking after Charly – and the on-course analysis and feedback was provided by her friends at home, watching along on the livestream.

“I didn’t have time to watch because of getting Charly ready, and it’s all taken a bit of management, but it’s worked well,” she says.

Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden pop the influential first element of the Meßmer water. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though Mollie had planned to ride competitively, she was taken by surprise by her own efficiency on course.

“I was actually on my minute markers, if not up on a few of them, but I think it’s part of my lack of experience that even when I was coming to the last few fences, I thought ‘surely I must have got it wrong; surely I’m not that quick!’ So I just kept riding, because I thought I’d kick myself if I backed off him and it turned out I’d made a mistake with my watch or something. It felt like he was still going well, so I thought he could go for a minute or too longer – I just didn’t want to risk having made a mistake on my watch, so I kept riding right to the finish line.”

Learning to cope with speed is one pivotal part of her ongoing education – but for a rider who hopes to ride on championship teams, learning to cope with pressure is another important, and unique, lesson.

“Every competition I go to I think, ‘well, it can’t be any more pressure than the last competition’ — but then Charly goes even better,” she laughs. “I thought this couldn’t be any more pressure than Pau; Pau was my first five-star, and I wasn’t expecting to come here and be in the lead, but then he came here and did that. It’s great, but I also think, oh brilliant, now I have to go out with even more pressure!”

Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Germany’s Christoph Wahler went out with a totally different kind of pressure: he needed to produce a quick, clear round over his first-ever CCI5* cross-country course to try to climb up the leaderboard after an uncharacteristic low-30s dressage mark yesterday.

“Obviously yesterday was a little bit frustrating, but on the other hand, I thought, ‘okay, well it’s also close at the top, so a couple of seconds can make a difference,'” he explains. “I was quite positive that the course would suit my horse, because it’s a very forward course with forward distances, and he has a good, big canter. This morning I woke up, walked the course, and thought, let’s give it a good crack. It’s my first five-star, and the dressage doesn’t really matter — just go for it and enjoy the cross, and see what happens.”

Like Mollie, Christoph hadn’t watched any of the other riders out on course — though that was a conscious decision on his part.

“I talked to David [Doel] in the warm-up when he came back with his second horse to warm up, because he had a perfect round with the first one. He said, ‘yeah, it’s a fantastic course, just keep riding forward and then it’s easy.’ So that’s when I thought, ‘okay, great, it seems to be going well out there!'”

Christoph’s plan to go direct through all the combinations paid off, and he finished nine seconds within the time – the same as David Doel, whose advice and positivity had been so useful to him — and moved from seventh to overnight second.

“We didn’t have a stupid situation anywhere on the course, so I didn’t have to readjust my plan,” he says. Going direct also gave Carjatan the chance to show his scope and honesty over this new, tough challenge: “I left out a stride at the corners and he really had to jump forward quite far, because I came too far on the inside there, but he’s so scopey.”

A new fitness regime gave Carjatan the extra room to dig deep, too: “He feels so confident in his stamina out there. At no point does he feel like, ‘oh god, you want me to keep on going?’ Sometimes he takes a deep breath, because he’s a big horse, not a small, Thoroughbred, good engine kind of horse — but now he’s good.”

Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Emilie Chandler‘s big gamble to take advantage of the last-minute exemption granted to British travellers paid off, despite some worries about the uncharacteristic blip that she and Gortfadda Diamond had picked up on course in Bicton’s CCI4*-L before retiring the day the news came out. While a run-out is hardly an ideal final run before a five-star, Emilie knew that her Blair CCI4*-L winner was nothing but genuine, and so she worked on reframing the wobble as an educational opportunity.

“I’m feeling very relieved that I had a great cross-country round with him off the back of a not-so-great start at Bicton,” she says. “I probably learned that I set out a little bit too quickly, so I had the early run-out,  but I learned a lot and took that away with us to come here. Mentally, I think it was quite a challenge to come here, but I’m glad I’ve done it.”

Emilie made — and stuck to — a firm plan of action that paid dividends, allowing her to romp home just with just 3.6 time penalties and move from eighth to third.

“I wanted to use the first third of the course to settle him in his rhythm, and I didn’t worry too much about the clock. The main arena fence was probably the one I was most concerned about, because he’s not always the easiest to turn and that’s where I had my problem last week. Once I had the main arena out of the way I began to grow in confidence — from then on, we could execute it how we wanted to. He’s an awesome horse; he’s 80% blood and can be very fast, so sometimes it’s just about making sure his brain and legs are going at the same speed, and one’s not going quicker than the other. Our partnership’s growing all the time, and I think he’s very special.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Like Emilie, Ariel Grald had to make a difficult journey to get herself and Leamore Master Plan to Germany — but they made the long trip from the USA worthwhile, jumping a classy and confident clear round, also adding 3.6 time penalties, to climb from eleventh to overnight fourth. They’re followed closely behind by Ireland’s Cathal Daniels, who jumped clear inside the time with his five-star debutante LEB Lias Jewel to move up from seventeenth to fifth.

The top fifteen – that is, all the riders still in the running – in Luhmühlen’s CCI5*.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmink FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Michael Jung remains atop the leaderboard in the CCI4*-S section, incorporating the German National Championships and the final selection trial for a number of continental nations, after producing a typically swift and perfectly-executed round with the former Julia Krajewski mount fischerChipmunk FRH.

“Chipmunk was unbelievably good today,” he says. “He gave me a very good feeling right from the very start to the finish — every fence, every gallop track, he was super good at listening everywhere, and it was just fun and a joy to ride.”

Julia Krajewski’s Amande de B’Neville: from a princess to a queen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Julia Krajewski, who is responsible for the exceptional production of the leading horse, steps up a place into second with Amande de B’Neville, her Saumur winner who has had big shoes to fill following the shock retirement of Julia’s top horse, Samourai du Thot. But this year, the exciting mare is really coming into her own — and giving Julia a reason to dream again.

“She’s quite fighter, and a real machine — but it took some years to channel it in the right direction, but I think now we’ve really got it together,” she says. “She’s super clever and has a massive stride, but I’m able to really set her up quickly and it’s a super good feeling.”

The pair finished on the same time as Michi and the more experienced Chipmunk – and Amande de B’Neville’s speed today is indicative of a new strength in her cross-country education.

“She was actually quite fast, and after about four minutes I had to slow down a bit as I thought I’d better not risk it,” she laughs. “It’s actually only this year that she’s found it quite easy to get the time. Until last year it took me a little longer to set her up for the fences, so I thought, well, if I want to make the time I’ll have to really go for it. It worked fine, but then I thought ‘okay, you’d better slow down a little, actually!'”

Every good phase produced here puts Julia and her gutsy mare in closer contention for a ticket to Tokyo — something that seemed like a sure thing for the rider before her former top horse lost an eye in an accident earlier this year. But the change of plans has a silver lining: it gave Amande the time and space to grow into herself.

“She’s always been in the shadow [of Samourai du Thot] — but sometimes it’s good for them to have that time to grow where you don’t push them,” she says. “At the beginning of the year, I deleted all of the Tokyo deadlines and cancelled flights and things, because I thought, ‘okay, well, it’s not for me this year,’ and then we went to Saumur and I had to say, ‘oh, maybe we can go — better cancel the holiday!’ She’s really come into her own this year — she’s stabled next to Sam, so perhaps he’s telling her a few things. She’s so cool — she’s a real princess, and sometimes a queen. I love her, but it can be a challenge!”

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Former World Champion Sandra Auffarth sat second after dressage aboard Let’s Dance 73, but a surprise early runout dropped him off the podium – and the rider, too, for a little while anyway. She managed to claw her way back into place on the last ride of the day, jumping a sterling clear inside the time to move Viamant du Matz from sixth to third. Behind her, Australia’s Andrew Hoy produced the fastest round of the day with Vassily de Lassos, coming home eleven seconds inside the time to move from eighth to fourth.

Fifth place is occupied by Sweden’s Louise Romeike and Cato 60, while New Zealand’s Tim Price redeemed a rough morning, in which neither of his or wife Jonelle’s CCI5* mounts completed and his other CCI4*-S mount picked up a 20, by jumping clear with 1.6 time faults with Vitali for overnight sixth.

Tomorrow sees both classes head into their respective showjumping finales, with the CCI5* starting at 11.10 a.m. local time/10.10 a.m. BST/5.10 a.m. EST, and the CCI4*-S to follow from 13.40 local/12.40 BST/7.40 a.m. Eastern.

The top ten heading into the showjumping finale of the CCI4*-S.

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Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden take the dressage lead in Luhmühlen’s CCI5*. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

When the Luhmühlen CCI5* entry list was revealed a month ago, it was to no small amount of excitement: over 70 combinations had put their names forward to contest the first five-star of the 2021 European season, and among them were more than 40 of Britain’s most illustrious pairs. It was set to be, without any hint of exaggeration, the hottest Luhmühlen field ever – until the travel ban kicked in.

As the Delta variant of the coronavirus began to spread through the north of England, several European countries decided to take early action to stop it from travelling to the continent. Chief among those was Germany, who brought in a hardline ban on travel from the UK, unless those travellers could prove they had an urgent need to enter the country. From the German government’s point of view, sport — no matter how elite — was off the table.

But there were a few exceptions to the ban. Travellers from the UK could, with some serious effort, secure entry into the country if they got together a huge amount of paperwork and agreed to quarantine: either for two weeks in Germany, or for ten days in another country. For most riders, this was still unsurpassable – after all, with businesses to run and strings of horses to ride, spending three weeks abroad for one competition isn’t possible. As a result, the withdrawals came thick and fast.

Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

As Luhmühlen week dawned, two British riders and a small smattering of British-based foreign riders were on their way to the event, having used events and training bases abroad as a way to notch up the requisite quarantine time. On Saturday, the 12th of June, the German government loosened its grasp to allow British-based riders to make the trip sans quarantine, but by then it was too late for most to get organised; ultimately, just two further riders made use of the new exemption.

This afternoon saw all 24 entrants complete the dressage phase, and their job wasn’t an easy one: just as in the CCI4*-S before them, the ground jury wasn’t prepared to give away any freebies. Another hurdle has been the heat; each day at the event has been a stifling, energy-sapping 34 degrees Celsius (that’s 93, for you Yanks). While horses acclimatise quickly to these extreme temperatures, riders have to work hard to overcome the mind-numbing, reaction-slowing effect of shifting from the cold, rainy temperatures of late into these conditions.

Mollie Summerland and Charly van ter Heiden. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though the enormous original British entry list has been decimated, the remaining contenders in the hunt are strong — and in today’s dressage phase, one reigned supreme. 23-year-old Mollie Summerland comes forward for just her second five-star with her self-produced Hanoverian gelding Charly van ter Heiden, but after notching up a tenth place finish in an exceptionally high-class field at Pau last season, hopes and expectations alike have been high for their sophomore performance.

While they didn’t rival their own 25.5 at Pau last year, the pair made the best of the tough conditions to produce a slick, elegant test for 29 – one of just three sub-30 marks awarded in this class today. The test itself rewards supple, rideable horses: the trot work features changes of bend from the half-pass into an 8m circle, and a shoulder-in on the centreline into a change of bend around the short side. For Mollie, who’s a rare event rider who’d happily do pure dressage, the challenges of the test were there to be seized.

“He is a beautiful horse on the flat,” says Mollie, who trains with British dressage supremo Carl Hester. “I was actually a little bit disappointed when I finished as I knew I’d missed a change, which was costly. But I’m really glad that he got the result that he deserves.”

For Mollie, tackling Luhmühlen is about gaining further experience for the future — and learning to cope with the unique pressure of being at the top of the board is certainly an educational moment.

“It’s not ideal, as crazy as that sounds, to be in the lead, because it’s only my second-ever five-star so it’s a hell of a lot of pressure to deal with tomorrow to go out in that position. But I’m just going to try to enjoy the moment today and then forget about it tomorrow, because I very much need to ride the horse I’ve got underneath me,” she says. “He’s a young horse and I’d be very inexperienced myself as well, so I’m going to try not to let it go to my head too much when I’m riding around tomorrow — I’ll try to put him first and not ride for the result he’s had today. I know there’s very experienced horses and riders close behind me, as well. I don’t expect to be in this position tomorrow and certainly not Sunday, but it’s nice to take the lead now.”

Tim Price and Ascona M. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just a hair’s breadth behind Mollie and Charly are 2019 Luhmühlen victors Tim Price and Ascona M, who began their journey to Luhmühlen at Ireland’s Millstreet Horse Trials and then, like Mollie and Charly, headed to the Breda base of Dutch Olympian Tim Lips. They posted a 29.1 to sit second, followed just as closely by Tim’s other ride, 2018 Burghley victor Ringwood Sky Boy on a 29.2.

“Ascona’s always on the edge of being extremely pissed off that I’m asking her all these questions, but she held it together and stayed with me, so we were able to have a nice, flowing test,” says Tim with a laugh about his ‘extremely talented — and just extreme’ mare.

Tim Price and his 2018 Burghley winner Ringwood Sky Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This is a return visit to the event not just for previous winner Ascona M, but for Ringwood Sky Boy, too – though he’s best known for storming around the likes of Badminton and Burghley, he was fourth here in 2016, a result that helped him to clinch a spot at the Rio Olympics. Today’s performance bested his 2016 first-phase result by half a mark.

“Ringwood Sky Boy is just an old saint – even if he’s feeling particularly energetic or distracted, he knows to try hard and to focus. He did just that today,” says Tim. “I can’t ask for more from him; he doesn’t like to stand still, but he tried and didn’t do too badly, and the rest was really good. I’m really pleased with him – he’s not a dressage horse, but he’s an allrounder.”

Michael Jung’s debutant puts himself in a competitive early position. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sitting pretty in fourth place — and best of the home side — is Michael Jung, who posted a 30.1 with nine-year-old five-star debutant fischerWild Wave. He’s followed by France’s Maxime Livio, whose own five-star first-timer Vegas des Boursons put a 30.9 on the board after a consistent and pleasant test that earned 8s for the final flying change and the collectives.

France’s Maxime Livio and Vegas des Boursons sit fifth on 30.9. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If anyone can rival the British-based riders for sheer force of will in getting to Luhmühlen, surely it’s the two remaining American competitors in the field.

“Erik [Duvander] is all in, so I’m all in, too – and my owners are too,” says Jennie Brannigan, who sits sixth overnight with Stella Artois on a 31.2, just a couple of marks above her previous effort at the level earlier this year.

“She did a 29 at Kentucky and I wasn’t very happy with [the test], and so to be on a 31 here and be happier with it — it is what it is! But at least she’s right up there. I’ll just try to end on it, and then we’ll be happy,” Jennie says.

Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois sit sixth overnight. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Those improvements in the overall feeling of the work have come from a concerted effort to fine-tune the big, strong mare’s rideability.

“She was really running off with me at Kentucky in the trot, so I felt like that was a bit smoother, and I thought my changes were better here; they were all correct and I could trust them a bit more,” she says. “She’s quite big for me, to be honest — she’s more of a Boyd Martin-sized horse, really. I’ve always said that he should ride her, not me! She’s long, too, so she’s a lot of horse for me, to be honest. It’s been all about getting her a bit more rideable so I can hang onto her.”

Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There were some surprises through the course of the day, particularly in the hotly-anticipated test produced by Germany’s Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S, who posted a mid-20s score befitting the rider’s family dressage business when making their debut at Pau last season. Since then, Christoph has refined his fitness plan with the gelding, who he opted to withdraw before cross-country at that five-star debut — and though Carjatan is now visibly stronger and fitter than he’s ever been, that can translate to tricky moments in the ring. Though much of their work was wholly impressive, expensive mistakes in the canter work – plus a further two marks docked for entering the arena late – puts them on an uncharacteristic 32.1 for seventh place overnight.

All smiles for Emilie Chandler as she heads out of the ring with Gortfadda Diamond in eighth place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just behind them on a 32.4 is a second rider representing Great Britain: Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond were the only British combination to take advantage of the eleventh-hour exemption to the travel ban, swiftly rerouting from Bicton’s CCI4*-L to tackle Luhmühlen instead. They got their trip off to a flying start by slotting into eighth place, while German five-star debutant pair Malin Hansen-Hotopp and the Trakehner gelding Monsieur Schnabel impressed early on in the draw with their soft, communicative performance to earn a 32.5 and overnight ninth.

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Monsieur Schnabel. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Rounding out the top ten is another previous Luhmühlen winner – lest you make the mistake of thinking that a leaderboard with just three sub-30 scores on it isn’t still serious business. New Zealand’s Jonelle Price climbed to the win here in 2018 with Faerie Dianimo, and though her 32.5 today doesn’t quite match the 27.1 she produced on that occasion, they still remain well in the hunt as we look ahead to tomorrow’s tough cross-country phase.

Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo navigate Luhmühlen’s spooky arena. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan, the second American pair on the entry list, sit just shy of the top ten in overnight eleventh on their score of 33.8.

“He gets a little nervous and anxious, and he’s still getting stronger, so it was a big step in the right direction for him,” says Ariel of her Irish Sport Horse gelding, with whom she finished tenth at Burghley in 2019. “There’s a lot to do, still, but he went in there and he tried and was pretty trustworthy, so I have to be proud of him for that.”

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan sit just outside the top ten in overnight eleventh. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tactical use of the available schooling opportunities helped Ariel prepare for their moment in the spotlight.

“There’s plenty to look at in there, with the cross-country jumps and everything, but they gave us a lot of time to ride in there [in arena familiarisation sessions], so he was actually pretty settled. Usually they’d spook at the jumps and get a little bit excited, but it actually felt alright,” she continues.

He’s gotten pretty solid in the trot, but in the canter work he can sometimes threaten a kick out. He’s a big horse, and he’s Irish — and by Master Imp — so he’s got all those things and it’s really taken a long time [for him to mature]. But he’s the most genuine horse in the world; there’s not a mean bone in his body and he really tries. If he makes a mistake it’s because he’s trying too hard. We’re just starting to find it on the flat – there’s a lot left in there, so I’m looking forward to that, but I think his brain is in a good place.”

The top ten after dressage in Luhmühlen’s CCI5*.

The top ten after the culmination of dressage in the CCI4*-S.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH reign supreme again. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If there’s anyone who can handle the heat it’s the man with ice water in his veins, and Michael Jung and the extraordinary fischerChipmunk FRH surprised absolutely no one by heading straight to the top of the CCI4*-S leaderboard earlier this afternoon.

“I’m very happy,” says Michael. “He was so lovely to ride; very calm and concentrated, and very good listening to my every signal. In the warm-up on the days before he gave me a very good feeling, so I’m very pleased with that.”

For Michael, the best of the test wasn’t found in any particular movement, but in the overall feeling and picture of the test as a whole.

“For me, it’s everything together. When you sit on the horse you have the feeling that he’s completely relaxed but also in a good power and listening to you — this is great. Then you go from point to point in the dressage test and everything’s good; there’s still maybe something you can do better but everything you do works really well. The trot, the walk, the canter, the changes, the half-pass — everything went as I wish.”

Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville sit third. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Yesterday’s leaders, Sandra Auffarth and Let’s Dance 73 remain in second place on their score of 22, followed closely behind by fellow countrywoman Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville, who sit third on 23.9. This is a pivotal competition for Julia and her up-and-coming mare, who won the four-star at Saumur earlier this year and is the top Tokyo prospect for the rider, whose top horse Samourai du Thot had to be retired unexpectedly earlier this year after losing an eye in an accident.

“She’s a mare, and she could be a little bit hot in the dressage, so we’ve changed a few things in the training and the warm-up and now she’s super relaxed,” says Julia. “So I went in not sure of how relaxed she would be, but she has been really nice these days and I was fairly confident she would be good. I started smiling halfway through the canter — I thought, okay, we’re going to be fine!”

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tim Price sits fourth on relatively new ride and Strzegom winner Vitali on a 26.4, showing an enormous amount of potential for the future as the partnership progresses.

“I was really happy — it’s the best we’ve done, so I can’t be too disappointed,” says Tim. “I just know he can challenge the leaders one day, but it’s early days yet. I took him on last October, and we went straight into the winter showjumping and training, and this is our second time in a four-star ring. This was much better than that, but we’re in a place now where I really think I can go for more. He’s got this lovely canter with natural activity, so that’s just there no matter what — but the trot is a bit more of a genuine entity in terms of reflecting what we’re doing and where we’re going. I think that’s feeling a lot better, so I can ride nicer shapes on him. He’s got such a nice medium trot, so it’s fun to go and do a test like this where you can show it off three times.”

Tim Lips and Herby. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Dutch Olympian Tim Lips rounds out the top five on his Tokyo prospect TMX Herby, who put a 26.6 on the board with his accurate, attractive test.

“He did a wonderful job – he’s only nine years old, but he feels like he’s born for this atmosphere,” he says. “He wasn’t that impressed by it, so I’m really happy. I think he was very regular in his test; he didn’t really make a mistake – I think, to be honest, we can do much better, but it’s maybe because I didn’t want to take all the risks today. I know that they are not giving the points away. Normally you’d think this is a disappointing score for us, but if you look at the scores, it’s all relative.”

Both classes will head into cross-country tomorrow, beginning with the CCI5* from 11.00 a.m. local time/10.00 a.m. BST/5.00 a.m. Eastern, followed by the CCI4*-S at 13.05 local/12.05 BST/7.05 a.m. Eastern. As always, you can follow along with all the action live on Horse&CountryTV. Until tomorrow, folks, Go Eventing!

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