Lauren Kieffer and Veronica at Rolex. Photo by Jenni Autry.
Ingrid Klimke, who has for so long been a star of the sport for Germany, finally had her day today, securing her first CCI4* win aboard Horseware Hale Bob. Entering the arena with two rails in hand, Ingrid needed one of them in an otherwise flawless round that guaranteed her the win.
After runner-up Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Avedon dropped two rails, the door was wide open for Ingrid to take home the win. She stood in first place after cross country with a bit of breathing room, but the extra rail from Andreas gave her some more leeway. Ingrid finished on a final score of 44.1.
Jean Phillippe Desmaret’s course was made up of many related distances and bending lines, meaning that riders really had to pick a forward pace and smooth out their turns in order to get around. The triple combination came down quite a bit, and it seemed that many horses would build up too much coming out of a sweeping right hand turn to the first of the treble. The course took its toll, as just three riders managed to produce clear rounds.
While the Germans took the top two placings, France took third with Arnaud Boiteau and Quoriano, who put down one of the clear rounds over the winding course. Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo also put in a clear round, with Faerie Dianimo jumping with room to spare over every fence to show how great he was feeling on the final day of competition.
Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries really had their day, jumping a smooth round that resulted in one rail down to finish on a final score of 72.9 and sixth place, the highest placed North American in the field. Erin had a huge grin on her face upon landing from the final fence, and this weekend really was the culmination of months of hard work and preparation. This pair has made the trip overseas just once before, and this marks their most successful completion at a CCI4* to date.
Canadian rider Kathryn Robinson and Let It Bee, a gorgeous 13-year-old black gelding, also had a lovely round today, having two rails down to end on a final score of 76.9, which was good for seventh overall and their first CCI4* completion. This pair had attempted Pau two times previously, ending on a letter both times, so redemption is very sweet for these two this weekend.
Nicola Wilson and One Two Many had a miscommunication in the triple combination that resulted in two rails down, but they were still able to move from tenth to eighth overall with a score of 80.8.
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica fell victim to the course, lowering three rails. They were able to maintain their ninth placed position, however. Historically, Veronica is not the cleanest show jumper in FEI competition, but Lauren will still be pleased with a great showing to follow up on their cracking performance at Rolex this year.
Jumping first in the order, Sharon White and Wundermaske round out the North American contingent and also had some trouble with the course, knocking four rails for a final score of 128.3.
It’s been a crazy weekend at Pau, as we’ve come to expect with any four-star weekend. While we’re disappointed to not have been there in person, we’re still so very proud of the North American riders and of Ingrid Klimke, who finally gets to have her time in the limelight as the newest four-star winner. Many congratulations to all for a successful weekend, and a big thank you to the Pau press office for sending us press releases and photos, as well as to all who made this weekend possible.
Go Pau!
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