Let’s Finish This: Pratoni Friday Afternoon Dressage Live Updates

Tamie Smith and USEF’s Carly Weilminster celebrate after a smashing test. Photo by Tilly Berendt.


Alright let’s wrap this fancy prancing thing up, shall we? We have 22 more pairs lefts to complete their dressage tests at the 2022 FEI World Championships before we move on to all the running and the jumping. Among those pairs riding in this afternoon session? A few familiar names:

  • Alex Hua Tian (CHN) and Don Geniro — 2:24 p.m. local/ 8:24 a.m. EST — 23.7
  • Michael Jung (GER) and fischerChipmunk FRH — 2:48 p.m. local/ 8:48 a.m. EST — 18.8
  • Michael Winter (CAN) and El Mundo — 3:19 p.m. local/ 9:19 a.m. EST — 33.3
  • Tim Price (NZL) and Falco — 4:30 p.m. local/ 10:30 a.m. EST — 26.2
  • Boyd Martin (USA) and Tsetserleg TSF — 4:38 p.m. local/ 10:38 a.m. EST — 26.2
  • Oliver Townend (GBR) and Ballaghmor Class — 4:54 p.m. local/ 10:54 a.m. EST — 24.3

We’ve already had a leaderboard-shuffling morning with great rides from some big names including Tamie Smith, Tom McEwen, and more. You can catch up on this morning’s action with our live updates thread for the first session of the day here and a full lunchtime report (don’t forget, it’s already after 1 o’clock in Italy right now!) right here.

Our dressage finale will be underway shortly, with this session starting 2:00 p.m. local/ 8:00 a.m. EST.

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To use this live update thread, start from the bottom. I’ll be adding updates as they happen to the top!

11:25 a.m. EST: Well! That was exciting. At the conclusion of dressage, Michael Jung will lead the field heading into cross country. Laura Collett and Yasmin Ingham, who rode yesterday, keep the next two spots but the rest of the top ten was completely shuffled today:

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

And EquiRatings has confirmed that Michi and Chip’s test is the second best dressage score in Eventing World Championships history:

Great Britain will retain the lead in the team standings with an incredible (and record breaking) sub-70 score. Germany lie in second and USA is hot on their heels in third.

Team standings going into tomorrow’s cross-country at Pratoni.

11:22 a.m. EST: Glenfy, a 17-year-old Thoroughbred, has a clean second flying change but seems to take a little spook at the judges box a few strides after! They end the day with a provisional 38.5.

11:19 a.m. EST: And we now have our final rider of this phase in the ring! Marcelo Tosi and Glenfy of Brazil will bring it home for us.

11:14 a.m. EST: Lea was the youngest event rider at the Tokyo Olympics and wowed the world with a 15th place finish with this horse. They’ve done exceptionally well here today too and have actually bested their Olympic dressage score, a 32.6, and have thrown down a 29.4 here today!

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:10 a.m. EST: Andrew and Vassily finish with a provisional 28.1 for 26th individually. They improve Team Australia’s score and barely knock Team France out of 5th place by 0.1! Young Lea Seigel and DSP Fighting Line are in the ring now for Austria.

11:06 a.m. EST: Vassily de Lassos was trending in the mid-20s after his trot work but seems to maybe be carrying a bit more tension in the canter. His changes are hit or miss (here’s a hit one below!) But I think they’re still going to nail down another sub-30.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:03 a.m. EST: We’ve got Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos doing their test now. I just love this horse– he may not finish at the top of the leaderboard after dressage, but he’s still scores reliably sub-20 and has so many completions where he’s finished on or super close to his dressage score. It’s kind of insane.

10:59 a.m. EST: Ballaghmor Class had eeked up to around 27 in the walk, but his canter scores are bringing his average right back down again. They finish below 25 now, on a score of 24.3 which puts them just behind Tamie Smith in 6th individually. We get the fist pump from Oliver so you know he’s pleased with that!

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:57 a.m. EST: They’re trending just above 25 after their trot work.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:53 a.m. EST: No rest for the weary, here comes another very big test. Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class are in the ring.

10:52 a.m. EST: Daaang, you go Kazuma! He’s cracked the top ten with a provisional 25.9! That brings Team Japan into 6th place up from 10th!

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:48 a.m. EST: Japan’s final team rider, Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne JRA have started their test and are looking very strong, trending sub-30.If they keep it up, they’ll also be able to improve Japan’s team score. Boyd’s score does improve the US’s team score as well, but they we’ll stay just barely in third place behind Team Germany!

10:45 a.m. EST: Gah – c’mon Thomas! The little gelding just kicks up a bit in the last flying change and gets 5s across the board for that movement. That’s a little bit costly, but they’ve just tied Tim and Falco’s score of 26.2.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:41 a.m. EST: Boyd and Thomas are stalking the top 10. Part of the way through their walk work they’re trending 25.7. Fabulous.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:32 a.m. EST: That’s a 26.2 provisional score for Tim Price and Falco! an excellent score for this pair and put them 12 individually buuuuut it will NOT bump Team USA out of third place! It’s Thomas time now and Boyd and the little Trakehner go around the ring. Can Boyd help Team USA steal back second place from Germany and widen the margin ahead of New Zealand a bit?

10:32 a.m. EST: Falco is capable of a mid to upper twenties dressage score. If he betters Clarke’s score of 27.4 then he’ll better Team New Zealand’s score as well – they’re currently sitting in fourth behind the U.S. So far so good — they’re trending around 25 after their trot work!

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:30 a.m. EST: It’s the final countdown! Tim Price and Falco will be first out in this final session and looking to bring it home for Team New Zealand. Karin Donkers has seen a lot of changes to the World Championships over the years:

10:12 a.m. EST: Box Leo is one of those horses who’s very easy to picture running cross country — especially as Frida asks him to extend the canter. They end with a provisional score of 34.5 as we enter our next ring drag break. We’ll resume the very last session of the day at 10:30 a.m. EST and oh my gosh I’m so excited for this session — we’ve got Tim Price, Boyd Martin, Oliver Townend, and Andrew Hoy all coming in.

While we wait, check out the lapel pin that Mike Winter is wearing this weekend: it honors Canada’s First Nations, and was designed by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Curtis Wilson. It’s part of a push for a unified Canada that sees indigenous peoples enjoy the same rights and representation as their compatriots.

“I think it’s really important that sport is involved in social action and picking the causes that are important,” says Mike.”Our sport is wonderful but we’re not always engaged with diversity and equality issues. The pin I’m wearing represents the role that First Nations play in Canada. It’s important that we recognise Canada’s history of wrongs in the building of the country and how still today, that affect the human rights of those indigenous people. There are opportunities in equality — things like clean drinking, water, education, health care. I think those things need to be talked about, and being Canadian, if I can do a small bit to make people aware of then, I hope that helps.”

10:08 a.m. EST: That’s a fabulous finale for the Italians! Giovanni and Duke of Champions crack the top 20 individually with a score of 27.7. Team Italia goes into 9th. Frida Andersen and Box Leo of Sweden now enter at A as the last horse before the next short break.

10:05 a.m. EST: Duke of Champions lost some marks in the walk work, but made it back up with some nice changes. This is actually a fairly young partnership, as Duke of Champions just came to Giovanni’s yard last year from Kiwi rider Dan Jocelyn.

10:01 a.m. EST: Yup, I knew there would be a graphic incoming. Meanwhile, Giovanni and Duke of Champions have laid down some really lovely trot work that has trended around 26.

9:58 a.m. EST: Next up is our last pair for the home nation, Giovanni Ugolotti and Duke of Champions head down centerline.

9:57 a.m. EST: Felix’s ride now bumps Switzerland up one place in the team standings and into 8th place. They’ve joined the massive cluster of pairs who’ve scored in the low thirties, with a 31.5.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

9:51 a.m. EST: Switzerand’s Felix Vogg now joins us with Cartania II. Felix actually was able to choose which horse he wanted to ride at this Championships, as he was named to the team with both Cartania II and his Luhmühlen CCI5*-winning gelding Colero. He chose to ride this younger mare who shows lots of promise in long format events.

9:49 a.m. EST: I really like this little horse and will look forward to watching him the future — Taraje CP 21.10 just looked really happy and willing throughout that test and they’ve scored a 32.5 for now. That’s not too shabby at all for such a young horse at this level! That improves Team Spain’s score and they now take 11th place over from Ireland.

9:45 a.m. EST:Carlos Diaz Fernandez and Taraje CP 21.10 now join us for Spain. Their score is hovering just round that 30 mark. Taraje CP 21.10 is a sweet-looking Anglo-Arab gelding and is just 9-years-old.

9:37 a.m. EST: Check out that toe flick! That is an EXCELLENT score for Karin and Fletcha — they’ve just cracked the top 10 with a provisional 25.8. That bumps Team Belgium up from 10th to 6th in the team standings.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

9:37 a.m. EST: We have a very experienced pair in the ring now: Karin Donkers and Fletcha van’t Verahof of Belgium. Karin herself has competed in six Olympics and seven World Championships! A sub-30 score, which this pair is capable of, could move the Belgian team up in the standings. Nicolas Touzaint and Absolut Gold HDC earned 34.4 for Team France, which will be their drop score for now, leaving them in fifth place currently.

9:29 a.m. EST: Mike and El Mundo score a 33.3 and Team Canada takes 12th place for the moment with a score of 100.5. Our final French rider Nicolas Touzaint is now in the ring with Absolut Gold HDC, who is unfortunately just a bit unsettled in the walk but nevertheless nails the halt square.

Mike Winter and El Mundo finish their test. Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

9:22 a.m. EST: El Mundo just likes to hold his head a bit behind the vertical, which will keep him from getting even better marks. They have a wonderful rhythm and I really like the look of them as a pair.

9:20 a.m. EST: UK-based Mike Winter and El Mundo now join us to anchor Team Canada! They’re trending around a 33 at the conclusion of their trot work.

9:17 a.m. EST: Austin and Colorado Blue finish up with a score of 32.2 which means Team Ireland will sit no higher than 11th place in the team standings heading into cross country. And speaking of team standing, Michi’s score puts Team Germany on 76.1 and they squeeze into second place, just ahead of the U.S. We’ll find out soon enough if Boyd and Tsetserleg can lay down a low enough score to steal second place back.

9:14 a.m. EST: I’m going to have to issue my sincerest apologies to Austin, as I’ve been leafing through Michi’s previous scores during his test. We’ve confirmed that Michi and Chip’s 18.8 is equal to their best ever dressage score at any level — they also scored an 18.8 in the CCI3*-S at Radolfzell in Germany in 2021 — and it’s a 5* PB for them.

9:11 a.m. EST: OK, we’re back and Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue are starting their test.

8:55 a.m. EST: WOW. Well OK then, Michi watched Laura Collett’s test yesterday and said, hold my beer stein. While he was trending just above 20 for most of the trot and walk work, fischerChipmunk FRH’s ridiculously smooth changes and beautiful canter work drop them sub-20 and INTO THE LEAD with a provisional 18.8. We’re on a ring drag break now until 9:11 a.m. EST which is great timing, because I need to recover from that test. The on-site commentator has said something about that being a personal best at the level — possibly even a World Champs record? — and I’m chuckling as I picture the EquiRatings team rushing to get a graphic out.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

8:52 a.m. EST: “If ever I rode as well as this I think I’d be crying.” Same, Lucinda, same.

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

8:49 a.m. EST: Michael and Chip finish up their trot work and it’s foot perfect so far, trending around 22 which would slot them right up there in the top three.

8:47 a.m. EST: Oooookay we are now starting our final team rider rotation and we’re starting off with a bang: here comes Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, who anchor the German team!

8:45 a.m. EST: Solid test from Martin and Gravin van Cantos. They had been hovering around that 31 mark for most of the it, but some late changes drop them a smidge to a 33.8.

8:42 a.m. EST: Jan scores a 31.2 for now and Belgium’s Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos join us next.

8:35 a.m. EST: Our second Polish representative, Jan Kamiński and Jard are in the ring now and trending just around a score of 31. Our two Polish riders at this event, Jan and Małgorzata Korycka, who we saw ride yesterday, are actually an engaged couple. We love an eventing power couple!

8:30 a.m. EST: WOW. And that’s a 5* personal best for Alex and Don Geniro! They’ve earned a provisional 23.7 and knock Tamie and Mai Baum out of the top 3. Alex and Don have been such a fun partnership to watch and this is their third Championship level appearance together.

8:28 a.m. EST: Alex and Don Geniro are having a cracking test and they have the potential to crack top five. Don Geniro has his fancy feet on!

Gif via ClipMyHorse.TV

8:25 a.m. EST: Miroslav earns a 34.0 and we now welcome Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro into the ring, China’s sole representative this weekend.

8:17 a.m. EST: Our second of pair representing the Czech Republic, Miloslav Příhoda Jr and Ferreolus Lat are in the ring now and through their trot work.

8:13 a.m. EST:Thanks to our massive form guide, I’ve just learned that Jordy is a bit of a YouTube star in his home country. So of course I went and found his channel! I can’t understand a word of it, but it looks delightful. He and Burry Spirit lose some points in their flying changes, but they’ve still bettered their 4*/5* average and earned a provisional 34.6.

8:08 a.m. EST: Jordy Wilkin and Burry Spirit, one of two individual pairs for the Netherlands are next up in the ring and trending just around 30.0 so far in his trot work.

8:07 a.m. EST: Regal Bounty is looking a bit nervous and green on the flat (which is fair! He’s 11-years-old) though Lucinda Green said he has “a cracking lovely walk” from the commentary box. Felicity is doing a great job riding him through and looks pleased with him after their salute. They’ve scored a 40 provisionally.

8:00 a.m. EST: Here we go! Our first of this session, Felicity Ward and Regal Bounty, Ireland’s individual pair are cantering around the ring and ready to kick things off.