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Australia’s triple Olympic team gold medalist Andrew Hoy galloped his way into the top spot with Bloom Des Hauts Crets after today’s cross country, when rising heat and humidity provided a perfect environment to test the onsite cooling facilities for the equine and human athletes.
Sixth out onto Derek Di Grazia’s beautiful 20-fence course at Sea Forest overlooking the heart of Tokyo Bay, the seven-time Olympian and the eight-year-old Selle Français mare flew across the finish line with seven seconds to spare to take the early lead on a score of 27.7.
Hoy was thrilled to move to the top of the leaderboard. “It’s a very nice position to be in and if I win I’m very happy for this year, but it’s next year I want to win! My horse galloped very well and her heart rate and temperature were very good when I arrived. The cooling facilities here at the venue were absolutely excellent. As an Olympic venue it’s ready one year before because the ground is excellent and the construction of the cross country fences is very good, but next year will be very different fences.”
As the Australian combination were lying second after yesterday’s Dressage phase, only overnight leaders Yoshiaki Oiwa and Bart L JRA could challenge them, but the home side star was 14 seconds down on the clock to collect 5.6 time faults and drop to fourth.
German superstar Michael Jung, another triple Olympic gold medalist and heading for Tokyo 2020 as the defending champion, was second last out on the track with the seven-year-old Fischerwild Wave. They too came home through the finish flags clear over the fences and on the clock to move up to second on 28.0.
“It was hot but it wasn’t really a big problem”, Michael Jung said afterwards. “The grooms and everyone took really good care of the horses and everyone tried to make the job for the horses and the riders as easy as possible. This is really fantastic here.”
Another pair for the host nation, Ryuzo Kitajima and Vick Du Gisors, were almost bang on the optimum time of five minutes 30 seconds to move up from fourth after the Dressage to third ahead of Oiwa and Bart, with compatriot Kazuma Tomoto fractionally behind in fifth on Tacoma d’Horset. Britain’s Georgie Spence and Halltown Harley round out the top six and, amazingly, there’s less than a fence between them and the leaders.
Seven of the 16 starters remain on their Dressage marks, while eight others collected just time faults. The only combination to pick up jumping penalties were cross country pathfinders Kazuya Otomo and Condorcet, who had a runout at the second element of the angled rails double at fence 10 to drop one place to 16th.
“All the horses recovered really well after the cross country, despite the challenging conditions, and they are all now back home in their air conditioned stables at Baji Koen resting ready for tomorrow’s Jumping”, FEI Veterinary Director Goran Akerström said.
Ready Steady Tokyo test event (placings after cross-country) – 1, Australia’s Bloom Des Hauts Crets (Andrew Hoy), 27.7 penalties; 2, Germany’s Fischerwild Wave (Michael Jung), 28.0; 3, Japan’s Vick Du Gisors JRA (Ryuzo Kitajima), 28.2; 4, Japan’s Bart L JRA (Yoshiaki Oiwa), 30.1; 5, Japan’s Tacoma d’Horset (Kazuma Tomoto), 30.4; 6, Great Britain’s Halltown Harley (Georgie Spence), 30.6.
Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa is no stranger to success, having claimed double gold at last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta (INA), and the three-time Olympian has put down a strong marker for the home side by taking the early lead after today’s Dressage phase at the Ready Steady Tokyo test event.
Riding the talented Bart L JRA, previously ridden by Frenchman Matthieu Lemoine on the gold medal team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Oiwa earned top marks from all three judges to lead the field on a mark of 24.5. The 43-year-old has been based in Europe for almost 20 years, but his heart lies in Japan.
“I’m a home country rider and I’ve been based in Europe for the last 18, 19 years”, he said after his Dressage performance here at the Equestrian Park this morning. “So many people are supporting and helping me, but they’ve never seen what I’m doing, so this is a very very good chance to show what I’m doing and what this sport is about. Hopefully we can do the best performance and all the Japanese people do their best and get medals.”
Among a star-studded cast, Australia’s triple Olympic team gold medalist Andrew Hoy is 3.2 penalties adrift in second with Bloom Des Hauts Crets, fractionally ahead of Germany’s double Olympic champion Michael Jung on Fischerwild Wave with 28.0.
The top five are all under 30 penalties, with Japan’s Ryuzo Kitajima and Vick Du Gisors JRA fourth on 28.2 and Germany’s Peter Thomsen with Horseware Nobleman fifth with 29.50.
Kuzuma Tomoto is another of the contingent flying the flag for Japan and he sits in sixth with Tacoma d’Horset on 30.4, a single point but three places ahead of his trainer, British legend William Fox-Pitt with Summer At Fernhill.
The Japanese athletes are increasingly a force to be reckoned with, finishing fourth and just out of the medals at last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA). Looking ahead to Tokyo 2020, Tomoto commented: “Our team is really tough and has got strong quickly. We’re aiming to get a medal, that’s why we have to improve more and more. We have lots of nice riders so we can do it for sure.”
Final horse into the arena, GHS Calvaruise ridden by Kazuya (JPN), has now been withdrawn after placing last of the 17 starters in today’s Dressage on 40.8. The rest of the horses have been transported to the stables at Sea Forest where they will spend the night before tomorrow’s cross country.
Derek Di Grazia’s 3,025 metre track incorporates 20 fences with 31 jumping efforts, but the American designer is giving nothing away about his track for the 2020 Games. Even so, the 20 National Olympic and Paralympic Committees that are onsite for the official observers programme are making the most of the opportunity to see the terrain at Sea Forest and test the facilities at both venues.
On Wednesday, action returns to the equally stunning new facilities at Baji Koen, site of the Olympic equestrian events at the 1964 Tokyo Games, for Wednesday’s final Jumping phase.
The Baji Koen refurbishment has been funded independently by the Japan Racing Association and will provide an extraordinary legacy for the residents of Tokyo, as will the park that will be created on the reclaimed land at Sea Forest, which also hosts rowing and canoe sprint next year.
Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event (placings after Dressage): 1, Japan’s Bart L JRA (Yoshiaki Oiwa), 24.5; 2, Australia’s Bloom Des Hauts Crets (Andrew Hoy), 27.7; 3, Germany’s Fischerwild Wave (Michael Jung), 28.0; 4, Japan’s Vick Du Gisors JRA (Ryuzo Kitajima), 28.2; 5, Germany’s Horseware Nobleman (Peter Thomsen), 29.50; 6, Japan’s Tacoma d’Horset (Kuzuma Tomoto), 30.4.
Brazil was atop the podium yet again today, as Marlon Modolo Zanotelli jumped to gold in the Individual Jumping Final at the Pan American Games 2019, taking place at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru.
Modolo Zanotelli and the brilliant 13-year-old Selle Francais mare Sirene de la Motte, part of Brazil’s gold medal winning squad in Friday’s team final, produced the only double-clear performance on the day, finishing on a perfect 0 score. The duo navigated course designer Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) tracks with ease despite their apparent difficultly, with only five total clear rounds recorded over the course of the two rounds.
“[Going into] the second round, I just tried to keep myself calm, because I knew if I gave my mare a good chance, she was going to jump a clear round,” Modolo Zanotelli said. “I had to keep my nerves in place. For me, I was in a good position. I was first to go of the clears, and I knew if I was clear, it would put the pressure on the others.”
Out of the 32 riders to make it to the final day of the competition and the 22 to advance to the final round of jumping, Argentina’s José María Larocca, Jr. (Finn Lente) came closest to matching the victor. A single time fault in the second round aboard the 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding left him on a score of 1. The result also clinched an individual quota place for Argentina at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
“I wanted a medal. That was the objective, and incredibly, it happened!” Larocca, Jr. said. “Miracles do happen. I have 20 to 25 family members here. I’m very lucky to have the support!”
Larocca, Jr. is an amateur rider who works in commodities trading. He juggles his time between his work, his family and his horses.
“It was the dream, and this dream started four years ago, when [Argentina] took the silver medal as a team [at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada],” he said. “This time, unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to the podium as a team, but I had the opportunity to make it as an individual. I’m very happy. I’m proud of my horse and my team. I’m living my dream today.”
With three other quota places available to nations without teams already qualified, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Chile also kept dreams alive by securing representation in Tokyo, thanks to the performances of Juan Manuel Gallego (Fee des Sequoias Z, 10th), Hector Florentino Roca (Carnaval, 11th) and Ignacio Montesinos (Cornetboy, 14th), respectively.
It was also a thrilling finish for the bronze medal, as four riders finished on 4 faults, leading to a jump-off. The USA’s Beezie Madden (Breitling LS), already bringing home a bronze medal from Friday’s team competition, earned a second, crossing the timers of the shortened course with a clear round in 42.47 seconds. Canadian Nicole Walker (Falco van Spieveld) was next-best to finish fourth (4/44.18), followed by American Eve Jobs (Venue d’Fees des Hazalles, 8/46.06) and Eugenio Garza Perez (Armani Sl Z) of Mexico, who elected to retire following a refusal.
“It’s always a little tough going first, but it was winner-take all—medal or no medal,” Madden said. “I had to lay it out there and do it as fast as I could and still leave the jumps up. I have to give credit to my horse. He’s a naturally fast horse, and I’ve done quite a few jump-offs with him. It felt good to have that experience going into that pressure round.”
Modolo Zanotelli also has a well-established partnership with Sirene de la Motte, having ridden the mare for more than two years. He described his relationship with the chestnut as one that “matched straight away” and identified the Pan American Games as a goal for which he’d been aiming her since sitting out the last Olympic Games (BRA) in 2016. His two golds mark his first medals of any kind in a major championship.
“She’s a fantastic horse. She gives everything she can in the ring,” he said. “We like to say, ‘When you have a chestnut mare on your side, they are amazing. They really fight for you.’ She’s one of [those]. She really believes in me, and I believe so much in her.
“What I really wanted here was a medal—[whether] it was silver, gold or bronze,” he added. “Luckily, it was the gold one today—another gold one!”
Results here
“We had a task to do, and we did it in style!” said British Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard today after her team posted a superb victory in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Ireland in Dublin (IRL).
On a thrilling afternoon at the elegant Royal Dublin Society showgrounds, and in front of a packed house of screaming spectators along with dignataries in top-hats and tails, they won by a country mile, counting just a single time fault, and without having to send their final rider into the ring. Italy finished second on a 12-fault total, Ireland collected 16 faults for third and the Swiss, Dutch, Mexicans and Swedes filled the remaining places in that order.
Courses designed by Ireland’s Alan Wade are never for the faint-hearted, and the intense atmosphere, the scale of the arena and the beautifully-created fences also present a formidable challenge at the prestigious Dublin venue. But with their backs to the wall, the nation placed last on the Europe Division 1 table proved that when the chips are down they have what it takes, and today’s result has ensured qualification for the all-important Longines series finale in Barcelona (ESP) in October.
“We’ve ridden the storm this season, we’ve had the downs and the difficulties, but it had to change some time and with a good team and the right spirit I felt it was going to come right this week, and it did!” said Lampard after accepting the coveted Aga Khan Trophy at the prizegiving ceremony attended by The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
With clears from Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson), Emily Moffitt (Winning Good) and Holly Smith (Hearts Destiny), the mistake by Ben Maher (Concona) at the final element of the penultimate double could be discounted to leave her team clearly in command on a zero score at the halfway stage. Italy went into round two carrying four, followed by the Irish with eight and Switzerland with nine on the board. But once they had a grip on the lead, the British were never going to let go. This was the last leg of the seven-round Division 1 series, so it was all or nothing.
Maher’s inexperienced nine-year-old mare came home with just a single time fault second time out, so when both Brash and Moffitt each produced another foot-perfect run then the game was already up. Not only had they bagged the coveted Aga Khan Cup for their country for the 27th time in the 93-year history of the event, but the 100 points they collected lifted Great Britain up to seventh place on the leaderboard from which the top seven of the 10 competing nations qualify for the €2m finale in Spain.
The other teams to qualify from this league are Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, France, Belgium and Sweden. The three countries that have not made the cut are The Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
“With the win we secure a place in the Barcelona final and we were determined to carry that out - the Aga Khan trophy was always coming home with us!” said Lampard this evening. There’s been something of a generational shift going on in British showjumping.
“Over the last three years we’ve been producing young riders and a larger squad of riders, and you can’t rush these things. They need the right horses and they need owners to stick with them and that all takes time” she explained. The changing of the guard can indeed be a painful process, but today’s result showed that British showjumping is definitely on an upward curve once again.
Moffitt was outstanding, the 21-year-old rider who is trained by team-mate Maher showed great maturity as she steered the hard-pulling Winning Mood through two tough rounds. “He’s very much a fighter, and I have to rein him in a bit!” she explained. Maher was delighted with his student’s performance. “Riding is the easy bit, shouting from the sides is the hard part! Emily did exactly what she was told today so I’m proud of her, and also proud to be part of this team”, he said.
“This is not an easy ring to ride in, I found that out the other day when my horse got a bit spooky!” Brash pointed out, referring to taking a tumble on the first afternoon. But normal order was restored as he cruised through two flawless efforts today with Hello Jefferson. The last British win in Dublin was back in 2013, and both Brash and Maher were in that side along with Robert Smith and the now-retired Nick Skelton.
“It’s a privilege to ride here in Dublin and compete in this - the very best Nations Cup. It’s all down to the crowd really, they are incredible!” Brash remarked. And his team manager agreed. “I remember 1996, winning the Aga Khan Cup with Abbervail Dream, the sportsmanship of the crowd was incredible as we went toe to toe with the Irish!” she recalled.
There was a clear purpose to the British effort this week, and Holly Smith put it down to focus. “Everything panned out as we hoped which doesn’t always happen - so when it does you have to enjoy it!” she said this evening.
And with this pivotal victory under her belt, Di Lampard is now turning her sights on the Longines FEI European Championships later in the month. “Now we are really confident about going to Rotterdam and winning a medal and our place in Tokyo!!” she said.
Result here
Full standings here
Watch highlights here
Brazil capped an unforgettable two weeks at the Pan American Games 2019 with a convincing gold medal for its jumping squad at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru, qualifying them for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
The medal marked the third in as many equestrian events in Lima, after bronze medals in both dressage and eventing assured Brazil’s Olympic qualification in those respective disciplines last week.
The four-rider squad of Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (Sirene de la Motte), Eduardo Menezes (H5 Chaganus), Rodrigo Lambre (Chacciama) and Pedro Veniss (Quabri de L Isle) finished on a team total score of 12.39 points. It was a tight battle for silver, with Mexico ultimately claiming runner-up honors and the second of three available Olympic qualification slots on a 22.97-point score. The Americans, already qualified for Tokyo due to their gold medal at the 2018 World Equestrian Games (USA) last September, finished with the bronze medal on a team total of 23.09 points, while fourth-placed Canada secured the final Olympic qualification on a 30.21-point team total.
“We came here to qualify for Tokyo; that was the main goal and, of course, to chase this gold medal,” Menezes said. “It was a long journey to get here. It was an amazing journey together with these guys. This medal just gives the perfect end to it.”
Course designer Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) track saw rails fall throughout, with the ever-crucial anchor riders proving to be the deciding scores. Veniss delivered on all fronts, jumping clear in the first round and recording just a single time fault as the final rider to compete. As Veniss rode his mount back toward the ingate, he repeatedly punched his fist in the air with elation, waving his arms at the crowd, who erupted and waved their Brazilian flags proudly in response.
“It was a really special day,” he said. “I think we have an amazing team. It’s really, really nice to have that medal with these guys.”
Teams entered Wednesday’s competition carrying scores from Tuesday’s faults-converted speed competition, which also served as the first individual qualifier and determined the order of go for the first round of the team final. The U.S. squad took over an early lead following clear rounds from each of its riders on Tuesday, but Brazil entered the day hot on their heels. After Wednesday’s first round, Brazil emerged as the clear leaders, and it was down to the U.S. and Mexico to battle it out for the remaining podium placings. While Mexico’s anchor Patricio Pasquel (Babel) rebounded from an 8-fault first round to produce a crucial clear for his team, the U.S.’s Beezie Madden (Breitling LS) fared oppositely, pulling two rails for an 8-fault score after jumping cleanly in the first round.
“This medal is very important to Mexico. I think it’s a culmination of three years of trying to take the sport in Mexico to a new level,” said Eugenio Garza Perez, who also delivered a second-round career for Mexico aboard Armani Sl Z. “We’ve really done everything together, and I think that showed in the ring. When one had to pull for the other or the other had to pull for that one, we really pulled it off together. I’m just honored to be a part of this team with such amazing teammates. We’ve dreamed about this a long time.”
The margin between silver and bronze was just 0.12 points.
“We came here for a medal. That’s what you always do in a championship,” said U.S. Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland. “We went away with a medal. We’re a little disappointed. We were in the fight for the gold until the end, and then the silver, and it slipped away. What I’m most proud of, is that all four of them were an essential part of the team yesterday and today as well.”
Veniss and the 15-year-old Selle Francais stallion Quabri de L Isle have skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard heading into Friday’s individual final. Brazilian riders, in fact, currently hold two of the top three individual placings, as Lambre sits third. Both gave credit to their chef d’equipe, Philippe Guerdat, for their team’s cumulative success.
“He was the key to the gold medal,” the Brazilian teammates chimed in together. “He’s the one that brought all the techniques and also the spirit of the team. We have everything to thank him [for]. The details in right moments, and the experience he has, [were the keys] to this. We can say he’s the gold trainer!”
Results here
The KWPN stallion Jovian claimed the 5-Year-Old title, the Oldenburg stallion Zucchero topped the 6-year-Old division and the Hannoverian stallion d’Avie returned from his 2018 triumph to star once again as a 7-Year-Old at the Longines FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Ermelo (NED) at the weekend. This was the fourth time for the event to be held at the Dutch venue, and next year it will return to Verden in Germany where it was previously staged over a period of 15 years.
It has become a superb testing ground for future champions as horses compete against their peers born in the same year, firstly in a qualifier from which the top 12 qualify directly for the Final while the rest go into a small final from which the top three also make the cut.
5-Year-Olds: An historic number of 10s
Denmark’s Andreas Helgstrand had a glorious weekend when taking gold and bronze in this division. In Saturday’s finale he first competed Queenparks Wendy, a mare by three-time World Breeding Chamionship winner Sezuan, and in a solid test she showed lovely relaxed walk and a canter so uphill it earned a 10 and the temporary lead in the class on a total of 9.42 points.
The sensational breeding stallion Secret, another son of Sezuan, won the qualifier for Sweden’s Jessica Lynn Thomas and was a big audience favourite. But they had to settle for silver when Helgstrand returned to squeeze past them and post the winning score of 9.66 with Jovian. “The trot had so much spring, so much suspension, front and hind matching well”, said judge Maria Schwennesen from Australia.
“We had such a strong group of 5-Year-Olds from our stable that it was hard to say which would do best!” said Helgstrand. “I am very happy for my two horses doing clean tests. Jovian has been the easiest horse to ride from the first day he entered our stables. I also want to compliment the jury, and especially their explanatory statement to the audience: critical yet positive, it was perfect!” he pointed out.
6-Year-Olds: A final with sugar-coating as Zucchero comes out on top
The test for the 6-Year-Old final demands a heightened degree of difficulty, so it sifts out the real potential stars who may well be the Grand Prix horses at the Olympic Games in 2024.
Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg and the Danish Warmblood, Straighthorse Ascenzione, kicked off yesterday morning with a score of 8.94 before The Netherlands’ Bart Veeze and the KWPN stallion Imposantos nearly scored a 10 for walk to total on 9.8. The first to challenge his lead was Helgstrand, this time partnering Zhaplin Langholt which is owned by American Grand Prix rider Charlotte Jorst. The pair were clapped down their final centreline before their mark of 9.34 went up on the leaderboard. And then the Danish rider returned to go even better with his 5-Year-Old champion from last year, Revolution. The arena was hushed as this pair showed superb rhythm and a breath-taking, ground-covering uphill canter, and the trot was rewarded with a 10 for a total final score of 9.44.
However the spectators showed who their favourite was when they cheered Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Zucchero OLD all the way from their final corner to their final halt. “This horse excelled in the flying changes and lateral work, he was the closest to perfection! His future as a dressage horse is bright!” commented the judges after they posted the winning mark of 9.66.
“I have competed here every year, come close twice with fourth place so this is very special!” said Wandres afterwards. “It is a very difficult test, almost a small St Georg and and I knew I had to have the horse really supple and that we must trust each other. I have a strong relationship with Zucchero” added the newly-crowned champion.
7-Year-Olds: D’Avie is champion once again
The 7-Year-Olds have to deliver a combination of excellent gaits and precision, with technical scores awarded by two judges along with the conventional five-score assessment of Trot, Walk, Canter, Submission and future Perspective.
If any horse has a stellar pedigree it is Total Hope OLD, a son of Isabell Werth’s super-mare Weihegold OLD and world champion Totilas. An approved stallion ridden by Norway’s Isabel Freese who has been working for Paul Schockemohle in Germany for many years, the black stallion went into the lead on a score of 84.250.
However the pair were overtaken by Denmark’s Jan Moller Christensen and Hesselhoj Donkey Boy who previously took a bronze as a five-year-old. Rewarded a 10 for a huge walk and another for potential, they went out in front when posting 85.02. But last year’s 6-Year-Old champion D’Avie presented a performance that made the audience burst into applause well before the end, and this son of Don Juan de Hus snatched the gold by a whisker when putting 85.107 on the board.
“Of course I felt pressure defending the title, especially when the competition comes so close!” said rider Severo Jurado Lopez, a man who has made something of a habit of great results at these championships down the years. “My dream is to continue with the education of D’Avie and to keep riding him to the highest level, like I do with Fiontini” explained the Spanish star, referring to the mare with which he won at each level in these Championships and who now looks set for stardom on the big stage.
Full results here
USA and Brazil booked their tickets to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics when taking gold and silver respectively in Eventing at the Pan American Games 2019 which is taking place at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru
America’s Boyd Martin riding Tsetserleg and Lynn Symansky partnering RF Cool Play claimed individual gold and silver when finishing on their Dressage marks, while Brazil’s Carlos Parro added just 6.8 cross-country time penalties to his first-phase scoreline with Qualkin Qurious to bag the bronze. But none of these medals were easily won.
The Americans snatched the lead in the opening Dressage phase when Tamra Smith and Mai Baum topped the leaderboard ahead of Martin in second, Doug Payne and Starr Witness in seventh and Symansky in ninth. But they were only 4.9 penalty points ahead of Canada’s Karl Slezak (Fernhill Wishes), Dana Cooke (Mississippi), Colleen Loach (Fe Golden Eye) and Jessica Phoenix (Pavarotti), while Carlos Parro and his Brazilian team-mates Ruy Fonseca (Ballypatrick SRS), Rafael Mamprin Losano (Fuiloda G), Marcelo Tosi (Starbucks) were less than four penalty points further adrift.
Brazil’s chances were shaken by a nasty fall for Fonseca in Saturday’s cross-country test however. From a start-list of 42 horse-and-rider combinations from 12 nations only 25 finished the difficult course designed by Argentina’s Jose Ortelli. But despite the loss of their most experienced team-member, the Brazilians dug deep to produce brilliant performances and move up to silver medal spot ahead of the Canadians going into today’s final Jumping phase.
Talking about his dramatic fall at the seventh fence, the Lake Titicaca combination, Fonseca said from his hospital bed yesterday, “we were just unlucky, I’ve fractured my left shoulder and a couple of ribs. The horse is ok and I’m ok, everything is fine. All the medical team, the organisers and the Brazilian Olympic Committee doctor did a really great job. The (Brazilian) team did a really great job and I wish I could be with them tomorrow!”
And they did him proud, anchoring their final score on 122.1 to take the silver today while the Canadians, also reduced to a three-member side in the final Jumping test after the withdrawal of Dana Cooke’s Mississippi who scraped an elbow on a fence yesterday, completed on 183.7 for the bronze.
The Americans were the clear winners on a score of 91.2. Despite a big score for Smith who plummeted down the leaderboard after a glance-off at fence 16 and an additional 20 penalties for crossing their own track at fence 23, the US went into the final day with a commanding lead after Martin and Symansky produced the only two double-clear cross-country rounds and Payne added just 8.4 time faults to his tally. And when all three stayed clean and clear today the gold was in the bag. But no-one was saying it was easy, it was quite the opposite.
This was America’s 10th victory in Eventing at the Pan Ams, the first posted in Sao Paolo (BRA) back in 1963. “It was much harder than I expected” said 39-year-old double-Olympian Martin. “We came here and we were under the gun a bit, but we all stepped up and tried our hardest and like Eric (Duvander, team coach) said we’ve got good horses, great riders, the best coach in the world, great farriers, brilliant vets….there was no stone left unturned. Now we have to keep up the momentum, using every day we’ve got until Tokyo to keep improving… and then we’ll find out on the day, because competition is competition!”
Symansky described the result as “redemption, especially from last year at WEG when we came just a little bit short of taking our Tokyo qualification. Boyd and I were both there, and we’re much happier with our performances here this weekend”, said the 36-year-old who was also a team gold medallist at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara (MEX).
Despite the disappointment of not bringing home one of the coveted Olympic qualifying spots, Canada’s Jessica Phoenix expressed her delight with the last week of sport. “I think Peru put on an incredible competition - the hospitality was insane! This is an incredible country and they made us feel so welcome. The venue is beautiful and it was a super, super Pan Am Games” she said.
The door is not completely closed to Canadian qualification, but for now it’s the USA and Brazil who will join the host nation of Japan, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, China and Thailand in Eventing at Tokyo in 12 months time.
The Brazilians are not quite ready to celebrate just yet, because Ruy Fonseca is still in hospital - “we’re waiting for him to get out to come drinking with us!” said Carlos Parro today.
And America’s Boyd Martin described the outcome of these Pan Ams as “a relief, for coach Eric who moved country to help us, relief for the owners, the grooms that work so hard, the wives that put up with us, just the whole thing. It’s so much work - we get to wear the fancy medal, but really it’s a massive effort from a lot of people”, he pointed out with gratitude.
Results here
It was Team USA on the top step of the podium today when Sarah Lockman steered the lovely chestnut stallion, First Apple, to clinch Individual Dressage gold at the Pan American Games 2019 taking place at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru. A superb score of 78.980 in the Intermediate l Freestyle clinched it for the 30-year-old who pipped Canada’s Tina Irwin and Laurencio by just over a single percentage point, while Lockman’s team-mate, Jennifer Baumert, claimed the bronze with her gelding Handsome.
This was America’s ninth individual Dressage title in the history of equestrian sport at the Pan American Games, which dates back to Buenos Aires (ARG) in 1951. And Lockman made it a US three-in-a-row as compatriot, Steffen Peters, posted a consecutive double at Guadalajara (MEX) in 2011 and Toronto (CAN) in 2015.
Both Small Tour and Big Tour combinations compete at the Pan Ams, and the Small Tour riders were first to battle it out in the Intermediate l Freestyle today. Just four horse-and-rider partnerships contested the higher-level Big Tour class that followed, but the medals were decided by the biggest scores on the day, regardless of the category, and it was Small Tour contenders Lockman, Irwin and Baumert who posted those to claim the top three steps of the podium.
The USA was never eligible for one of the two Olympic team qualifying spots on offer because they sent just three Small Tour riders to Lima. They already had their Tokyo ticket in the bag after claiming silver at last year’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ on home soil in Tryon (USA) and were quite happy to settle for silver in the team competition won by Canada on Monday.
But today they were gunning for the gold and they got it, thanks to a stunning performance from team debutante Lockman and her sensational nine-year-old Dutch stallion which is owned by Gerry Ibanez. Judges Thomas Kessler (GER), Mary Seefried (AUS), Eduard De Wolff Van Westerrode (NED) and Janet Lee Foy (USA) all put the American first, while Canada’s Brenda Minor placed her second, and the winner achieved high marks for Degree of Difficulty from all five judges, including a nine from Kessler.
“I’m over the moon excited about it!” Lockman said. “It’s everything I ever dreamed of and wanted, and I’m so proud of my horse and grateful to everybody who helped me get here and the whole support staff that have been here helping me at my first ever Games experience - it’s been truly unforgettable!”
Irwin and Laurencio, members of Canada’s gold-medal-winning team on Monday, put a strong 77.780 on the board to hold second spot, and when Baumert and Handsome slotted into third on 75.755 then all three medal contenders had an anxious wait while the Big Tour foursome strutted their stuff in the Grand Prix Freestyle. And Dominican Republic’s Yvonne Losos De Muñiz put in a strong challenge here with her 14-year-old mare, Aquamarijn, but when the scoreboard showed 75.430 then she just missed out on the podium and the top three wouldn’t change.
US Chef d’Equipe, Debbie McDonald, who with the great mare Brentina was double-gold medallist at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg (CAN) in 1999, couldn’t hold back her tears of delight. Lockman described the motivation her team leader has been providing throughout these Games.
“Debbie has been sending us some really amazing quotes and I think I’m going to have to have one put up in my barn and on my mirror…. she told us ‘you are what you believe, and preparation is everything and you can really do it, and to work to the very last moment for it’. I’m so thankful to her for the leadership, and to my coach Scott Hassler for his encouraging words leading up to this which have helped me handle the pressure and figure my way through my first Games!” said the new Pan-American individual Dressage champion.
Results here
Caption: On the Individual Dressage podium at the Pan American Games 2019 taking place at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru today - (L to R) - silver medallist Tina Irwin (CAN), gold medallist Sarah Lockman (USA) and bronze medallist Jennifer Baumert (USA). (FEI/Daniel Apuy, Getty images)
Team Germany almost completely dominated the FEI Dressage European Championship 2019 for U25, Young Riders, Juniors and Children staged at the fabulous Horses Riviera Resort at San Giovanni in Marignano, near Rimini in Italy (23-28 July).
They claimed nine of the 11 gold medal placings on offer, with only a Dutch double standing in the way of a total German whitewash. High temperatures in the early part of the week were followed by rain on the final day, but nothing could get in the way of sparkling sport filled with great promise for the future in this demanding equestrian discipline.
With its six floodlit arenas, top-class stabling and extensive hospitality areas the venue, which lies on the Adriatic Sea, was something of a paradise for the record number of young athletes from 26 countries who turned up with their support teams, families and friends. As Maria Schierholter Otte, team leader of the German Junior and Young Rider squads said, “it is essential for the teams to be able to compete in all four categories in the same place so, from this point of view, San Giovanni is the ideal solution!”
Juniors
It was triple-gold for Jana Schrödter and her stallion Der Erbe who, along with her German team-mate Anna Middelberg partnering Blickfang, posted the two leading scores on the opening day of the Junior team test last Wednesday. When compatriot Valentina Pistner posted the biggest mark of the entire competition with Flamboyant the following day, then the Junior Team title was in German hands. Henriette Schmidt and Rocky’s Sunshine were the fourth combination in the winning side, and such was the quality of the German performances that her strong score of 74.182 was the discard.
The final leaderboard showed the gold medallists on a team total of 76.081, with The Netherlands’ Pam Verbeek (Fernando Torres), Annemijn Boogaard (Fullspeed TC), Sanne van der Pols (Excellentie) and Marten Luiten (Fynons) in silver medal spot on 73.485. Denmark took the bronze when the average score for Sofie Hansen (Dieu D’Amour 3), Frederikke Gram Jacobsen (Ryvangs Zafina), Maria Mejlgaard jensen (Uno lV) and Sara Aagaard Hyrm was 71.959.
Awarded a massive 77.971, 18-year-old Schrödter then went on to win the Individual title ahead of The Netherlands’ Luiten in silver on a mark of 75.588 and Schrödter’s team-mate Pistner in bronze (74.794). And these three horse-and-rider combinations remained on precisely the same steps of the podium when the Freestyle medals were awarded on Sunday. It was an extraordinary series of results for the new triple champion who was originally a reserve for her team but who was called into action at the last moment to substitute for Lucie-Anouk Baumgurtel.
A total of 78 athletes and teams from 19 countries contested the Junior medals.
Young Riders
The Netherlands’ Daphne van Peperstraten and Greenpoint’s Cupido topped the Young Riders team scoreboard with a mark of 74.265 after the first day, but Germany’s Semmieke Rothenberger demoted her to runner-up spot when the second tranche took their turn the following day and, like her Junior squad-mate, went on to score a hat-trick of victories.
Rothenberger’s strong score of 77.559 with Dissertation was backed up by Paulina Holzknecht (Wells Fargo), Alexa Westendorp (Four Seasons) and Lia Welschof (Linus K) to ensure the German average mark of 74.745 for the gold. Once again the Dutch had to settle for silver when Paperstraten, Kimberly Pap (Vloet Victory), Thalia Rockx (Verdi de la Fazenda) and Esme Donkers (Chaina) rounded up their results to an average of 73.030. Sweden’s Linnea Williamson (Tabasco), Elin Mattsson (Beckham), Cecilia Bergakra Berglund (Primavera) an Evelina Doerstrom (Weihenstephaner) claimed team bronze on 69.687.
In the Young Riders Individual, Rothenberger’s impressive mark of 78.941 pinned The Netherlands’ Pap into silver and her German team-mate Welschof into bronze. It was closer in the Freestyle, with just over half a percentage point separating her from team silver medallist Donkers, and the Dutch were particularly strong here, Pap clinching the bronze just ahead of van Paperstraten.
Success is no stranger to Rothenberger whose family are steeped in Dressage history. She already had eight European gold medals in the bag by the end of her career in ponies, highlighted by brilliant partnerships with both the wonderful Golden Girl and the delightful Deinhard B. She won three more at Junior level with Geisha and Dissertation, and although she has claimed two Young Rider golds with Geisha in recent years, she pulled out Dissertation, who helped her become double Junior champion at Oliva (ESP) three years ago, to do the hat-trick this time around.
“It couldn’t have been better - I am particularly proud of these results obtained against very strong opponents. And I really like the system here, this is a perfect place to both train and compete!” said the 19-year-old triple champion.
A total of 57 horse-and-rider combinations battled for the Young Riders medals, and 13 countries were represented in the team competition.
Children
Allegra Schmitz-Morkramer’s big score of 78.385 with Lavissaro led Germany to the Children’s team title. Clara Paschertz (Belvedere), Kenya Schwierking (Dinos Boy) and Lisa Steisslinger (Havanna Negra) helped secure the winning average of 74.667 and The Netherlands’ Maura Knipscheer (Amaretto), Senna Evers (Happy Feet), Lara van Nek (Fariska) and Anniek van Dulst (Isala’s Arielle) took the silver with 73.833. Russia’s Arina Makhileve (Titanie), Stefania Mechetina (San Calida), Yanina Frantsuzova (Flitslampje) and Karina Zakhrabekova (Ein Stern) pushed Team Belgium off the podium for the bronze when putting 69.859 on the board.
And continuing the overwhelming German theme, 13-year-old Schmitz-Morkramer went on to scoop the Children’s Individual title. An impressive score of 78.607 clinched it, and it was Dutch girl Lara van Nek who earned the silver with a great score of 75.786 while Denmark got onto the podium when Annabelle Rehn and Aros A Fenris posted 74.893.
Double-gold medallist Schmitz-Morkramer put in excellent preparation for this year’s Championship with a series of great results at the Olympic test event in Hagen (GER) where she pinned team-mate Steisslinger into second and van Neck into third in the Children’s Individual competition.
A total of 50 competitors and nine teams lined out in this division.
U25
The only category in which the Germans were thrown off-course was in the U25 in which The Netherlands’ Jeanine Nieuwenhuis broke their stranglehold. However even though she posted the top score in the Intermediate ll which decided the team medals, it was Germany who claimed the team title here yet again when Jill-Marielle Becks (Damoris Delorange) finished second, Bianca Nowag (Sir Hohenstein) finished third and Raphael Netz filled fifth place. Fourth member of the gold-medal-winning German side was Ann Kathrin Lindner (Gunfire).
Nieuwenhuis had to settle for team silver along with Dutch team-mates Carlijn Huberts (Watoeshi), Jasmien de Koeyer (Esperanza) and Denise Nekeman (Boston STH), while Denmark’s Nana Gajhede (Overgaards Lowell), Emma Skov (Cracker Jack), Soren Wind (Diego) and Josefine Hoffmann (Hoenerups Driver) stood on the third step of the podium.
But 24-year-old Nieuwenhuis and the 14-year-old TC Athene reigned supreme in both Friday’s Grand Prix and Sunday’s Freestyle, pinning Nekeman into silver and Germany’s Becks into bronze in the former, and Germany’s Nowag into silver and Denmark’s Hoffmann into bronze in the latter. She first stood on a Championship podium when helping claim European Junior team gold in Bern (SUI) in 2012, and with TC Athene also won the Young Rider Individual title at Oliva (ESP) in 2016.
A total of 34 horse-and-rider combinations and teams from seven nations lined out in the U25 division.
Full results here
Canada came out on top in a tight battle with the USA when the Team Dressage medals were decided today at the Pan American Games 2019 taking place at the Army Equitation School at La Molina in Lima, Peru. The three-member US side had a fractional advantage after yesterday’s opening competitions, but consistently strong performances from the Canadian crew today saw the defending champions having to settle for silver in the final analysis, while Brazil stood on the third step of the medal podium.
This was Canada’s third time to take the team title in the 68-year history of equestrian sport at the Pan Americans, their first victory posted in Cali, Colombia in 1971 and their second in Havana, Cuba in 1991.
The Pan Am format sees team members compete at both Small Tour and Big Tour level, and Team USA, already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following their silver-medal-winning performance at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 on home ground in Tryon, sent an all-Small-Tour side of just three horse-and-rider combinations. Canada fielded two Small Tour and two Big Tour partnerships, and when Lindsay Kellock (Floratina), Tina Irwin (Laurencio) and Naima Moreira Laliberté (Statesman) all posted scores of 73 percent, their final tally of 440.111 left them 2.32 points ahead of USA in silver and over 31 points clear of the Brazilians in bronze. Fourth team member Jill Irving (Degas 12) provided Canada’s discard score when the top three results for each team were counted.
Canada’s star performer was 22-year-old Moreira Laliberté, daughter of Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, who won both yesterday’s Grand Prix and today’s Grand Prix Special with her 12-year-old Sandro Hit gelding, Statesman. “This is my first year of Grand Prix, my sixth competition at this level and my first major Games” said the talented rider. Irving is also a Big Tour contender, and the 56-year-old steered her WEG 2018 ride, the 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding Degas 12, into third behind her team-mate.
In the Small Tour Intermediate 1 today, Irwin and Kellock finished second and third. This is Irwin’s second Pan Am Games, having helped her country to team silver in Guadalajara (MEX) in 2011. The 38-year-old rider and her 12-year-old gelding Laurencio are Small Tour stars, setting a world record at that level in 2017 before moving up to Big Tour. However they moved back down to Small Tour this year with the specific goal of helping Canada earn their spot at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and it has worked a treat. “The whole team gave it our all today. Yesterday it was close behind the Americans, and today we were on our “A” game!” Irwin said.
Kellock and her 11-year-old Hanoverian, Floratina, are a relatively new combination who clicked from the moment they came together. The mare was bought as a schoolmaster for a friend who couldn’t find the time to ride her as much as she would like, so loaned her to Kellock who got a really high score with her on their first outing and they have blossomed from there. “The next goal in our minds is Tokyo, we all three have horses that are aimed at that!” said the ambitious 29-year-old.
Irwin and Kellock finished second and third on the Individual leaderboard ahead of Wednesday’s Individual Final in which the top 50% in the rankings from both the Big and Small Tour competitions will battle it out in the Grand Prix Freestyle and Intermediate 1 Freestyle for the Individual Pan American Dressage title, and in which everyone starts from scratch.
Team USA’s Sarah Lockman topped the leaderboard tonight with her lovely nine-year-old Dutch-bred stallion, First Apple, who won both yesterday’s Prix St Georges and today’s Intermediate 1. After accepting her team silver medal alongside compatriots Nora Batchelder (Faro SQF) and Jennifer Baumert (Handsome), Lockman said her Pan Am experience so far has given her “a feeling like no other! It’s my first time to represent the US and it’s such a different feeling for us, as sport is for the most part an individual sport. This (the team competition) has brought a different element and I love it, it’s amazing seeing our flag raised, it’s definitely a rush and something I will never forget!” she added proudly.
And the experienced bronze-medal-winning Brazilian side of Joao Paulo Dos Santos (Carthago Comando SN), Joao Victor Marcari Oliva (Biso das Lezirias), Leandro Aparecide Da Silva (Dicaprio) and Pedro Manuel Tavares de Almeida (Aoleo) also have ever reason to be pleased as they, like the winning Canadians, are now Tokyo-bound. Oliva said “we are very happy with this qualification, we came here for this, we trained for this, so thank you to my team mates and to everybody who is behind us. Now we have to celebrate!”
Team Results here
All results here
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