The 28th FEI European Eventing Championships at Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) promises to be one of the most competitive yet, with 14 nations declared and some of the best riders in the world vying for individual medal glory.
Great Britain, who field the reigning World and European individual champions, Zara Phillips on Toytown, have an undisputed dominance in European Championships over the years, having won the last six team gold medals. But they field some new names, being without William Fox-Pitt, the reigning silver medallist, for the first time since 2000, nor the likes of Pippa Funnell, Leslie Law and Jeanette Brakewell. Instead, the team is likely to comprise WEG pathfinder Daisy Dick (Springalong), Oliver Townend (Flint Curtis), Zara Phillips and the experienced Mary King on Call Again Cavalier as anchorwoman. For Mary, Pratoni promises to be a happy return; she won the individual bronze medal in 1995 on King William when five months pregnant with her first child.
However, as has just been seen in the Dressage equivalent in Turin, Britain’s stranglehold over the years – winning 20 out of 27 meetings - is a record waiting to be broken. And there will be no more organised and determined team to make the break than the Germans. They are world champions yet, remarkably, have not won European team gold since Kiev in 1973.
Their early intention is to field a team of four men – world gold medallists Frank Ostholt, winner of the recent CICO 3* in Aachen, and Hinrich Romeike plus Peter Thomsen and Dirk Schrade - while Bettina Hoy, riding Ringwood Cockatoo, has an obvious chance to win a second individual gold medal 10 years to the date of her triumph at Burghley on Watermill Stream. Ingrid Klimke, the reigning bronze medallist on Sleep Late, also has individual claims on up-and-coming star Butts Abraxxas.
Even more unbelievably, the French, reigning Olympic team champions and the European bridesmaids three years consecutively, have never won European team gold, and will be ferociously determined. Nicolas Touzaint and Galan de Sauvagere, individual champions in 2003, reigning FEI World Cup champions and winners of the test event at Pratoni in April, have to be outstanding favourites to take the individual title. But they have high-class back-up in the form of 2002 World Champions Jean Teulere on Espoir de la Mare, plus the likes of Olympic gold medallists Cedric Lyard and Arnaud Boiteau on the veteran Expo du Moulin.
Sweden, European champions in 1983 and 1993, are also due another win and field a strong team that includes the experienced Dag Albert on the great cross-country horse Who’s Blitz, rising star Viktoria Carlerback, and the Algotsson sisters – Linda won individual silver medals in 1999 and 2003 on the home-bred Stand By Me.
Much attention will focus on Britain, Germany and France, but the cool Swedes could easily be the dark horses of the competition.
Similarly, Italy, as host nation, fields 12 riders and will be looking to better the team bronze they won in 2001 and, perhaps, win a first individual medal. They certainly have candidates, most notably the carabinieri’s rider Susanna Bordone and Vittoria Panizzon, a Junior European gold medallist at Pratoni back in the 1990s.
Secondary to the medal competition will be the battle for Olympic places in Hong Kong next year. The only qualified nations at Pratoni are Germany, Britain and Sweden, so countries like France, Italy, Ireland and Belgium, the bronze medallists in 1999 and 2003, will be vying for those precious two places available to the best placed two unqualified nations.
Team and individual riders will be confirmed after the first horse inspection, which takes place on Wednesday, September 12. After that, let battle commence in the gladiatorial amphitheatre in the mountains that is Italy’s national equestrian centre at Pratoni del Vivaro.
Notes to editors:
The following nations can all field a team, except Croatia: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and Sweden. For full results, follow: www.eueventingchampionship.com
FEI MEDIA GUIDE
A comprehensive media guide containing useful information such as the rules, timetable, list of entries and the list of the past team and individual winners as well as the history of the FEI European Eventing Championships; an interview with Ginny Elliot, the only rider to win three successive individual titles, recalling her three special victories and the horses that made it happen; and an interview with Giuseppe Della Chiesa, who makes at Pratoni his senior championship course-designing debut, is available in pdf format from the FEI website > Media Centre > Media Guides (direct link http://www.horsesport.org/media/guides/guides.htm?sub=media&active=media1) Hard copies will be available at the press centre in Pratoni.
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