Jorge out in front after cross country at Aquece Rio equestrian Test Event

Marcio Jorge (BRA) and his compatriot Marcelo Tosi still hold the advantage at the Aquece Rio International Horse Trials, but it is Jorge at the head of the field after cross country not yesterday’s Dressage leader Tosi.

Eight horses were clear around the 20-fence 3.2km course designed by Pierre Michelet, the Frenchman behind the track at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy. Only two came home inside the five minute 41 second optimum time and it is those two – Jorge with his second ride Coronel MCJ and Tosi with Glenfly – who hold all the aces going forward to tomorrow’s final Jumping phase.

Jorge and the grey Coronel flew around the course, stopping the clock on five minutes 34 seconds, to complete two days of competition on their Dressage score of 44.5 penalties, but with no fence in hand over Tosi for tomorrow’s Jumping.

The action opened at 10.00 on a blisteringly hot Brazilian winter morning. Jorge was first out on the course with the Thoroughbred Winner, fourth after the Dressage, but the pair slipped down the order to eighth after a runout at the skinny, the second element of the downhill fence 18. That tour of the track was the ideal preparation for Jorge’s second outing, this time with Coronel and the pair were foot-perfect throughout to cruise round in style and take over the lead.

“I’m very happy with both horses”, the Pan-American Games team silver medallist said after his second tour of the track. “The ground was very good and all the fences were inviting and very nice to ride.”

Coronel has already done two three-star events, one national and one international, and has won both, so Jorge is in confident mode for the final test and says that the eight-year-old is a very careful jumper. He has no margin for error, however, as Tosi and Glenfly are a mere 2.7 penalties adrift.

“That was an easy course for him”, Tosi said of Glenfly. “He was easily within the time. He was very comfortable with the fences. He isn’t tired, I think he could do another one now."

Tosi, who led after yesterday’s Dressage with Briefing DB Z, decided not to run the 11-year-old across country. "Briefing is a three-star horse and there was no point riding him today (in a two-star event)”, he said. “I will save him for his next event in three weeks."

Friends Jorge and Tosi may still be vying with each other for the honours, but they are well ahead of the chasing pack. Last out across the country today, Marcio Appel and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding Cross Rock are 12.1 adrift off the pace, with Nilson Da Silva and Tiger Lu moving up from 16^th after the Dressage to overnight fourth.

Three horses failed to complete the course. Ricky Candi (BRA) pulled up Natural TW after the first water, while Serguei Fofanoff walked Yankee Deapper home after two stops at the first element at the same fence. Luciano Drubi, who picked up 20 penalties for a refusal at the second element in the water with Riviera Lu, was then eliminated with Raica Lu after three stops.

The horse inspection is at 9.30 tomorrow morning followed by the final Jumping phase before the medal ceremony brings the Aquece Rio equestrian test event to a close.

Aquece Rio International Horse Trials (results after cross country) – 1, Coronel MCJ (Marcio Jorge), BRA, 44.5 penalties; 2, Glenfly (Marcelo Tosi), BRA, 47.2; 3, Cross Rock (Marcio Appel), BRA, 59.3; 4, Tiger Lu (Nilson da Silva), BRA, 64.1; 5, Barao (Fernando da Cruz), BRA, 66.5; 6, Estiva TW (Serguei Fofanoff), BRA, 68.1.

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Notes to editor

Equestrian at Deodoro Olympic Park

The Deodoro Olympic Park is the second largest Rio 2016 Games cluster. Deodoro’s nine venues will host the Olympic sports of basketball, BMX, canoe slalom, fencing, hockey, modern pentathlon, mountain biking, rugby sevens, shooting and the Paralympic sports of wheelchair fencing, Football 7-a-side and shooting alongside Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, and Para-Equestrian Dressage: www.rio2016.org/en/the-games/map-of-the-venues-0

Rio 2016 Olympic Games - qualified nations

Brazil, as host nation, earns automatic team qualification for Rio 2016. Full details on qualified nations will be updated at http://fei.org/fei/games/olympic/rio-2016 (see “Qualification System” link per discipline). The following nations have so far qualified team spots for Rio 2016:

Jumping: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, Qatar

Dressage: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, USA

Eventing: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, USA

The remaining equestrian team places at Rio 2016 will be decided at continental qualifiers, while individual places will be decided according to world rankings. All athletes competing at the Games must obtain the minimum eligibility requirements.

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About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org

The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm. The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining. The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para-Equestrian Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para-Equestrian Dressage and Para-Driving.