As expected, the British largely dominated the dressage test of the CCI 5*-L in Badminton, which ended this evening in Great Britain. Before tomorrow’s cross, which is announced to be of an extreme level of difficulty, they occupy fourteen of the first seventeen places. All entered in the running today, the French have had very different fortunes. The best of them, Gireg Le Coz, is in fourteenth place on Aisprit de la Loge.
Before the cross, which should be disputed in front of some 200,000 enthusiasts, Laura Collett and London 52 are in pole position of the Badminton CCI 5*-L. The team gold medalists from the Tokyo Olympics last summer took the lead today with a superb performance that earned them a minimum penalty of 21. The standings are so close by seconds time exceeded on the course of cross-country of Eric Winter, beautifully constructed but difficult and long, to complete in a time limit of 11’44”, could change everything tomorrow. Laura Collett is 2.4 points ahead of Tokyo teammate Tom McEwen, who rides the brilliant Selle Français Toledo de Kerser, also an individual silver medalist in Japan. Laura received three 10s during her test, for extended trot, canter and halt. “It is a dream”she said with emotion, before greeting her partner, winner of the CCI 5*-L de Pau in 2020, which begins in Badminton. “He is so fun to ride. Tomorrow is a completely different story. It’s very well built, but there will be a lot to do.”
Reigning Olympic, world and European champion, team and individual, Great Britain dominates the debates as expected, occupying fourteen of the first seventeen places. Oliver Townend, the third member of the triumphant Olympic trio, is not far behind. The world number one is sixth equally on Swallow Springs (25.7), his new mount, and eighth equally on Ballaghmor Class (25.9), second at Badminton in 2019. Winner at Lexington last year, the Briton still aims to achieve the Rolex Grand Slam, bringing together the 5*-L CCIs of Lexington, Badminton and Burghley. Kitty King and SF Friday Biats, members of the European Championship gold medalist team from Avenches, are third with (24.8), just ahead of twenty-four-year-old Mollie Summerland and Charly van der Heiden (24.9), best of more than thirty novice riders.
American Tamra Smith (Mai Baum) came in fifth place, making an excellent debut for her first Badminton, with a score of 25.3 points. Defending champions Piggy French and mare Vanir Kamira are sixth equally (25.7), while Oliver Townend shares eighth place with New Zealand’s Amanda Pottinger and Just Kidding (25.9). Reigning world champion Rosalind Canter sits tenth and twelfth on Lordships Graffalo and Allstar B. “I am absolutely over the moon”she said. “Graffalo is only ten years old, so he is a very young horse. He rose through the ranks during the health crisis, and had therefore never evolved in this kind of atmosphere before. I was busy trying to calm everyone down, but he didn’t bat an eyelid. I don’t know why I bothered! He’s such a professional, he takes everything lightly.” Regarding tomorrow’s big cross, Ros said: “The more I recognize the course, the more difficult I think it is, the smarter I think Eric has been, and the more complicated I think it is. I start thinking about my minute markers and the ripple effect of all those big jumps and turns. In any case, I hope the confident horses will be rewarded.”
Tough day for the Blues
This is also what the French are hoping for, having had a half-fig, half-grape day. While the nine couples in the running presented their recovery today, the best was Gireg Le Coz, fourteenth on an Aisprit de la Loge at the orders, at the rendezvous and well concentrated, just like his rider (26.7) . On the rectangle of grass bounded in another huge rectangle of grass, surrounded by stands already very full today, to make almost all pure dressage competitions pale (!), Zanzibar Villa Rose, the youngster (ten years ) partner of Thomas Carlile was somewhat intimidated by the atmosphere, which did not prevent the couple from producing a faultless recovery, finishing with 32.7 points, in thirty-fourth place equally.
All the other tricolor pairs finished in the second half of the classification, admittedly very provisional. It was however correct for Ugo Provasi and Shadd’oc (34.3), Cédric Lyard and Unum de’Or (36.9), but with twenty-two couples rated at more than 70% on average, they inevitably find themselves far . Less specialist dressage pairs follow, such as Cyrielle Lefevre and Armanjo Serosah (37.8) and Arthur Duffort and Toronto d’Aurois (39.8). It was hard, much harder still, for Maxime Livio and Vitorio du Montet (40.5), yet ranked in Pau but not at all on his business this morning, Jean-Lou Bigot, who had to deal with a Utrillo du Halage very nervous (43) and Arthur Chabert (49.6), who brings up the rear with Goldsmiths Imber. Failing to be able to win, let’s bet that they will at least be able to express their talent on the distance test, the raison d’être of the eventing, even more so at the 5* level. Meet at 12:30 p.m. Paris time.
The provisional classification
The starting order of the cross
Relive our second postcard, where Kamel Boudra met Cyrielle Lefèvre, at the microphone of GRANDPRIX.tv
Gireg Le Coz is in fourteenth place over Aisprit de la Loge.
© Kit Houghton/Badminton Horse Trials
