IT was an afternoon of drama both in and outside the Deodoro arena as 33 of the 65 event riders completed the Day 1 dressage phase. Sandra Auffarth got reigning gold medallists Germany off to a strong start when she took the lead mid-morning and her score of 41.60 with the Selle Francais gelding Opgun Louvo held firm until mid-afternoon.
Then the lead changed rapidly as first Christopher Burton’s lovely test with the nine-year-old Hannoverian gelding Santano II saw the Australian overtake Auffarth and put Australia in contention for a team medal too. Earlier on, Sam Griffiths, with the Irish-bred mare Paulank Brockagh, posted a score of 46.30 which at the end of the first day, sees the Australian team poised in silver medal position after their first two riders.
Burton was one of only two riders on the opening day to record a sub-40 score but his excellent score (36.70) kept him in the lead for just 16 minutes after the lunch break as William Fox-Pitt, making a remarkable comeback after his career-threatening fall at Le Lion d’Angers last autumn, overtook the Australian. Chilli Morning, the first stallion to win a four-star event, produced an obedient test to just edge out Santano II (36), however with reigning Olympic, world and European champion Michael Jung and Sam FBW second-next to go, most expected Fox-Pitt’s lead to be equally short-lived.
GASPS
However, the 16-year-old recorded, by his record-breaking standards, one of his most disappointing tests with audible gasps from the crowd as he broke in the counter canter, which resulted in a score of 4 from each of the judges, Andrew Bennie, Marilyn Payne and Sandy Phillips. T he German star pair still achieved 40.90 which proved good enough to put them in bronze medal position and the Germans in the lead at the close of play.
IRELAND
Padraig McCarthy got Ireland off to a good start when the pathfinder and the Polish-bred Simon Porloe, previously listed for the British team for the London Olympics with his wife Lucy (Wiegersma), produced an accurate, well-ridden test (46.80) which sees them in 12th place after day one. The score is a personal best for the 39-year-old Tipperary rider.
Just one place behind, in equal 13th is Clare Abbott, another to cope easily with the pressure of her first Olympics, to slot in behind McCarthy with the Cormac McKay-bred Euro Prince.
The part-time maths teacher's score of 47.00 was also a personal best. Both Olympic rookies were delighted with their horse’s performance and are keenly anticipating Monday’s cross-country action.
Ireland are now in sixth place of the 10 teams and while Brazil may lie at the other end of the leaderboard, they attracted the most vocal support from the home crowd,who easily made up the majority of the Day 1 spectators.
The current top 10 combinations are: 1, Chilli Morning (William Fox-Pitt); 2, Santano III (Christopher Burton); 3, Sam FBW (Michael Jung); 4, Opgun Louvo (Sandra Auffarth); 5, Piaf De B’Neville (Astier Nicolas); 6, Entebbe (Karim Laghouag); 7, Leonidas III (Mark Todd); 8, Bayro (Tim Lips); 9, Paulank Brockagh (Sam Griffiths); 10, Loughan Glen (Clark Montgomery).
The current team standings are: 1, Germany; 2, Australia; 3, Great Britain; 4, France; 5, New Zealand; 6, Ireland; 7, United States; 8, Sweden; 9, Canada; 10, Brazil.
The second day of dressage recommences tomorrow (Sunday) at 10am local time (2pm in Ireland) with Jonty Evans fifth to go at 10.32 (2.32pm) followed by Mark Kyle at 2.10pm (6.10pm).
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