Team PracThe first half of the FEI Dressage World Championships team final and individual qualifier took place today, Aug. 11, in Aachen, Germany, with 45 combinations competing in the Grand Prix. The remaining 46 riders go tomorrow, Aug. 12, before team medals are awarded.
Host nation Germany sits atop the standings after Day 1, powered by a 75.96 percent from Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD, with Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot adding a 73.33 percent to the team’s tally. Wandres and Netz also occupy the first- and third-placed individual slots, respectively.
Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, along with Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH, are still to come Wednesday. (The top three scores from each team will count towards the final result, and current standings for teams with four riders have already dropped the lower score.)
“Where we are now looks good,” said German head coach Monica Theodorescu. “We have a clear lead. Frederic rode an amazing test, one of his best Grand Prix tests. His horse was fresh, and they were fault-free and precise. He has swing and is supple: everything we want to see. For now, it looks good, but we continue tomorrow.”
Great Britain holds second, anchored by Becky Moody on Jagerbomb, who is also sitting second individually (73.82%). Fiona Bagwood and Donna Bella were the first pair to compete for Great Britain, and they scored 69.348 percent. Carl Hester on Fame and Charlotte Fry on Glamourdale will ride Wednesday.
“Some of our test was the best we’ve done; some of it was really bad,” Moody said of some uncharacteristic tension from Jagerbomb. “He was a little too excited and distracted when we entered the arena, but we pulled it back and still had some really good bits.”
Australia rounds out the top three with a 72.39 percent, while Sweden is in fourth, and Denmark fifth.
US in Eighth
The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team is in eighth after Day 1, with Christian Simonson (Fleau de Baian) and Ashley Holzer (Hawtins San Floriana) still to go Wednesday.
Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat W.P. posted the better of the two U.S. scores to go so far, a 70.60 percent, which also puts them 11th individually after Day 1.
“It was just a clean, consistent, solid test for him. I’m so proud of him,” Perry-Glass said. “That is the biggest atmosphere he’s been in, and the biggest I’ve been in.”
The top 30 combinations will progress to Friday’s Grand Prix Special.
“If I make it to the next round here, oh man, I will just be ecstatic,” Perry-Glass added. “I’m so glad I built confidence in there today, and I’ll just go and ask for a little more from him and just try to show a positive, clean, harmonious test.”
Meagan Davis and Toronto Lightfoot recorded a 67.62 percent in their championship debut. They were called up to the squad at the last minute with the withdrawal of Genay Vaughn and Gino.
“He put his head up, kind of stopped and looked around, and I petted him. I was like, ‘OK, buddy, I need you to be my partner,'” Davis said. “All of a sudden, off we went. What a surreal moment, having a horse just take you into that arena. It was a dream come true.”
U.S. chef d’equipe Christine Traurig reflected on the squad’s position heading into the second day of team competition.
“After today, I feel really good about both riders and their performances,” Traurig said. “I think Meagan, definitely being a rookie at an event of this magnitude, did a beautiful job. There is so much more to come from that pair. She has a wonderful horse, and she is very talented. This is just the tip of the iceberg for her.
“And Kasey proved again to all of us what a wonderful rider she is—presenting her horse in the ring so finely tuned, light aids,” she continued. “She performed very well in the sense that she had a very clean and solid test, and I could see that she’s aiming to tap into his potential in the Special, which I hope she gets into. [It was] beautiful riding on Kasey’s part, and it definitely also showed us how much experience she has.”
Team competition concludes Wednesday, Aug. 12. Simonson and Fleau de Baian go at 12:40 p.m. local time (6:40 a.m. Eastern), and Ashley Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana will be the last pair in the ring for the Grand Prix, at 5:50 p.m. local time (11:50 a.m. Eastern).
For More:
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View the complete competition schedule here.
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