Jonelle Price and Grovine de Reve have got New Zealand’s Olympic eventing medal quest under way in Tokyo, with a mostly tidy dressage test that scored 30.7 penalties to put them into provisional eighth place, after the first session this morning.
“I’m happy as he’s isn’t the fanciest horse in this phase and really, for him to be scoring any better than the score we got, the test needs to be 120% of a clear round, and it wasn’t,” Jonelle says. “It was blooming close to a clear round but every single tiny small detail has to be perfect and there was just one or two little things, which kept us a bit shy of perfect.
“He got a little scrabbled in the first step of the rein-back and then I think one of the changes was a good change but he perhaps lost a little rhythm on the diagonal line – he doesn’t have a lot of high marks and so we need to be very, very consistent across the board. It only takes a couple of sixes to pull the score down.”
Oliver Townend, who was the second rider out on a sweltering Tokyo morning, established the benchmark with his test on the extremely obedient Ballaghmor Class, scoring 23.6pen to hold the lead throughout the session and get the British team off to the best possible start. Oliver says being the first out doesn’t bother him. “Obviously it wouldn’t be my chosen job in life to be pathfinder, but at the same time, the first bit is out of the way and my horse has done a very commendable job, so fingers crossed, we just keep the work up through the next three or four days, and hopefully see where we end up.”
“I’m very happy with my horse – we know he’s special and I’m just very grateful for him to do a clear round in there and a very safe test on my own terms. I’d want a little bit more but I think 23 is a very good starting mark for the team. The highlight was the whole thing, but he went in and he did his best in conditions that he’s not used to in a stadium that’s very, very special – you think because there’s no crowd that there would be no atmosphere, and enough of a special occasion to push horses into lacking concentration.”
Alex Hua Tian rode a super and elegant test on Don Geniro, for China, scoring just a snip behind Oliver for 23.9 – the work was only marred slightly by a ragged halt and rein-back.
Jula Krajewski’s Amande de B’Neville was expected to score well, but was perhaps a little harshly marked with 25.2 penalties to slot into third place; her mare has a lovely rhythm and natural cadence, and the test was error-free.
One of the early audience favourites was Irish rider Sam Watson and his eyecatching Flemenco, who is registered as a dun but we’ve been advised is actually a buckskin. Sam was, however, a little disappointed with his score of 34.2, which puts them into 11th place at this early stage of the competition.
“I was actually pleased with him – I’m disappointed with the mark because it can be better, but I think I maybe we went too safe and conservative,” Sam says. “We probably were not bold enough. We made a couple of mistakes, and you can’t miss a flying change in the Olympic Games, so that’s annoying and that’s on me. I was actually happy with the horse but disappointed with the mark, and I can always do better.”
The Irish team, who had a good chance of a medal, suffered a major blow earlier when it was announced that individual European bronze medallists Cathal Daniels would be replaced by alternate Austin O’Connor, for ‘veterinary reasons’ affecting Cathal’s mare Rioghan Rua. The team will not incur a penalty for the substitution as it took place before the competition began.
A spokesman for Horse Sport Ireland said Cathal and Rioghan Rua will now revert to being the reserve combination and can be called upon if required later in the competition – “only if the veterinary report improves”.
The Australian team has also had another major shuffle. Having already brought in the original alternate, Stuart Tinney, he is now back on the reserve bench. Stuart’s horse, Leporis, was accepted at the trot-up but it was decided that he would not start, and instead Kevin McNab and Don Quidam will ride in his place.
“Based on advice from the team veterinarians and in consultation with the athletes, the decision was made in the best interest of the horse and team,” a spokesman for Equestrian Australia said.
The dressage in Tokyo continues this evening, when Jesse Campbell will be New Zealand’s second rider out, at 10.20pm.
