United States Eventing Association

Bettina Hoy Takes the Lead in the Luhmühlen CCI4*; Three U.S. Pairs in the Top 20

After day two of the four-star dressage, Bettina Hoy and Designer 10 (Dali X x Caesy), a 13-year-old Westphalian owned by Wilfried Stute, take the lead with just 36.0 penalties. As the new overnight leader she is going start in the cross-country phase in first. In second place are Julia Krajewski with Samurai du Thot (Milor Landais x Melitos Du Thot), an 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by DOKR, followed by Marilyn Little and RF Scandalous, Jacqueline Mars, Robin Parsky and Phoebe and Michael Manders' 12-year-old Oldenburg mare (Carry Gold x Richardia) in third on a 38.0. After a day of sun, wind, rain and excellent sport, everybody is now looking forward to tomorrow’s beautiful cross-country.

“Designer was really relaxed today”, says Hoy, who won this event in 2005 with Ringwood Cockatoo. “I was a little annoyed about the small fault we had in the first extended trot, but otherwise he felt great. In fact, the last trot was so good I almost forgot to halt for the final salute!“ Further, Hoy commented on how much Designer has been progressing in the last couple of years and dressage trainer Sebastian Heinze played a major part in that. “He is very good in understanding the horse and what it needs to improve.“

Krajewski said she had a great day with both horses today. “Sam was really concentrating on the job in hand and his trot tour was the best we had so far. Unfortunately we had a little hiccup in the last flying change, which might have cost us a few points. Riding in front of such a big stage is a challenge and I am very proud how my two have coped with it today.” Because all the scores are so close together, the cross-country is going to be really exciting.

A score of 44.5 gave Hannah Sue Burnett and Jacqueline Mars' Harbour Pilot, a 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Cruising x Shannon) a spot just inside the top-10 while the other U.S. representative who rode today, William Coleman sits in 19th on a 48.1. The Four Star Eventing Group's 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Obos O'Reilly, (OBOS Quality x Omard Clover Queen) scored his personal best FEI dressage score despite the blustery conditions that came up during his ride.

Full results are available here

William Coleman and Obos O'Reilly. Shannon Brinkman Photo.

The first rider is going on Mike Etherington-Smith's new cross-country course at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow. Starting order is here

U.S. pairs - (times are local, Germany is 6 hours ahead)

(8) - 25th place - Sharon White and Cooley On Show - 1:41 p.m.
(19) - 40th place - Katherine Coleman and Longwood - 2:29 p.m.
(25) -3rd place - Marily Little and RF Scandalous - 2:53 p.m.
(33) - 10th place - Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot - 3:29 p.m.
(40) - 19th place - William Coleman and Obos O'Reilly - 3:57 p.m.

Thoughts on the CCI4* cross-country course

Chris Bartle: “The course is impressive, very beautifully presented. It starts of flowing nicely to give the horses the chance to get going. Then there are some good technical questions, but always with clear lines. The course is not as challenging as some of the other four-star-courses we know, but is a great track to get used to riding at four-star-level. The Meßmer water complex is a challenge not to be underestimated, it’ll be interesting to see who will choose the direct route.”

Dirk Schrade: “The new course looks beautiful with lots to jump. Concentration is needed to solve the questions being asked. The technical aspects of the track should not be underestimated, but everything looks fair.”

Niklas LIndbäck: “The track looks amazing. The jumps are all inviting and beautifully built. It is a fast course, which should not cause too many problems.”

Andreas Dibowski: “The four-star-course is nicely built with many straightforward tasks for horses and riders. I think the middle part will make staying within the optimum time tricky, as there are quite a few loops, which are time consuming. Further, I think there are a few too many drops on this course, which could have been avoided.”

Bettina Hoy: “The course is nice, but then I really like Mike’s courses. He always asks clear questions, which makes riding so much more pleasurable for horse and rider. I think it was a good move to have the change. I am sure we will all enjoy tomorrow’s cross-country, but time could be an issue. The many loops will make it hard to stay within the optimum time.”

Julia Krajewski: “I think the cross-country looks very different this year. With a lot of technical challenges, horse and rider need to concentrate all the way round. There are quite a few drops, which might break up the rhythm. The water jumps are challenging as ever. Time might be a problem, but there are quite few stretches, where you can make up time.”