Karin Donckers lit up a blustery arena with a typically soft and supple Dressage test on Gazelle de la Brasserie at The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™, and became the first Belgian rider to lead the field at this event.
The combination, who lay 2nd after Dressage at the Olympics in Hong Kong last year, finishing eventual 9th, were greeted with loud cheers by the appreciative crowd who realised they had seen an exhibition of perfect harmony between horse and rider. In a new top 3 today, they lead last year’s runners-up, Lucy Wiegersma (GBR) and the impressive chestnut Shaabrak, by just 1 penalty Oliver Townend (GBR) and the grey Flint Curtis, 3rd here in 2006, are lying 3rd, and the first-day leader, Emily Baldwin, is 4th.
It is Donckers’ third visit to Badminton, after collecting numerous accolades on the continent and representing Belgium at senior level for nearly 20 years. She completed Badminton on Chumbawumba in 2004 but had a fall from Gormley at the Vicarage Vee.
Gazelle de la Brasserie, a 15-year-old Swiss Warmblood by Karacondo was bred by her joint-owner, Jacques Pellaux. One of 9 mares competing at Badminton, she has had two foals by embryo transfer.
Windy conditions caused a number of horses to play up, including the World Champion Toytown, who tried to spin around in the rein-back. His rider, Zara Phillips (GBR), rode a tactful test under black cloud conditions, but was clearly a little disappointed with their mark of 45.3 which leaves them in 9th. However, the scoring is excitingly close at the top of the field and they are less than 7 penalties behind the leader with a cross-country day ahead which should suit the bold and long-striding Toytown.
“I’ll just have to try and do better tomorrow,” smiled Phillips. “He was good in the trot work, but then he got high in his neck. He doesn’t like the wind. But I’m looking forward to the cross-country very much. I don’t feel under too much pressure from anyone, only from myself wanting to do my best.”
Competition statistics
81 horses completed the Dressage Marks range from 38.8 to 86
72 riders scored in the 30s
11 riders scored in the 40s
32 horses scored in the 50s
27 horses scored in the 60s
7 horses scored in the 70s
2 horses scored in the 80s
Cross-Country starts at 11am (UK time)
Course-designer is Hugh Thomas (GBR), the Event Director since 1989
Technical Delegate is Guiseppe della Chiesa (ITA)
Bravo, Roberto
Italian rider Roberto Rotatori, 41, took the Dressage by storm, scoring 43.7 to slot into 6th place on Della M. Irham de Vaiges, a 13-year-old Selle Francais by Kings Road, bought from Nicolas Touzaint (FRA). Interestingly, Rotatori, who runs a training yard near Milan, only returned to the sport of Eventing three years ago, after a nine-year gap. He was a member of Italy’s bronze medal team at the 2007 FEI European Championship at Pratoni del Vivaro and jumped clear across country at last year’s Olympics.
He explained: “I came to visit my friend Susanna Bordone at her base in England and I saw this little black horse, Caspian, and that made me think that I would like to compete again. I have been to Badminton many times as a spectator, but it has been my dream to ride here because it’s the most important competition in the world. I’m lucky because my horse is a superstar. He loves the cross-country and I can’t wait to start.”
Promising debut
Emily Llewellyn (GBR), the reigning European Young Rider Champion, rode a poised dressage test at her first 4-star event to go into 12th place on Society Spice on a score of 48.3. “My goal was to be under 50, so at least I’ve started on the right foot,” she said.
At 19, Llewellyn is the youngest rider at Badminton, but she has the benefit of experience in the shape of her mother Cindy, a former Badminton rider. “I just want to do as well as I can,” she said, “the atmosphere is amazing and it just feels like an honour to be here.”
Llewellyn is a member of UK Sport’s World Class Performance scheme and is at Sussex University reading business management. She has been riding Society Spice, who was broken in by Mark Corbett and ridden in Young Riders by Susannah Barker (GBR) for three years.
Cross-country challenge
Andrew Nicholson (NZL), 58th on 63.3pen after the 10-year-old Spanish-bred Armada became, like so many horses, tense in the windy conditions, has completed Badminton more times (26) than any other rider, but he says that it doesn’t get any easier. “It doesn’t matter how many times you come here, the cross-country is still difficult, and the huge crowds make it even more of a challenge.
“I think it’s a very fair course this time, and horses are given every opportunity to look at the fences and see what they’ve got to do, but riders will need to concentrate right to the end. The Mitsubishi Quarry (fences 22, 23, 24ab) looks straightforward but you’ll have to waste a few seconds of time if you’re going to get the best jumps. The three brushes at the penultimate fence are the same (Rolex Turn, 25, 26, 27), again you’ll have to waste time to give your horse the best chance.”
Lucy Wiegersma said: “I think the Sunken Road is technical and I’ll be glad to get that one over with, and there’s plenty to do at the end of the course. I think it’s a really nice track, big, bold and attacking and I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s perhaps not as technical as last year – I’m not as terrified as I was last time but there’s plenty of places to make a mistake.”
Quotes
Karin Donckers: “The English people are crazy about Eventing and that’s what makes Badminton so special. My main plan is to try and go faster than I did in Hong Kong! I’m hoping to learn a lot from my first ride (on SS Jett, lying 17th on 51.2pen) and then I plan to kick on with the mare!”
Lucy Wiegersma: “It’s the most tense Shaabrak has ever been, because he’s usually such a level-headed horse. The whole test felt a bit like a damage-limitation exercise, but it must have looked better than it felt! I was hoping to get into the 30s – and I just have!”
Oliver Townend: “It was quite a noisy atmosphere in the arena and so I just tried to ride him as though it didn’t matter. I was surprised and pleased with the way he coped with it. It’s the first time I’ve been able to sit there and ride Flint Curtis; he hasn’t felt as rideable as that for a long time so I’m really, really thrilled with him.”
Results
1 Karin Donckers/Gazelle de la Brasserie (BEL) 38.8
2 Lucy Wiegersma/Shaabrak (GBR) 39.7
3 Oliver Townend/Flint Curtis (GBR) 40.5
4 Emily Baldwin/Drivetime (GBR) 42.3
5 William Fox-Pitt/Idalgo (GBR) 42.8
6 Roberto Rotatori/Della M. Irham de Vaiges (ITA) 43.7
7 Ruth Edge/Mayhem lll (GBR) 43.8
8 Matthew Wright/If You Want (GBR) 44.3
9 Zara Phillips/Toytown (GBR) 45.3
10 Joanna May/Faerre Vision (GBR) 46.7
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