Yes, it’s 4 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 24, and it’s finally happening! After a year’s postponement due to Covid, horses actually are competing in the lovely arena at Baji Koen Equestrian Park, which also hosted Tokyo’s 1964 Olympic Games.
No outside spectators are allowed under pandemic protocol, but some seats are filled by those associated with the horses, from vets to trainers and owners, so the stands aren’t totally empty (just close to it.) Still, there isn’t really anything in the way of atmosphere that says “Olympics.” But I’m sure for every rider here, these Games–as unusual as they are–feel like the pinnacle of everything they’ve worked for over the years.
I’ll be blogging about the highlights, so I won’t mention every horse, just the most interesting ones!
We started off with an impressive effort by the lovely Lusitano Escorial, who is a popular stallion in Portugal. Looking at his powerful passage, you can see why.
How cute is Escorial?
“Good job,” someone from the sidelines yelled after Joao Victor Marcari Oliva finished his ride for Brazil. Even though he did not have a lot of chances to compete in the run-up to the Games, he finished on 70.419.
Meanwhile, Victoria Max-Theurer of Austria, who hoped to follow once again in her mother’s footsteps at the Games, has withdrawn Abbeglen NRW. The culprit was a molar abcess. How unlucky! (check out the second story on this website for the names of some other horses that have been withdrawn.)
The rider’s mother, Sissy, won gold at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by many countries, including the U.S. The withdrawal means Austria no longer has a team, since three members are required to compete to achieve that status.
Zack, a newish partner for Nana Skodborg Merrill of Denmark, had errors in piaffe and two-tempis. At 17, he is one of the oldest horses in the competition and came up with a nice score of 73.168.
Mary Hanna, an Australian grandmother of three, had a mistake in the two-tempis but handled her horse Calanta with style, showing off his very active passage.
“I could have done with being more nervous today,” she said, relating to the lack of the spectators who normally create a sense of the occasion.
She was marked at 67.981. Her mount is by Johnson, who had been ridden by perennial Dutch team member, Hans Peter Minderhoud.
Mary Hanna and Calanta.
Yvonne Losos de Muniz, who we regularly see at the Global Dressage Festival in Florida, expertly rode Aquamarijn to a score of .70.869, with passage and piaffe very sharp off the ground.
Based in the U.S., she rides for the Dominican Republic. Her horse had a correct but nicely compact frame to produce our second score over 70 percent so far.
At 5:03 a.m. EDT, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry has the best score to this point, 77.096, which will qualify the Netherlands-based rider and Everdale for the freestyle, which is the individual final. Lottie’s late mother, Laura, rode in the 1992 Olympics and was a European championships silver medalist.
Charlotte Fry and Everdale.
It’s a good start for Britain, a contender for the silver or bronze team medals (Germany we assume has locked up gold.).
Everdale was a picture of concentration on the same wavelength as his rider. He has a tendency to be feisty, which is why his owner, rather than Lottie, trotted him out in the horse inspection, where he went last in case of antics. The only obvious flaw I saw in his test was a weak second pirouette.
Also through to the final is Sweden’s Therese Nilshagen, the highest-rated rider on the world standings list in the first group of competitors, with Dante Weltino Old. Her score was 75.140.
So a new group has taken the stage at 5:36 a.m. EDT and now we have a new best score. Not unexpectedly, it’s the Netherlands’ Edward Gal on Total US, a son of his late, great mount, Totilas.
Edward Gal of the Netherlands and Total US.
Although the horse who has the dramatic action of his sire is only nine years old and just made his international debut this year, he is very polished under the guidance of a master rider, posting a mark of 78.649
Loved his elevated pirouettes, and his front leg action is mesmerizing. You can expect to see Edward (who is sporting a beard) in the individual final. And if the Games hadn’t been postponed for a year, you wouldn’t have seen Total US in the Olympics–he would have been too young and inexperienced.
Edward was resplendent in an orange tailcoat, something new. The Netherlands is all about orange (its reigning house is Orange-Nassau.)
Spain’s veteran Beatriz Ferrer-Salat is another over 70 percent on the aptly named Elegance with 72.096 percent.
Portugal is fielding its first Olympic dressage team and Maria Caetano was off to a good start with Fenix de Tineo on 70.311 percent. Only eight teams will make it into the Grand Prix Special on Tuesday, where the team medals will be decided. The Grand Prix is only a qualifier for the Special.
Canada’s lead-off rider, Chris von Martels with Eclips, missed out on hitting 70 percent with a break in the final passage that didn’t help his score. Canada’s only equestrian team in Tokyo is dressage; it just is fielding individuals in eventing and show jumping.
At 630 a.m. EDT, I thought back and remembered Russia’s Mister X as being so electric when I watched him in the World Cup finals and the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games. He’s now 17 and isn’t quite the same; understandable after missing two seasons due to injury.
And when the Trakehner was recovering, his rider, Inessa Merkulova, had a fall in the spring of 2020 and was in an induced coma for four weeks. She returned to action in the fall of 2020. They had a few moments today that weren’t up to par, including a slow canter depart and a break in the extended trot. Unfortunately, they didn’t make 70 percent (they used to be well above that) and were marked at 69.457 percent.
Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian.
Cathrine Dufour of Denmark lived up to expectations with Bohemian at 6:57 a.m. EDT, earning the first score over 80 percent today with a mark of 81.056 percent.
The Danish national champion, who is ranked number six in the world, qualified for the individual finals and will buoy her squad’s efforts in the team medal race.
Her ride was disciplined and correct, a tribute to the harmony between and exceptional horse and his skilled rider.
Great Britain’s Carl Hester took over the ride on En Vogue from Charlotte Dujardin (who we will be seeing tomorrow on Gio) because he was better suited to this mount, though she remains as part-owner. His relationship with the horse showed in the balance he demonstrated during his 7:30 a.m. EDT test as rain started coming down to ease the 82-degree temperature.
Carl Hester pats En Vogue for job well done.
He had a mistake at the beginning of the two-tempis, but got a very nice mark of 75.124 added to the 77.096 earned by teammate Lottie Fry earlier in the day.
Carl is the mastermind of Great Britain’s success, which most notably included team gold in London 2012 and two individual golds for his protege Charlotte Dujardin on the now-retired Valegro. Charlotte rides tomorrow on Gio.
At 8:15 a.m.EDT, the USA’s first rider, Sabine Schut-Kery demonstrated her special connection with the stallion Sanceo, producing highlights in piaffe and passage and one of the pirouettes, resulting in a terrific score of 78.466 percent. That should be good enough to get her into the individual final.
Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
This is her first Olympics and she showed great composure, doing what she came to do. She formerly focused on doing show biz-type exhibitions before turning her attention to international competition.
Sabine and Sanceo also were members of the U.S. gold medal team at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Her teammates Adrienne Lyle and Steffen Peters will ride tomorrow.
The last rider to go, at 8:42 a.m. EDT,Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl delivered as expected with TSF Dalera, turning in the highest score of the day, 84.379 percent, as she started her country on the road to its 15th Olympic team gold.
This partnership looks effortless as they perform the movements, one flowing into another in a continuous array of ability.
So that’s a wrap for today. I’ll close with Sabine’s thoughts about representing the U.S. in her first Olympics and coming up with such a great score on Sanceo (78.466 percent). Don’t forget, she’s a native of Germany who is devoted to America after building a life here, and is returning the favor by representing the USA.
Of Sanceo she said, “Hes always just so with me, he is like a partnership, absolutely. You go in there and he gives you a little bit that feeling, `I got it,’ and he also likes going into that venue. He definitely puffed up a little bit.”
Discussing her test, she said, “The highlight to me that feels always amazing is piaffe/passage. The most important thing was for me was to make it here, I thought that was a huge deal, riding back in June (in the mandatory outing) and making sure I got my spot.”
And that spot wasn’t just for her or Sanceo’s owners.
“When you come as a team, you don’t ride really for yourself anymore. For me, it was really important to ride for my teammates and my country, and for all of you, for (coach) Christine (Traurig), (U.S. technical advisor) Debbie (McDonald), for my teammates, for the federation and also for friends and fans.”
U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor Debbie McDonald waving the flag on the kiss-and-cry stand at Baji Koen.
Sabine brought Sanceo up through the ranks after trying him in Germany when he had been ridden only 10 times.
“Thinking back, I would never have thought where we’d end up,” she observed.
After all the levels, including the Pan American Games gold medal team in 2015, “to finish at the Olympics is unreal, it’s so special.
“I take pride in managing him and keeping him healthy through all these years. This is also a huge part.”
Please come back to my website tomorrow for the second half of the Grand Prix. I’ll be blogging it starting at 4 a.m., EDT just as I did today.
