It’s 4 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The dressage riders are back competing at the Baji Koen Olympic Park in Tokyo for the second part of the Grand Prix, the qualifier that will decide which eight teams from 14 nations competing go on to Tuesday’s Grand Prix Special that determines the team medals.
Scores from the two competitions aren’t cumulative, but the Grand Prix is key for any country that has ambitions to try for the podium, and it is also a qualifier for the freestyle on Wednesday that will determine individual honors..
To catch up with what happened yesterday, go to the second feature story on this website. And for a Games preview, check out the first story in this website’s On the Rail section to the left.
Though we knew Tokyo would be hot, at 5 p.m. Japanese time (a 13-hour time difference from EDT), it’s an energy-draining 89 degrees that feels in the 90s, though it thankfully should get somewhat cooler as the evening goes on. Trying to avoid oppressive heat is why the horses compete late in the day or in the case of eventing, the next discipline on tap later this week, early in the morning..
In this blog, I’ll be covering rides of key players or anything interesting that comes up today. The most recent items are at the end. For highlights of today’s action, go to the NBC Sports Network at 1 p.m. Melanie Smith Taylor, a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic show jumping team, is a commentator for that..
The first to go today, Severo Jurado Lopez of Spain, earned 68.370 percent on Fendi T, who was gleaming with sweat.
4:18 a.m. EDT: Caroline Chew of Singapore, who trains in Britain, had a horribly disappointing Olympic debut when she was eliminated shortly into her test because her mount, Tribiani, apparently had a fleck of blood in his mouth.
I couldn’t see it, but the judges could, and the head of the ground jury came out to give Caroline the bad news. The horse tripped at the beginning of the test, so perhaps he bit his tongue. Under horse welfare rules, any sign of pink is enough for elimination, and that has happened to poor Caroline. She was the first rider from Singapore to compete at the Olympics in equestrian sport. Very disappointing to come all this way and not get through the test.
4:36 a.m.: Heike Holstein of Ireland on Sambuca is the only representative of her country here. Ireland qualified to field a team, but coach Jo Hinneman determined the other riders available had not met his standards and though other candidates who could have come to Tokyo fought his decision, the effort was to no avail.
Interestingly, Heike got the Irish qualification at a show where she appeared after having a bicycle accident. But a true athlete, she rode before going to the hospital. Her score today was 68.432 percent.
At 4:54 a.m., Canada’s Lindsay Kellock and Sebastien embarked on a ride that carried a great deal of emotion. Her brother, Jonathan, died of brain cancer before Lindsay made the team. But a postal error meant a necklace he bought her with a silver and diamond “L” charm for her first name came just before she set out for the Games. She was, of course, wearing the necklace when she rode.
Lindsay Kellock and Sebastien.
Lindsay is the goddaughter of Ashley Holzer, an Olympic veteran who is now an American citizen, but is coaching the Canadians in Tokyo.
A mistake in the half-pass and changes sadly made Lindsay’s score 65.404 percent, as Canada struggles to be one of the eight teams that will go on to the Special. Dressage is the only team Canada is fielding; it has two eventers and one show jumper, but no teams in those disciplines. Lindsay’s sister, Jamie, is a groom in Tokyo for Canadian eventer Jessica Phoenix.
5:16 a.m. EDT: Denmark, a team medal threat, got a score of 76.677 for Carina Cassoe Kruth with an impressive turn on Heiline’s Danceria who was really on form. They are leading the group now, but with Adrienne Lyle of the U.S. next to go with Salvino, that lead likely won’t last for long. .
5:30 a.m. EDT: Whoops. I was wrong. Adrienne had a very controlled ride, albeit with a mistake in the zig-zag and an extended canter in which she didn’t go for it. The judges marked her at 74.876, a nice score for nearly anyone else, but far from her best, with 6’s and even a 5 in the zig-zag. That means Carina is still leading the group, but Adrienne has qualified for the freestyle.The top two in each group qualify.
We were hoping Adrienne and Betsy Juliano’s stallion would produce an 80 percent ride, but again, this is only a qualifier so let’s focus on the Special going forward.
Adrienne explained that while Salvino went well in schooling with some brilliant moments, in the arena “Unfortunately, he kind of went in there and got a little tense and got tight and we lost a little of the balance and the self-carriage where we needed to be, and it was unfortunately far below what he is capable of.”
When she rode Wizard at the London Olympics in 2012, she appeared as an individual, but being part of the team involves so much more; there’s a focus on mutual support and responsibility.
“My teammates are incredible,” said Adrienne.
“During a team event, you’re riding for your team members. It’s about so much more than you. I couldn’t ask for a better team.”
Tomorrow is a day off, so she and Salvino will have some time to recover, and she’ll go through the video of her ride and see what needs to be tweaked.
She kept her disappointment in perspective, saying of horses, “They’re living animals and some days they’re not perfect. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. It just happens.”
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino in front of the ringside Zen garden.
I have known Adrienne since she was a working student in 2005 for Debbie McDonald (now the U.S. technical advisor), with whom I wrote the book, “Riding Through,” so I’ve watched her closely from the beginning of her Grand Prix career.
You won’t find a harder worker or a lovelier person than Adrienne, who is also tremendously talented. I look forward to what she can do on Tuesday when it counts for a medal.
The pressure now moves to the last U.S. rider, Steffen Peters, in his fifth Olympics. He and Suppenkasper have become ever more of an exciting combination through their years together and he can produce a very good score.
The U.S. stands fifth in the team rankings looking toward qualifying for the Special, with Adrienne’s score added to America’s Saturday starter, Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo (78.466 percent). Denmark leads the way, followed by Spain, Russia and the Netherlands.It’s now obvious we will have to watch out for the Danes in the medal competition, along with Great Britain and the Netherlands. We all assume that Germany will go on to claim its 14th Olympic team gold medal, so silver or bronze is what’s realistic and available.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera.
Yesterday, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow Werndl earned 84.379 percent, and still to come are the power pack of teammates Dorothee Schneider and the queen of dressage, Isabell Werth. Isabell has more gold medals than any other equestrian, ever, and more than most athletes in any sport.
You can expect Germany to be leading the team standings at the end of today, for whatever that comment is worth, since the outcome is a given, barring a disaster of Biblical proportions.
5:45 a.m. EDT Marlies van Baalen of the Netherlands and the Totilas son Go Legend (the offspring of the late spectacular Totilas seem to be everywhere) had a respectable 71.615 percent performance. Marlies’ mother, Coby, also rode in the Olympics. She was on the 2000 silver medal Dutch team in Sydney.
6:34 a.m. EDT: So disappointing for Kelly Layne of Australia, as her nation was striving to make the cut for the Special. The Aussies are standing sixth but won’t achieve their goal after Samhitas reared in the piaffe. Such a shame, when he had many lovely moments in the test. His score of 58.354 percent was a huge letdown.
The team scores really don’t mean much until all three riders have gone, so for Britain, that’s Charlotte Dujardin and Steffen for the U.S., as I said. Now the U.S. is seventh and Britain eighth, but that obviously will change. Germany isn’t even in the top ten, because it still has two riders to come. In any event, the home side Japanese team won’t be seen again in this Olympics. They have worked hard to up their game, but still have a way to go.
7:07 a.m. EDT: Sweden’s Juliette Ramel despite a mistake in the one-tempis with Buriel KH was scored at 73.369. I first saw this horse at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games and remember how impressed I was after taking a photo that showed him flying above ground in the one-tempis.
7:15 a.m. EDT: Yesterday was the day of personal bests for several riders. Today is the day of letdowns from some big names, it seems. Dorothee Schneider of Germany and Showtime are capable of going over 80 percent, but at one point the passage got only a nine from a single judge, while a big bobble in the first piaffe was expensive as he lost his impulsion. At times, Showtime also looked a tiny bit tight in the neck and behind the vertical..
Dorothee Schneider of Germany and Showtime.
So the mark was 78.820. Dorothy, who suffered a broken collarbone in the spring when her horse collapsed and died of an aortic rupture during the honor round at a German show, leads the group ahead of Juliette. She of course qualifies for the freestyle, as do the first two in every group.
7:31 a.m. EDT: We’re starting on the final group for the Grand Prix, which will end with the appearance of Germany’s Isabell Werth.
7:49 a.m. EDT: One of the nice things about the Olympics is seeing riders from countries you don’t associate with Grand Prix dressage. I was impressed by Yessin Rahmouni from Morocco with the stallion All at Once.
He had a very credible test, though it wasn’t perfect; there was that moment he broke into canter during the trot half-pass, for instance. But there were many nice things about the performance that had real polish and was scored at 66.599.
Yessin Rahmouni of Morocco on All at Once.
Yessin leads the final group at this moment, followed by Chile’s Virginia Yarur on Ronaldo, who also did a good job to achieve 66.227 percent.
Obviously, the rankings will change soon, with Great Britain’s multi-gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin due in the arena on Gio at 8:06 a.m. EDT.
But it’s nice to see riders from these countries not known for dressage having their time in the sun, however brief. And they’ll get better if they keep competing and learning, which widens the horizons of the horse world.
8:15 a.m. EDT: Gio and Charlotte Dujardin were everything we expected–and more. Their personal best score of 80.963 percent was so well-deserved for a test in which the British rider didn’t let a single point get away from her.
I smiled when I saw her halt done four-square before the rein-back, a place where some riders rush or don’t settle their horses. That’s the attention to detail that has earned her Olympic gold three times.Charlotte Dujardin and Gio.
But more important, Gio–known as Pumpkin around the barn for his round, chestnut body–was spot-on with his style in the piaffe/passage tour, getting 9s for passage. He’s pleasing in every aspect and so well-handled to bring out his best.
Charlotte. who owns a piece of him, spotted Gio at a clinic in the U.S. and brought him along under the eyes of her mentor, Carl Hester, who looks to be joining her in qualifying for the individual test Wednesday aboard En Vogue.
It was a surprise when Charlotte picked Gio for the Olympics over Mount Saint John Freestyle, her 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games individual bronze medal mount, but she said the mare wasn’t fit enough for the Tokyo heat, and she was thinking of focusing on helping the team, rather than earning an individual medal. Gio was the right answer for that, she felt. And now she’ll have a shot at an individual medal too.
Gio and Charlotte Dujardin.
Gio had just three international Grand Prix starts before coming to Tokyo.
“It was a bit of the unknown, really – I didn’t know what to expect in there, under the floodlights, in an arena like that,” said Charlotte.
The 16-hand Apache gelding was up to the challenge, earning his first international Grand Prix score over 80 percent..
“I couldn’t ask any more from him tonight, he went in and he tried his absolute heart out,” said Charlotte
“He’s just unbelievable. He gives me everything he’s got, even though he needs to get stronger and a bit more confident. I can’t ask any more of him.
“I felt so emotional on the last center line, because when you have a ride like that, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. He’s absolutely lived up to expectations.To me, this was as good as winning tonight because I know he couldn’t have done any more for where he is right now in his training and with how few competitions he’s done. That’s like a gold medal, one of those really special moments that I’ll remember for forever and a day.”
8:33 a.m. EDT: Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu did her best with the massive chestnut All In and achieved a score of 71.677 percent, but it won’t be enough to qualify Canada for the team final on Tuesday. As I’ve said before, only eight of 14 countries will move ahead to the medal round, and Canada has fallen short.
Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands have made the cut, and obviously Germany will. I am sure the U.S. will too, but the last American rider, Steffen Peters, doesn’t go until 8:42 a.m. EDT.
8:52 a.m. EDT: USA has made the team final and Steffen Peters was superb with Suppenkasper to score 76.196 percent. It will break his streak of 22 wins in a row, but he was exceptionally solid and key to the U.S. securing its place.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Noting his mount “came in super relaxed,” Steffen said he had a very good walk tour, even though it was “challenging for him in an arena like this.”
Please with his score, he said, “We’re going to step it up a little bit in the Grand Prix Special.” The focus there on his trot extensions “helps him quite a bit.” Other things he likes about the test include the walk/ piaffe transition, and the fact that “we don’t have to do the silly zig-zag, we don’t have to do the rein back. It floats a little more and for a big-moving horse, it’s a better test.”
With four previous Olympics to his credit, Steffen acknowledged that this one is very different because of Covid. Restrictions are abundant. Mingling with athletes from other countries, usually a Games highlight, is a no-no, along with visiting restaurants, shopping and having the support of relatives, who have not been allowed to come due to an edict from the Japanese government.
What the riders have to do is not a problem, in Steffen’s view.
“Olympians are used to rules. The rules are stricter this year with Covid. If we can’t respect the rules, we shouldn’t be Olympians.”
In the big picture, when it comes to sacrifice, he said, “What a tiny small sacrifice we made compared to the rest of the population. If we think we lost 600,000 people in the U.S., that’s a sacrifice. What we did here is not a sacrifice whatsoever.”
9:02 a.m. EDT: Isabell Werth and Bella Rose, the number one combination in the world, couldn’t best teammate Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, but had the second-highest score of this weekend, 82.500 percent. As I mentioned earlier, today wasn’t generally the day for personal bests.
Isabell Werth and Bella Rose.
Isabell got 10s for transitions, the halt and piaffe, but but was weighed down with 6.5 and 7s for the collected walk and the same for the extended walk, where she got a 5!. I’m sure Bella Rose will sparkle more for the team competition, and particularly for the freestyle
9:30 a.m. EDT: Here are the eight teams that made the cut for Tuesday’s Special: 1) Germany; 2) Great Britain, 3) Denmark; 4) USA; 5) Netherlands; 6) Sweden; 7) Portugal (interesting!) 8) Spain. It would turn out that Sabine Schut-Kery (Sanceo) would be the highest-scoring U.S. rider on 78.466 percent, with Steffen second-highest and Adrienne–the highest-ranked U.S. rider in the FEI standings at number 15–third for the U.S. in the Grand Prix. Unexpected, but see her comments above in the story.
Tomorrow is a day off, so I won’t have a story then unless there’s some big news. I’ll be live-blogging the Grand Prix Special starting at 4 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, so please check back at any time to follow along o catch up. We had the story first both days this weekend, and plan on doing that again so you know what’s happening without having to get up before dawn.
By the way, I very much appreciate all the thank you notes I’ve gotten for my stories. It’s so worthwhile to do this if people are interested in it. See you Tuesday!
