Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52 have a first individual championship title in their sights after a superb cross-country performance at the Agria FEI Eventing European Championship at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire (GB).
Laura and London 52 powered across Capt Mark Phillips’s influential cross-country course, producing the second fastest round of the day, for six time penalties. They have snatched the individual lead from triple European champion and German anchorman Michael Jung, who is now second with 10 time penalties, but still within a show jumping fence of Laura.
Laura’s Olympic teammate Tom McEwen is currently in individual bronze medal position on JL Dublin with 6.8 cross-country time penalties, but the British team was eliminated after both Yasmin Ingham (Rehy DJ) and Piggy March (Halo) had rider falls.
Germany, European champions in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019, now has a comfortable nine-fence margin in the team competition after a nail-biting day of drama and form upsets amongst some brilliant riding.
Germany were the only team to have all members jump clear and individual rider Calvin Bockmann, the youngest in the field, was the fastest of the day, sitting now in fourth place on The Phantom of the Opera after a spectacular performance.
Ireland, whose last European team medal was bronze in 1995, has risen from eighth place after dressage to the team silver medal position, with Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis the best placed individually in 10th.
Switzerland is two show jumping fences behind Ireland in bronze medal position, with Melody Johner (Erin) the highest placed individual in sixth; the Swiss, in turn, have just one fence in hand over fourth-placed France.
Austria’s Lea Siegl is in fifth place on Van Helsing P and has elevated her team to fifth place also.
Laura Collett admitted she had endured a long, nervous wait, particularly after the mishaps that befell her two team mates as well as Britain’s two individual riders, Caroline Harris (D. Day) and Bubby Upton (It’s Cooley Time), who both fell off as well in an extraordinarily unlucky day for the home nation.
“It’s been a very long day,” she said. “There were problems all around the course and, as expected, the optimum time was tight, but London 52 just kept going and I can’t quite believe that we are in the lead.
“We’ve got such a partnership and we needed it today. The crowds were amazing, and he loves that and just kept going.
“I’m not quite so excited about tomorrow [the show jumping finale] but what will be will be.”
Michael Jung is clearly not giving up on a record fourth individual European title: “We will stay focussed and try to put on the pressure [on Laura],” he said.
He paid tribute to his long-term partner, FischerChipmunk FRH: “He is amazing and his galloping and jumping was super. He was a bit ‘looky’ in the first water complex but he was powerful to the end. The middle part of the cross-country course was intense and you had to let the horse breathe.
“It has been a perfect day for Germany. The luck was on our side.”
The final horse inspection takes place at 8am tomorrow; show jumping for the lower placed horses will start at 11am.
In the GFS Saddles CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-old horses, Samantha Lissington has retained her lead on Quantas R with a clear show jumping round. The cross-country will commence at 9.30am.
