Story by Chris Hector and photos by Eventing Photo
Well for a start, the Germans seem to be quite unbeatable. Even with their superstar Michi Jung sitting this one out, and with the leading Germans following their established policy of competing CIC rather than CCI in the run up to a championship, they finishing first, second, fourth, fifth and seventh with their top two, Sandra Auffarth on Opgun Louvo on a final score of 32.7 and Ingrid Klimke and Horseware Hale Bob on 36.6.
In the Four-Star, German veteran, Andreas Dibowski took the title for the second time on a score of 43.8 riding an off the track Thoroughbred, It’s Me (by Epsom Derby winner Kahyasi), just in front of Frenchman, Maxime Livio and Qalao des Mers on 44.9 – and just to prove that the German production line is still chugging along, in third spot, 27 year old Julia Krajewski and Samurai du Thot. Julia led the dressage on a 39, picked up 10 time cross country, then showjumped clear.
Julia Krajewski won the dressage on Samurai du Thot. After she finished the event in 2nd she commented: “He is simply amazing and I can’t stop smiling. I am so happy with how things went for us: he just got better and better. His dressage was strong but his cross country was out of this world. The showjumping seemed so effortless for my little fighter!
Interesting that two of the top three in the four-star, were Selle Français bred – as is the winner of the CIC.
When I spoke to him, Andrew Hoy was ruing his rails in the showjumping on Rutherglen, three down and they slipped from 6th to 12th, he also had two down with Cheeky Calimbo, to add to 33.6 cross country, with a run out, to drop from 2nd after the dressage to 22nd in the final standings:
“The way the program worked out on the final day, it was a very tight schedule and I didn’t work them as I normally would, it’s disappointing, but you can’t change it. The scores are now history.”
Emma Dougall and Belcam Bear were 3rd after the dressage in the four-star, picked up 10 time cross country to drop to 7th – then failed to present at the final trot up… Poor Emma.
“On the cross country, Rutherglen was just absolutely fantastic. He jumped a fantastic round, I felt very comfortable with him all the way round the course. I was well up on the clock at one point in time, and then I decided to take it a little bit steady and went into the main arena, and came out down on the clock. I got back within two seconds without being crazy. It was just very comfortable for him and I was absolutely thrilled with the way he jumped and the lines he took.”
“Cheeky Calimbo, everything was fantastic except for two seconds – when I jumped up out of the water to a skinny and he just decided to run past to the left. The rest of the round was lovely but again, it’s on the result sheet and you can’t change it.”
Andrew and Cheeky Calimbo
Has that put an end to your chances for Rio?
“I really don’t know. I have no understanding of the thought process of the selectors. It’s not just all about one competition and that’s why we have selectors. If we didn’t have selectors we’d have a point system. But Cheeky Calimbo has won a CCI three star this year, Rutherglen has had some very good performances, like second in a CCI***, second in a CIC*** and fourth in a CCI*** where there were 90 starters. He’s been very consistent, but I really don’t know what the selectors are thinking… I think both horses could produce a very very solid performance at Rio.”
Andrew Hoy and Rutherglen, they were 12th after the dressage on 48.5, added just 0.8 on the cross, and then three rails down in the showjumping. We note that Ingrid Klimke was also riding in an electric blue outfit – at THM we are all for a bit of flash in equestrian sport, but there are limits…!
Bill Levett also had two horses in the four star at Luhmühlen, and came home in 6th spot of Alexander NJ on 54.6, and13th on Improvise with a 75.5:
“They both went very well. My more experienced horse, Improvise, did a solid test, and then basically on the cross country, I got a line wrong, and I couldn’t turn to a third element. He didn’t run out, I just missed the third element. I paid the price for going early probably. I would have got the time with him because he only got 11.35 time, even with the turn and trot back to jump the third element.”
It was good to see that another former winner at Luhmühlen, Andrew Nicholson who won in 2013 event, finished fifth and seventh on Qwanza (pictured) and Perfect Stranger. Nicholson suffered a very serious neck injury in August last year at Gatcombe Park but seems to have returned at the top of his game, and won Bramham CCI3* a week before Luhmühlen. Still Andrew has been ruled out of the Kiwi team for Rio following his dispute with the NZ Federation.
“The most pleasing thing was that he did a clear showjumping round. I’ve done a lot of work over winter with a new trainer, and I was itching to see whether it was going to work out for us. He has been a horse that has struggled with the showjumping because he is a very quirky little fella, but he does want to be clear. Even with his showjumps down previously, he is coming 9th at four-stars, he did jump clear at Burghley to finish 6th. It was nice to see he has got a conscience and he does want to leave the jumps up, but you’ve got to ride him in a particular way, and set him up in a particular way, and I think we’ve really nailed that now, which is pleasing.”
Bill Levett and Improvise, on 45.5 after the dressage, then a run out for 30 cross country penalties, before they put together one of the few clears in the four-star showjumping. Improvise is by the great Thoroughbred sire of eventers, Master Imp
Would you choose him as your horse for Rio if you got to choose?
“That’s a hard call really. Improvise can do a better test, he can do a 30’s dressage on his day. He did a 41 at Fontainebleau in the early Spring and came 8th out there in a really hot field.”
“It was Alexander’s first four-star and this Spring he has been very solid at the CIC***s, 43, 42, 44 dressage. I just over-cooked him a bit at Luhmühlen and gave him too much work. Like Christoph Hess said, outside, ten minutes before, he was looking a different horse. He’s done two CCI***, double clear. His dressage has always been about 50, but we did a lot of work with Gareth Hughes over the winter, and thought we had him about 8 marks better, that has been the case during the Spring events, so I was deflated after the test on Friday to get a 52. But he is a phenomenal cross country horse, he hasn’t had a cross country penalty in all his career, except once trotting to a water complex and stumbling in the water, when he was a two-star horse. He is a very good showjumper, I don’t think he has had a rail all year. He’s got solid form, he’s not difficult, and he is a very fast horse. I ride him in a snaffle.”
Andreas Dibowski acquired the 12-year-old It’s Me as a four-year-old, off the racetrack, but injuries when he was five and six kept him out, and he only started to establish himself last year. According to Dibo: “He hasn’t got the biggest jump in him, yet he doesn’t seem to realize this. He was confident throughout every phase of this competition and we are massively proud of this tiny horse.” It’s Me is line bred to the French Thoroughbred, Blushing Groom
“There’s points for both horses, it’s a hard one, I would say Alexander NJ is definitely an easier horse to get a tune out of.”
So what does it all mean for the Aussie Team prospects for Rio?
My feeling is that it was going to take a standout performance at Luhmühlen to get on to the team. Right now, my tip for the team would be: Shane Rose and CP Qualified, Stuart Tinney and Pluto Mio, Christopher Burton and Santano and Sam Griffith and Paulank Brockhagh – with Bill Levett, Sonja Johnson and Andrew Hoy ready in the wings, and bear in mind, that it is in the last few weeks before a major event, that horses tend to go sideways. At the last Games, the members of the team seemed to change every 24 hours in the final couple of days…
Sandra Auffarth leads off on the victory lap… / Photo: Thomas lx