Slam dunk for Jung at Badminton

Story by Catherine Austen and photos by Eventing Photo/Trevor Holt

Michael Jung holds complete dominion over the sport of eventing. The 33-year-old German, who has already won the Olympic, World and European titles, proved he is head and shoulders above his peers by taking the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton trophy a week after winning Rolex Kentucky…

Given his Land Rover Burghley victory last autumn, he therefore also won the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing – only the second person ever to do so.

It wasn’t just any old Badminton triumph, either. Jung, riding what has to be the best event horse in history, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, finished on his dressage mark of 34.4: the lowest score in the event’s records.

Quotes from Jung are never particularly revealing. His English vocabulary is not wide and, although he tried hard to give the press corps what they want, much of the time he gives the impression that he is slightly bemused by all the fuss we are making. For him, winning is easy, and his superb big-match temperament means that he really does approach a championship event in the same way that he does a national competition in Germany.

“I’m so proud of my horse,” said Jung immediately after the clear showjumping round that clinched him the title. “He’s not just a horse, he’s my friend, and we are a partnership.

“I can’t believe it at the moment. We need a bit of time for it to sink in!”

Jung is now winning titles on other horses, and plans to take his 2015 European champion FischerTakinou to Rio this summer, but it was Sam who made him, and who gave him his first individual gold medals at the Europeans, the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics. It could not have been more appropriate, therefore, that this horse – a 16-year-old by the German based Irish Thoroughbred, Stan The Man – was the one to give him the Grand Slam. They have contested five CCI4*s together, outside of championships, and have won three – Badminton, Burghley last year and Luhmühlen in 2009 – and finished second and third in the other two. 

Michael Jung and La Biosthetique – Sam FBW

It was the first time a German has won Badminton, and they proved their strength as a nation ahead of the Olympics by taking the runner-up spot, too, courtesy of a delighted Andreas Ostholt and So Is Et.

The British took a respectable three of the top 10 places, led by Gemma Tattersall and the ex-racehorse Arctic Soul in third and followed by Tina Cook (Star Witness, seventh) and Izzy Taylor (Allercombe Ellie, eighth). But New Zealanders were fourth, fifth, sixth and 10th, with Ireland’s Camilla Speirs sneaking into ninth on the pony-sized Portersize Just A Jiff.

It wasn’t such a happy weekend in the Australian camp. Just four started in the end, and Paul Tapner was the best rewarded in 19th on Vanir Kamira.

Paul Tapner riding Vanir Kamira

Sam Griffiths was left cursing a glance-off on the cross-country with his 2014 Badminton winner Paulank Brockagh. Given that the mare performed a personal best dressage test for 10th place and a mark of 42.2, showjumped clear and, having only accrued 7.2 time-faults across country despite that run-out, she would have made the time allowed without it. If she had finished on that dressage score, the pair would have been second behind Jung.

“I’ve had a ‘nearly’ weekend,” admitted Griffiths. “She showjumped so well it felt like each fence could have gone up another two holes and she wouldn’t have touched anything.”

Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh

Will it be enough to get him to Rio?

“I’d like to think I’ve got a lot of form behind me,” he said. “She’s shown such improvement in the dressage and showjumping, and we know she’s a great cross-country horse. I think we could really have a chance of a medal.”

Neither Christopher Burton nor Bill Levett completed the cross-country. Burton, riding his recent Belton CIC3* winner Nobilis 18, had taken fifth place after dressage with a score of 40.3.

The Hanoverian 11-year-old – who actually started his career with Michael Jung – was tackling his first CCI4*, having finished second in his only CCI3* at Blenheim last September, and was going easily until fence 23, the Shogun Hollow, where he got the first element all wrong, leaving a front leg and decanting Burton.

The latter took a heavy fall and, having got three-quarters of the way round a tough, 11min 58 sec track, will have to think carefully about where and when to run now to get the selectors’ nod – probably the CCI4* at Luhmühlen.

Levett’s round also ended at the Shogun Hollow, two acutely angled brushes on either side of a steep gully. Improvise, the 12-year-old by Master Imp owned by Bill and his wife Jenny, Ali Butler and Elisabeth Murdoch, stopped twice and Bill walked home.

Levett, who made his championship debut for Australia at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, had been a little disappointed with his dressage test, which scored 47.2 for 29th place.

“I missed a couple of changes. It’s frustrating because he’s been scoring 42 solidly,” he said.

No one was surprised when Michael Jung bounced well into the lead on the first day of dressage. His compatriot Andreas Ostholt was the only other rider to score below 40 – 38.2 – on So Is Et, a 13-year-old by Sunlight xx with whom Ostholt finished ninth at WEG in 2014.

In third at that stage was Britain’s Francis Whittington and Hasty Imp. Their mark of 40 was a personal best for the duo at this level.

On Friday, Badminton’s understandably partisan crowd erupted into cheers when 20-year-old Emily King stormed into second place with 36.8 penalties. She was making her Badminton debut, following in the footsteps of her mother Mary, who won the Gloucestershire event in 1992 (King William) and 2000 (Star Appeal). Emily rode Brookleigh, whom Clayton Fredericks produced to three-star level.

“Mum says she never scored that low at a CCI4*!” said a slightly tearful Emily after her test.

Ostholt and Whittington held on to their third and fourth places at this stage, while Christopher Burton, who withdrew his other intended ride Haruzac – an Australian thoroughbred owned and bred by Alan Skinner – before the first horse inspection, slotted into fifth on Sue Lawson, Carolyn Townsend and his own Nobilis 18.

Christopher Burton and Nobilis 18

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Burton. “He’s very sensitive – the flies have come out this afternoon and one hit him on the nose during his shoulder-in and he thought it was the aid to halt – but I’m very proud of him.”

Two British riders, Dani Evans and Izzy Taylor, lay in equal sixth place with 40.4 penalties on Raphael II and Allercombe Ellie. Another Brit, Oliver Townend, took eighth on Black Tie, while Clarke Johnstone and Jesse Campbell were the highest-placed New Zealanders in ninth and 10th on Balmoral Sensation and Kaapachino. Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh were 11th.

It has been a desperately wet spring in the UK, with countless events lost to the weather. But Badminton director Hugh Thomas’ luck was in; the week of the event produced warm sunshine and a light breeze and the going was nigh-on perfect.

Oliver Townend had kicked up a bit of a fuss to the media at the beginning of the weekend about being drawn first to go. He has worn the number one cloth at four of the past six runnings of Badminton.

““To say it’s a draw is nothing but an insult — I’ve been first too many times now and it’s beyond a joke. Give someone else a go,” he said. “It’s no coincidence and it’s not helpful.”

Of course, Oliver is one of a very small pool of riders who always enters two horses at the four-stars, so the likelihood of him being drawn first is pretty high.

Badminton’s press officer, Julian Seaman, replied: “The draw is done in a dead straight way. It’s a coincidence Oliver has been first a few times, but there is nothing untoward in it at all.”

Even if there was a bit of fiddling with the draw, could you blame the Badminton organising committee? Oliver and the Spanish-bred Armada, now 17, gave a cross-country masterclass on Saturday morning, whipping round Giuseppe della Chiesa’s strong, long track clear and eight seconds inside the time. It set the standard for everyone who was to follow him, and made the course look eminently jumpable, even if the huge-striding chestnut made some of the distances look a trifle cramped.

“It wasn’t always comfortable – he’s changed with age and has got a little clever with the fences he doesn’t have to put much effort in to jump,” said Oliver, who has brought Armada to Badminton four times since he inherited the ride from Andrew Nicholson in 2012. On all four occasions they have been clear across country, and only in the very deep going of the 2014 event have they not made the time.

But when the second pairing out on course, Izzy Taylor and KBIS Briarlands Matilda, stopped twice at the Vicarage Vee at fence 21 and retired, it was apparent that the track was not the walk in the park Oliver had made it look.

“She remembered hitting this fence two years ago – girls remember things,” said a philosophical Izzy.

The next two riders, Britain’s Jodie Amos and Ireland’s Michael Ryan, had problems at the Vicarage Vee, and it began to look like a bogey fence. By the end of the day, 13 pairs had faulted at the angled rails over a gaping ditch. They included New Zealanders Tim Price (Ringwood Sky Boy), Jesse Campbell (Kaapachino) and Lucy Jackson (Bosun), and Dani Evans on Raphael II.

Why did it cause such chaos? After all, it has been jumped in one form or another for most of the past 30 or so years.

“It’s the only fence on the course I didn’t design – I inherited it!” said della Chiesa. “Historically it has always caused problems. It is the most complete fence anywhere in the world in eventing – it requires direction, accuracy, boldness and scope.”

If riders approached it simply as a “skinny”, they lacked the pace and energy to get to the other side. If they bottled holding a very tight line to the red flag on an acute angle, for fear of a run-out, they jumped too far to the left and landed in the ditch. But if they held their nerve and their line and treated it like the very big, wide fence it is, it jumped beautifully.

Those who got it right included Emily King, French rider Jean Teulere – who, aged 62, conjured a superb, flowing, forward round from his team horse Matelot Du Grand Val – Laura Collet (Grand Manoeuvre) and Beanie Sturgis (Lebowski).

But the optimum time for the track appeared to have been wheeled quite generously, and it was possible to take the alternative here and still make the time, which was a bit of a shame.

In all, 11 riders added nothing to their dressage marks after cross-country. Tina Cook, former European champion and veteran of so many British teams, was the fastest of the day on Star Witness. She finished 18 seconds under the optimum time with a terrific display of attacking cross-country riding.

“Even though I’m 45, and I’ve ridden here for 25 years, it means so much,” she said with a beaming smile after her round. “He was faultless.”

Tina’s mother bought Star Witness, by Witness Box, from Doncaster Bloodstock Sales for £9,500 as a three-year-old, liking him as a stamp of horse and thinking he could either race or event. Now 11, he was eighth at Burghley last autumn.

Three French riders didn’t pick up cross-country time-faults – Astier Nicolas (Quickly Du Buguet), Gwendolen Fer (Romantic Love) and Pascal Leroy (Minos De Petra), while Jean Teulere was only one second over the time.

It was also a good day for New Zealand. Mark Todd has ridden at countless Badmintons since he first won here in 1980, and he conjured up another clear inside the time with Leonidas II. Mark had to perform miracles to stay in the plate after Leonidas II screwed in mid-air when jumping part two of the Shogun Hollow.

“I’d made up my mind that it was three strides [between the two elements], but he made up so much ground that he was underneath the second part when he took off, but I was determined not to fall off,” said the 60-year-old, who last won Badminton in 2011.

Another great “save” came from Zara Phillips when High Kingdom, her London 2012 team silver medallist, knuckled on landing after the Vicarage Vee. Zara’s lower leg was forward and her weight back, and they recovered quickly and kicked on to a clear round.

Jock Paget piloted the Thoroughbred Clifton Lush to a smooth clear inside the time, and Jonelle Price produced another faultless round on Classic Moet.

There was never much doubt that Michael Jung would hold his lead. His round on Sam wasn’t absolutely flawless – the horse took a bit of a look at the first water fence, the Wadworth Lower Lake at fence eight – but that is really just nit-picking. They were bold, confident and quick, easing up at the finish with seven seconds to spare on the clock.

“That was an amazing feeling. He is so beautiful to ride across country,” said an elated Michael. “He was very clever and powerful everywhere and made it feel like a one-star. This is absolutely the course for this horse.”

Poor Emily King learnt a harsh lesson when Brookleigh fell at the penultimate fence. Emily had impressed with her cool, accurate riding until she reached fence 32, two angled logs at the Rolex Crossing which needed to be jumped fairly close to the white flag on the second element to give a good two strides. It looked as though Brookleigh suddenly tired on her and drifted right, which Emily couldn’t correct. He went to chip in a third stride, couldn’t make it, stopped and fell.

Both horse and rider were quickly on their feet, but it was a sad end to her first Badminton.

With Emily out of the running, and Andreas Ostholt adding 5.2 time-faults to his score on So Is Et, Michael Jung was left in pole position by nine marks at the end of Saturday.

Gemma Tattersall of Great Britain and Arctic Soul

Andreas rose to second, 1.2 penalties ahead of Britain’s Gemma Tattersall. Gemma, who made her senior championship debut at the 2015 Europeans, was magnificent across country on the Luso-sired ex-racehorse, Arctic Soul.

Gemma said: “He felt feisty and strong, but he just stays on his lines and skipped over the jumps. We know each other inside out, and he now knows that when I say ‘whoa’, I mean it!”

She continued: “I’m pulling out all the stops to get to Rio. I’ve worked so hard on the flat with Ian Woodhead, and we scored a personal best [44.6] in the dressage.”

Mark Todd rose from 17th after a slightly disappointing dressage on Leonidas II to fourth overnight, 0.4pen behind Gemma, with Jock Paget less than a mark behind him in fifth.

Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation collected a handful of time-faults but still managed to move up from ninth to sixth, while Astier Nicolas’ speedy round meant he leapt up from 23rd to seventh.

Clarke Johnstone and Balmoral Sensation

Armada and Oliver Townend, 24th after dressage, stayed on their score of 46.2 and took eighth place. Izzy Taylor rode a masterful round on the green-looking Allercombe Ellie, giving the Jumbo mare confidence all the way. Their six time-faults were good enough to drop them just three places to ninth at this stage.

Although the Vicarage Vee was the fence which exerted the most influence on the course, it was a surprise that the Mirage Pond, two narrow houses on the banks either side of water at fences 14 and 15, caused so much trouble. It was there at Alice Dunsdon and Fernhill Present’s attempt to become the first horse and rider to complete all six four-stars in the world ended with two refusals. Perhaps the eight weeks that her trip to Adelaide CCI4* last year took has had more of an effect on the horse than was previously apparent.

Another influential fence was 12b, a narrow tree-trunk that comprised the fourth and final element of the Swindon Designer Outlet Mound. It caught out Sam Griffiths and Paulank Brockagh, among others.

“She was going beautifully – I think I just turned a bit quick too it and got to it on too steep an angle,” said a rueful Griffiths. “She popped the Vicarage Vee later on like it was a cavalletti. I’m really kicking myself – this sport is about small margins and I just got it slightly wrong.”

Paul Tapner was the best-placed Australian after cross-country, 21st with 6.8 time-faults on Camiro De Haar Z mare Vanir Kamira.

“That was her second time at this level and she really rose to the challenge,” said Paul. “I can’t be disappointed [with the time-penalties] as she didn’t have the perfect preparation fitness-wise, as we had a little veterinary issue.”

Giuseppe della Chiesa was a happy man on Saturday night. This is his third year as Badminton’s course-designer, and he said: “In my time here the pendulum has been swinging, and this year we have hit the nail on the head. I think it was a true four-star course with enough questions to test everyone.”

The statistics seem to bear him out. Of the 77 starters, 64% completed, compared with 45% in 2014 and 79% in 2015. Of those, 67% were clear, compared with 66% in 2014 and 84% in 2015.

Last year’s winner William Fox-Pitt, who watched from the sidelines commented: “It was a good track and certainly demanding, but after a very intense middle section, there wasn’t much to test them after the Shogun Hollow [fence 23]. The Lake [which consisted of a big brush drop in and a kind turn to a brush step up and a narrow brush box on the bank] was as soft as I’ve ever seen it, which was a bit boring for spectators, and from then on they ran most of the way home.”

Given that the ground was so perfect and that horses hadn’t finished over-tired the day before, the showjumping track could have been more challenging. The time was generous, and the distances were clearly presented and forward.

Eighteen horse-and-rider combinations jumped clear, and only one horse knocked up what could be termed a cricket score – Armada, who has become impossibly careless in this phase and hit five fences to drop to 25th.

An emotional Oliver Townend said: “He’s done his bit and I think it’s time to knock off now. You won’t see me on him at a big event again. Hopefully people will remember him for his cross-country round yesterday, and not for this.”

The French were the biggest losers as a nation – having gone so well across country, Astier Nicolas, Gwendolen Fer, Jean Teulere and Rodolphe Scherer all had two down, while Pascal Leroy had three. Camille Lejeune (R’Du Temps Bliniere) was the only French rider to showjump clear.

Blyth Tait was thrilled with his double clears. The New Zealander, a former World and Olympic individual gold medallist, has taken a while to reach the top of the sport again since coming out of his six-year retirement in 2011, and he finished 13th on Bear Necessity V – bought by his owner as a hunter.

“I really believe in this horse,” said Blyth. “He has the heart of a lion. He was a novice two years ago, and it is good to get a four-star under our belts – now we can get competitive. I’m going to have to get a bit fitter!”

The biggest cheer of the weekend went to Ben Hobday. The British rider was diagnosed with cancer just after Badminton last year and, after undergoing months of chemotherapy, was determined to ride again here this time. His slow double clear on the part-Clydesdale Mulry’s Error left him in 32nd place.

“The doctors said I wouldn’t be doing this again for a long time – it’s good to prove people wrong,” he said.

Jock Paget had one fence down and dropped a place to sixth, while Mark Todd and Clarke Johnstone were faultless for fourth and fifth spots.

Mark Todd riding Leonidas II

Arctic Soul made amends for his refusal in the showjumping at the Europeans by jumping clear for Gemma Tattersall, and hanging on to third place.

“He gets worried by noise – that’s why I was trying to signal to the crowd to be quiet when I went in – but he was fabulous,” she said.

She hopes to have staked her Rio claim here – not necessarily on Arctic Soul, as she has two young horses, Chico Bella P and Quicklook V who might be better suited as their dressage is stronger – but in terms of her own performance.

Not all the big guns saw Badminton as part of their road to Rio this year. Britain’s William Fox-Pitt will run Chilli Morning in the CIC3* at Bramham, and the Yorkshire event will probably be Kitty King’s trial as well. Pippa Funnell missed Badminton after a bad fall at a national event (Withington) the weekend before but, all being well, her team will show their hands at Tattersalls and Bramham.

The best French and Germans, with the exception of Jung, stayed at home – only those who needed to risk all on the throw of a dice took on the Badminton challenge.

Andreas Ostholt certainly thinks he has clinched that fourth spot on the German team with second place at Badminton. So Is Et’s clear showjumping round came despite having lost his near-fore shoe in the collecting ring. Bettina Hoy, who very uncharacteristically had three fences down on the final day with Designer 10, knows she has probably blown it.

And, of course, Michael Jung’s place – and probably an individual medal – is assured. His immaculate showjumping clear gave him the Badminton title and the Rolex Grand Slam by a nine-point margin.

What remains for a 33-year-old who has conquered the sport completely? To do it all again – and again, and again. It is up to the other riders to raise their game to his level.