Laura Collet and London 52 pulled off the test of their career to propel them into the top spot after dressage at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is the 389th time that Laura was has ridden down a centre line for an international dressage test. Today, on the Olympic stage in Paris, she delivers a personal best score and sets a new Olympic record, taking over from David O’Connor and Custom Made (19.3 at Sydney).
Laura’s score, alongside Ros Canter and Lordship Graffalo’s 23.4 and Tom McEwen and JL Dublin’s 25.8 also sees Team GB break an Olympic record for the best team score after dressage at any Olympics. Their team score of 66.7 beats the previous record team score after dressage of 68.6 (Australia at the Beijing/Hong Kong Olympics in 2008). Team GB currently sit in gold medal position overnight, over eight points clear of runners-up Germany on 74.10 and France on 80.7.
Of their dressage performances, the Team GB riders said…
Laura Collett who sits in first place overnight said of London 52, also known as Dan at home, said: “I’ve never enjoyed a dressage test so much. From the moment he [London 52] entered the arena, he had his ears pricked and loved it, and so did I. We got a 10 for harmony and that’s what it’s all about – we work together in there. It takes years to build that bond and years of reassuring him every step and making him believe in himself. This has been three years in the making since being on the podium in Tokyo.
“Dan [London 52] is a big show-off and he loved being in front of the palace with a lot of people cheering him on. I’m so lucky to be sat on a horse like that. There is a lot of people involved in getting to an Olympics and getting a score like that, and I’m the lucky one who gets to sit on him and enjoy the moment. What that horse has done for my career is amazing. I’m very grateful to him. The cross-course should suit him and I’m confident that he can go and perform like he did today.”
Ros Canter who sits in sixth overnight said: “I’m extremely proud of Walter [Lordships Graffalo] and really pleased with him. I know he has won Badminton and the Europeans but he’s only 12 and feels like we’re very much still scratching the surface and I’m reminding myself of that every day. I aways said I’d be delighted with a clear round, and to get the four changes in a test like that, in what was a more difficult test than we’ve ever done before, I am absolutely thrilled. This is another gear up.
“There’s plenty of places to make a mistake and lots of jumps into water and you’re going to have to ride fast which is when mistakes creep in. We’ve had rain all day today and that will have an impact. I’m towards the end of the day so who knows how the ground will deteriorate but I could ask for a better cross-country horse. We know each other inside out and if there is anything I wanted to be sat on, it would be him.”
Tom McEwen who sits in 11th over night: “Dubs [JL Dublin] was awesome. He loves an atmosphere and really lit up in the trot – more than I was expecting – and then he was super relaxed in the walk which caught me out for the first change. I was expecting to have more electricity underneath me in the canter, so, we sadly missed that first change, but then quickly picked back up again. The course is fantastic, it’s different to Tokyo with ideas and questions but it cleverly opens you out with, not just the fences, but the land as well. I see the time being quite tight and it riding quite intense – it is a well-designed course.
“He came to me from Nicola Wilson as an already incredible horse and European Champion, but it has still taken me a year to get to know him and make him a little bit more mine. The connection and bond we have with these horses, especially for eventing and cross-country, is really important.”
Keep up to date with the scores here https://bit.ly/3yfsgZC
Full report to follow.
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