British combinations occupy ten of the top fifteen positions in the seven-year-old championships, as the dressage draws to a close out in Le Lion.
The lead in this class, however, currently sits with Australia’s Kevin McNab and his mare, Cute Girl. Their score of 26.9 was enough to put them at the front of the field as we head into the cross country phase tomorrow.
Leading the British charge is Laura Collett and Outback II, currently in second. Their score of 27.2 is the best of five scores in the 27’s for British riders – Hayden Robert Hankey and Heads Up are third with a score of 27.4 and Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat lie fourth with 27.5. Sarah Bullimore (Evita AP) and Oliver Townend (Cooley Rosalent) share fifth, with scores of 27.9.
Eliza Stoddart and Codebreaker lie in eighth (29.0) and Gemma Tattersall and Johan-some are currently eleventh – tied equally with New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington and Senior Crocodillo with scores of 29.8.
Three more British riders lie within one penalty of Gemma – Tom McEwen in thirteenth with MHS Brown Jack (30.0), Izzy Taylor and Cooley Rules in fourteenth (30.4) and Katie Preston in fifteenth with the British-bred mare, Templar Juno (30.8).
All the British riders are sitting in the top half of the table at this stage of the competition, with Matthew Heath and Caunton First Class lying nineteenth with a score of 31.6 and Jack Pinkney and Rehy Revelation (32.7), completing the line-up of Brits, currently in twenty-fifth place.
Full results after dressage for the seven-year-old Championship are available here.
All to play for in the six-year-old Championships
Izzy Taylor and SBH Big Wall are currently the best of the Brits in the six-year-old championship, lying in fifth place after dressage. Their score of 28.0 leaves them just 2.2 penalties behind the leaders, Anna Lena Schaaf and Lagona 4 for Germany (25.8).
It is very tight in the top five of this competition, with the French pair of Thomas Carlile (Fair Lady Des Broucks) and Nicola Touzaint (Fibonacci De Lessac HDC) occupying second and third place and Germany’s Julia Krajewski (Chintonic 3) in fourth.
Britain’s John Paul Sheffield and Special K are currently just outside the top ten, in eleventh place with a dressage score of 30.5. Not far behind them, on a score of 32.7 and lying eighteenth, is Caroline Harris and the British-bred Pepper Poldark.
With less than two show jumps separating the top 20 it is certainly all to play for heading into the jumping phases.
Full results after dressage for the six-year-old Championship are available here.
On course for cross country
Cross country gets underway at 10am local time tomorrow morning (9am BST), starting with the six-year-olds. The first horse on course will be Mollegardens Korona ridden by Aistis Vitkauskas for Lithuania.
The first of the seven-year-olds will take to the course at 1pm local time (12pm BST).
Full lists of start times are available here.
