It is a sad fact that sometimes in sport one competitor benefits from the misfortune of another – such was the case for Australia’s Hayley Beresford, who finished 26^th after the dressage Grand Prix, riding the Brazilian-bred Relampago do Retiro, just one place outside the qualifying zone for the GP Special. However, at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, just five hours before the GPS began, Beresford heard the news that Imke Schellekens-Bartels had been forced to withdraw due to an injury sustained by Sunrise during the team prize-giving ceremony two nights ago.

Bartels explained that she felt something was not quite right as they left the ring on Thursday, but couldn’t find anything wrong. Then, this morning, the gelding was uneven at the front, and although the vet was unable to identify a specific problem, it was decided Sunrise should be withdrawn.

So, first to go, Australia’s Hayley Beresford had another opportunity to spotlight the qualities of Relampago do Retiro, bred by an excited Eduardo Fischer, and did a great job. Quiet walk, good transitions – especially from walk to piaffe and passage to canter – and lovely flowing half passes earned her a score of 66.320%.

It was only Beresford’s fourth Grand Prix Special, and she explained, “There were quite a lot of little mistakes, but he was much more brave than the first test and was really trying, so the problems were mine not his. I was having a lot of fun out there, and I think I’ve only had seven or eight hours sleep in the past three days.”

Asked whether she thought Relampago would excel at the Grand Prix or GP Special, she said, “I think he will be better for the Grand Prix Special because it’s a bit more technical, and in time he will be a real rock to ride. I really believe he will be a good team horse for the future because he goes as good as I ride and, hopefully, I will get better, so I believe he will get better too. My goal tonight was to go in, have fun, and not to scare him. Try and press a little bit more than the other day, but not to scare him, because he’s young and doesn’t need a fright.”

Talking about her first Olympic appearance, Beresford confided; “Isobell and I discussed it a lot and, of course, it was too early for me, but we came here as a learning experience and I think I will go home a better rider for it. Going through the selection process was to get experience for the lead up to Kentucky and it was a surprise that we did so well. We said, ‘Well, as long as we don’t embarrass our country,’ I knew the horse could do it. But it was a bit difficult today because Isobell is riding so I was not with my trainer, but I had so much support I felt like I had Australia, Germany and Brazil behind me.”

Looking ahead to the future, Beresford explained, “I will go home and prepare my young horse for the Nürnberger Burg-Pokal final [in Germany] in December, then I think we’ll press on to the World Cup with him [Relampago] as long as he travels home fit and well and his body says ‘yes okay’.”

Remarkably, Hayley Beresford was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2005, at the age of 27, while still in Australia. Following surgery and during a course of radiation treatment, Beresford said she kept four special horses in training, “And there was only three or four days I couldn’t ride. Even the surgery was not intrusive enough to keep me off a horse!”

Subsequently, at the beginning of 2006 Beresford visited Isobell Werth in Germany, but returned to Australia while she considered her life. She is now happily based with Werth as a full-time student, is due to get married next month, and is determined she will remain in Germany, although she considers herself “very Australian. I will go home to give clinics, but I love my life in Germany also, and I’m really thankful that I’m young and now fit and healthy.”

The first half of the evening saw a number of tired horses performing below par, which was attributed to the heat by some riders, but once again the bouncy little grey former police horse, Balagur, ridden by Russia’s Alexandra Korelova produced a charming test with both elegance and zest that was obviously enjoyed by the judges who awarded an average mark of 71.40%.

 

Mexico's Bernadette Pujals riding Vincent

 

 

Likewise, Vincent appeared refreshingly relaxed for Bernadette Pujals who produced beautiful passage sequences, full of expression and with impressive cadence that earned good marks. She again lost marks for the walk, and the transition from walk to piaffe right in front of the judges dropped her below the 70% mark. However, they recovered some marks with elastic flying changes and they completed a very correct final passage and well-positioned piaffe for a score of 71.00%, just below Korelova.

“I always want to be better and I was hoping for more marks. I had few mistakes, he was super expressive and I couldn’t have asked more from him. He was really willing, but I’m getting used to losing marks for his walk. He’s a really brave horse, never looks around, always doing his job and going forward for me. Really super. Tonight’s test was better than two years ago (WEG), but I got one or one-and-a-half percent more there, so the judges are marking lower.”

In an emotional moment, Pujals explained that her mother had died just 20 days ago, and admitted that coming to Hong Kong had been “tough” and that during the test she had to focus, but agreed that it had been a really nice test to ride. “He did whatever I asked.”

Meanwhile, a surprisingly below par test, with a score of 68.80% came from Denmark’s Andreas Helgstrand and the 15-year-old Oldenburg stallion Don Schufro. “The mistakes in the extended trot and flying changes were expensive, although the horse was better today. I find it a little sad that they marked him down, because the piaffe, passage and half passes were much better than in the Grand Prix, but we got the same points, so I’m disappointed about that. But, okay, I had mistakes that were expensive, but still the horse has so much quality. He hasn’t performed up to my expectations because he normally scores 73 or 74 sometimes. But it’s difficult here with the heat for older horses and not so easy to come back when you have one bad test.”

Germany’s Nadine Capellmann and Elvis were also marked down for mistakes, for 67.24%, saying; “I’m not sure what happened right now. For sure I’m looking for a new trainer because this past week the trainer of Isabell Werth, Wolfram Wittig, has helped me but this was only for here and for the team, so I have to look for someone else. Tonight he was very heavy in the mouth and with the contact, so it was too much. He was great in the warm-up, the best outside, and inside everything went wrong. It wasn’t the crowd because he’s used to it and also the heat, so it’s not the climate.”

After a number of tests that didn’t set the arena alight, Steffen Peters finally raised the bar, overtaking Korelova with 71.800 in a test that had good flow, and very correct movements. “He was much more used to the arena, much more settled so I didn’t have to push him that much, he went on his own and it felt wonderful. A real pleasure and fun to ride. All the trot work felt great, the passage, the half passes, and he was much more relaxed today in walk, although the second piaffe was difficult. He was wonderful in the hand and I couldn’t be happier. He didn’t lose any energy and has enough left for the freestyle, so I’m beside myself that he’s qualified.”

A professional through and through, Finland’s Kyra Kyrklund who has been part of the dressage scenery for so many years admitted that Max had been tired tonight, and this was reflected in their 69.72% score. “It was hard work, but the Grand Prix was so light, it was almost unusual and I just had to steer him around. Now I have to do a little bit more, but there were a lot of good things, so I’m pleased with what I did, although there were a few mistakes. The first extended trot was entirely my mistake – he was a bit crooked and I wanted to get him straight with my right leg and he said, ‘okay, it’s time to canter’. You an never ride more than what your horse is offering you so I tried to do a clean test with as much expression as possible, and he did a good job, but the mistakes were too expensive. The heat was getting to him.”

Anky van Grunsven’s test also suffered from errors, although she was quite emphatic that it was nothing to do with heat or fatique; “We had a miscommunication in the half pass and I’m really disappointed because not even in training has this ever happened, and it’s only in the Olympics that stuff like that happens. In the two tempis I think I took too much of a risk, because I thought, okay, I’d lost some score and had to get it better, then made another stupid mistake, so I’m disappointed with my stupid mistakes, but I’m happy for the rest of how he went. He’s definitely not tired and he definitely doesn’t have any problems with the weather. At this moment I’m not even thinking about the freestyle because I’m still thinking how could this happen. Probably the pressure of the Olympics. I know I have a really good freestyle and everybody knows I don’t give up until the end so we now have to focus on the next test.”

Some impressive work between the “stupid mistakes” resulted in a 74.96 score which was only overtaken by the final rider, and van Grunsven’s regular adversary, Isabell Werth who scored 75.20% – although she too had a moment of panic when Satchmo suddenly went into reverse in the middle of a piaffe; “I don’t know the reason why that happened, I had no feeling he was not going to do the piaffe, but these are animals and anything can happen.”

Famous last words!!!! 

 

Full result: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/EQ.shtml

 

With a complete change of format introduced by the FEI, this opening individual round served two purposes: To determine the order of go for Sunday’s first round in the team competition (which concludes with a completely different course on Monday), and as a qualifying round for the final of the individual competition. In terms of faults, nothing from this evening is carried forward, so riders in both the team and individual competitions will start again with a clean slate!

 

Brazil's Pedro Veniss riding Chupa Chup

HIGH-RES COPIES OF ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS BY PETER LLEWELLYN AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

Unlike a regular Nations’ Cup competition, having two separate team courses was decided in order to reduce the boredom, according to showjumping technical delegate Olaf Petersen. “It makes it more exciting and more challenging if both rounds are of a completely different character. I know from the course plans that the water will be in two different places, also the combinations. The new format is trying to bring us in line with other sports. We want to reduce, step by step, the number of riders.”

Explaining the format, FEI director of showjumping John Roche said, “The FEI decided that the best individual rider on the day should win ­– also in line with other sports.”

Although it’s not difficult to understand the FEI’s sentiments, it makes writing a report about the opening round of an Olympic showjumping competition that has little bearing on the final result seem a little pointless.

Naturally, the obstacles focused on the cultural and architectural beauty of Hong Kong and China, with pandas, dragons, fans, calligraphy and history, but they certainly didn’t include the eye-popping designs of Atlanta or Sydney – although I think we can be fairly sure that we will see a progression towards the more spectacular fences between now and the end of the competition.

Surprisingly, although the German team came to Hong Kong as favourites for Olympic gold, their performances this evening did not reflect their strengths, and they finished in 12^th place! The top eight, that will jump in reverse order in the team competition are: United States, Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, Great Britain and Australia. Remarkably, Mexico, Sweden and Hong Kong also lead Germany following 10-fault rounds from Christian Ahlmann and Ludger Beerbaum, plus six faults from Marco Kutscher and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. Commenting on his team’s form, the individual Olympic gold medalist from Barcelona (1992) said: “We have to all be a bit more awake and ready, and in better shape. The heat wasn’t bothering any of us, especially at this time of day.”

As the full results from both the team and individual qualifier can be found using the following links, it seemed appropriate to devote the remainder of this report to some of the riders themselves:

Individual first qualifier: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SC/EQX002901.shtml#EQX002901

 

Team first qualifier:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73SA/EQX402901.shtml#EQX402901

 

Alberto Michan/Chinobampo Lavita (Mexico)

Commenting on his refusal and subsequent fault at the penultimate fence on the course.

“Normally she’s so brave and she has never stopped, so I think I took her a little bit long which was maybe too much confidence. I thought it would make it easier for her to get it, to make one more stride. Then the next time I had to go a little bit strong, because it was the first time she’s stopped in her life, and I think that cost the rail. I think I could have had an easy clear round, but now I have a terrible nine points. She tried, but needed a little more confidence to jump that obstacle.”

“I hope we have better luck tomorrow. For sure if we could be in the second round that would be very nice, so we are looking for that. If we get in the best eight, I think that’s a successful Olympics.”

Bernardo Alves/Chupa Chup (Brazil) – one of 13 clear rounds

“I’m very happy today because my horse jumped very good. It’s true that we are disappointed that we don’t have one of the best riders and horses for Brazil with the best results (following Alvaro “Doda” Miranda’s withdrawal when his horse went lame). Camila [Benedicto] is a super rider, but people don’t know her a lot because she lives in Brazil. The horse has never jumped this high, but he’s a super horse so I think Brazil has a good chance.”

Antonio Chedraui/Don Porfirio (Mexico)

“I was really pleased. My horse jumped really good and I’m very happy with him. I think it was a very good course, technical. Coming out of the triple combination was a little bit short, and the distance also from the triple bar to the skinny vertical was a little bit tricky, and the last line ended up being a lot shorter than we expected. For the first day it was a good technical course and I’m very happy with my horse.”

Camila Benedicto/Bonito Z (Brazil) 

“It was good because it was my first time competing in the Olympic Games and, okay, I could have been clear but only had the last fence down so I’m very happy.”

Eric Lamaze/Hickstead (Canada) – one of my hot tips for an individual medal

“It felt good, he warmed up well and there’s been a lot of rest time for him since he did the last class in Calgary. After an event like that it’s more rest than I would ever give him, but he’s got more experience and everything under his belt, and knew something was coming up, so felt really good tonight. It’s the first day and the horses haven’t jumped in a while, so it was a fair course, very careful. I think we’ll see more size for the first round of the team competition, but I think it’s a good introduction to what’s coming.”

“He’s not puffing or anything and he’s got a lot of blood so I don’t think the heat will bother him. Everybody did their job and I think it proves that Torchy Miller put a great team together for us. It’s a great group of experienced riders with experienced horses. All four of us have been to major competitions, we get along great, we help each other, there’s a great atmosphere so it’s a pleasure to be here with the team, really good.”

Rodrigo Pessoa/Rufus (Brazil) – defending Olympic Champion, commenting on his one time fault:

“I wasn’t too concerned about the time today. It’s very uncharacteristic of me to have a time fault but the horse was jumping the course quite well and I allowed myself a little bit of time coming into the last line. I’ve had the horse for a year-and-a-half now and he’s a horse with a big heart, scope, careful and really wants to do well. At this level he just doesn’t have much experience, but has progressed really quickly. With the problems I had last year he had to step up to the plate and do the Pan-Am Games where he performed well. He’s been doing better with every month that goes by. He’s a really nice horse to have and coming to a championship like this he gives you plenty of confidence.”

“It doesn’t count for anything today and the course is the softest first day that I’ve ever done in the last four Olympics, but you have to go through it. I think it was fair, no great difficulties, but I think we’ll see something very, very different over the next two or three days. But it gets the horses into the game and shows them around.”

“With Doda we had a big chance for bronze because some major teams like Switzerland and Holland lost good combinations. Now it complicates things a little bit because we don’t really know very much about the replacement horse, although he performed well today, really well today. We don’t have a bad team, but I think bronze is the most realistic colour we can expect. Doda’s horse is okay, it was really just bad timing, and there was nothing we could do to get her going without risking the safety of the horse.”

Commenting on the new format: “Obviously every championship is a little bit different and for me, personally, I would like everything to count. I think this class should count for something.”

It seems appropriate to leave the final word to a nine-time Olympian, now 61 years old …

Ian Millar/In Style (Canada)

“I would have preferred it if I hadn’t had the rail down, but the horse performed extremely well, and the whole team is in very fine shape, so I just hope this continues. It’s the strongest team we’ve had in many many years and it’s great to be a part of it. I’ve jumped in hotter conditions, although it’s quite humid and that takes a lot more energy out of the horses as they perspire. Keeping the horses hydrated is going to be very important as to how they finish.”

 

The first round of the team competition takes place on Sunday, August 16, concluding with the second round the following day. 

 

Foi certamente uma noite de altos e baixos na segunda metade na disputa da série Grande Prêmio: destaque para a equipe alemã que, mais uma vez, foi a caminho da medalha de ouro, e resignação para os holandeses, seus principais adversários, que tiveram que se contentar com a prata; alegria para a Dinamarca que levou o bronze, e tristeza para os Estados Unidos, relegados para o quarto lugar.

Miguel Ralão Duarte (POR) having a tough time with Oxalis de Meia Lua

 Tristeza também para o português Miguel Ralão Duarte, que sofreu muito com o mau comportamento da égua Lusitana Oxalis da Meia Lua, resultando na desistência da prova. Na verdade, em 25 anos freqüentando eventos importantes, nunca vi um cavaleiro forçado a retirar seu cavalo da pista por total falta de cooperação, mas era evidente que Oxalis estava nervosa a partir do minuto que ela entrou, talvez, devido ao calor, as luzes, a atmosfera… mas foi uma tarde triste para Portugal, eliminado da competição por si mesmo. Deve-se dizer que, quando esta égua encontra-se calma, pode competir como um gênio absoluto.

O primeiro destaque da competição veio de Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, sobrinha da Rainha da Dinamarca, cuja mãe, RHR Benedikte, Princesa da Dinamarca, é a criadora de seu cavalo de 11 anos de idade, Digby. Seu desempenho foi elegante desde o início, com boas transições e um brilho nos movimentos reunidos das mãos, proporcionando um impulso muito importante para a equipe da Dinamarca, na pontuação final do cavaleiro Andreas Helgstrand. “Estou muito satisfeita. É apenas a segunda grande apresentação que ele faz. A primeira foi no Campeonato Mundial, mas quando ele tinha apenas nove anos de idade, era muito inexperiente, mas sei que, por mim, ele é realmente um batalhador. Eu podia sentir, no meio da prova, que fazia um pouco de calor para ele, mas ele manteve-se lutando até o último passo. Estou muito, muito orgulhosa. Eu sabia que tinha que fazer uma boa prova, porque Anne (van Olst) tinha 67%, o que é muito bom. Tínhamos a esperança de um pouco mais, mas estamos juntos há apenas nove meses, então, o trabalho de conjunto ainda precisa ser melhorado, mas eu sabia que tínhamos que fazer pelo menos 70% para chegar mais perto da medalha de bronze. Agora, temos de esperar para ver o que Andreas (Helgstrand) e Don Schufro farão.

“Quanto ao seu plano e se ela arriscou tudo, Nathalie disse: “Sim e não! Se você se arrisca muito também pode cometer muitos erros, de modo que você precisa ver como é possível correr o risco sem errar. Talvez ele e eu pudéssemos ter ido um pouco mais além, mas para ele estava muito bom, por isso estou muito satisfeita.”

 

 

Ela continuou, dizendo: “Uma grande pedra caiu fora do meu coração neste momento, pois já estávamos aqui há duas semanas e meia, e você senta a adrenalina e borboletas dentro do seu abdômen, assim, quando você faz a prova e sai com um resultado como este, fica muito aliviada, muito feliz.” Bernadette Pujals, do México, também devia estar muito orgulhosa de seu excelente desempenho, com Vincent, companheiro durante sete anos, que começou com uma passagem extremamente expressiva, com boas transições no trote alongado. Na verdade, ela caminhava pra uma média na casa dos 72%, até que, pela tensão demasiada, foi penalizada pelos juízes e caiu para 68%. Quase no final da apresentação, Pujals poderia ter controlado a sua própria postura e se movimentado um pouco mais, e aconteceu uma mudança de posição que confundiu Vicent, que se tornou um pouco agitado durante o último piaffe, mas no geral, o conjunto se garantiu com uma pontuação final de 69,250%.”Realmente eu estava pensando em não cometer muitos erros, porque eu sentia que o cavalo não estava suficientemente comigo. Espero poder controlá-lo melhor na próxima prova. Eu o senti um pouco cansado, e muitas vezes, é difícil controlar os nervos e mantê-lo tranqüilo. É difícil porque quando você o aperta, ele fica tenso, e então você tem que se perguntar: qual é a melhor coisa a fazer? Ele é um cavalo ótimo e muito sensível, e eu senti que ele não estava tão feliz. Ele ainda ficará, mas esta noite não foi fácil para ele. Ele continua, mesmo quando está difícil, mas foi assim que eu perdi um pouco de equilíbrio.”“Há sempre pressão, não por mim, porque estou tão satisfeita por estar aqui e ter esta oportunidade, porque, para os países da América Latina, é realmente difícil. Quatro anos atrás, eu perdi a minha classificação, e disse que não faria isso novamente, e é por isso que eu busquei minha qualificação na Europa, através do ranking internacional.”

 

 

Quanto a uma estratégia para a prova: “Eu sempre tenho o mesmo plano. Nós temos uma mesma arena de 20×60 em todo o mundo, seja ela no meio do mato ou nos Jogos Olímpicos. Você pode olhar em volta e ver os juízes, você pode ver as pessoas, você pode ver tudo, mas você tem que se esforçar e controlar cada passo do cavalo, que já é muita coisa para fazer. Não é realmente um plano porque cada passo me dá o passo seguinte. O plano existe, de fato, para que você não sinta nada externo, mas tenha o foco em cada movimento.” Pujals terminou com um muito honroso 12º lugar e qualifica-se para sábado, no Grande Prêmio Especial.

Houve, naturalmente, grande expectativa na menina de ouro holandesa, Anky van Grunsven, mas ela precisava de uma fenomenal pontuação para bater Isabell Werth e, embora Salinero tenha se apresentado decidido e executado alguns movimentos sensacionais, sua pontuação foi 74,750%, a melhor até agora, porém, deixou aberta a porta para a rival alemã.

Como a terceira e última concorrente alemã, a pressão estava sobre os ombros de Werth para garantir o ouro para sua equipe, e Satchmo não decepcionou, exibindo toda sua excelência e alcançando uma pontuação média para 82%, com seus deslumbrantes andamentos, apesar disso, sua percentagem final foi um vencedor 76,417%.

Inversamente, na prova de Andreas Helgstrand e Don Schufro, últimos a competir, pela Dinamarca, faltava energia e empenho, embora a apresentação tenha sido correta e sem erros para uma pontuação de 68,822% ― suficiente para garantir a medalha de bronze para a equipe.

No entanto, é preciso dizer que o cavalo que roubou corações nesta noite foi o animal de 18 anos, Balagur, o mais velho do concurso, competindo com a russa Alexandra Korelova (31), de Nizhniy Novgorod, que explicou que seu Orlof Trotter começou a carreira como um cavalo policial que tinha, entre outras funções, controlar a multidão em estádios de futebol! Na verdade, ele não começou no Adestramento até os 11 anos, quando Korelova o levou para George Theodorescu, na Alemanha, qualificando-se no ano seguinte para competir nos Jogos Eqüestres Mundiais de 2002, em Jerez de la Frontera, onde ficou na 26ª colocação. Korelova agora treina com Mônica, filha de Theodorescu, e admitiu que a prova poderia ter sido melhor. “Ele estava um pouco nervoso com a grande arena, mas foi bem. Ele sempre tenta e gostaria de fazer muito melhor. Eu estava 100% satisfeita com ele, embora ele não tivesse andado muito bem, porque trabalhou muito em grandes estádios como um cavalo policial, então, posso entendê-lo. Ele é um cavalo de esporte agora, e gosta de estar em uma arena, ele gosta de aparecer, gosta do público, e também ‘fala muito’. Ele pode ser o cavalo mais velho, mas imagino que ele tem 5 anos. Nós podemos formar conjunto em mais algumas competições neste ano, mas ele vai me dizer o que quer.”

Após a conclusão destes dois dias, os dois atletas brasileiros, Luiza Almeida e Leandro Silva, respectivamente, montado Samba e Oceano do Top, terminaram nos 40º e 43º lugares, e por isso, não competirão no Grande Prêmio Especial, que é reservado apenas para aos 25 melhores.  No entanto, foi uma estréia olímpica que pode ser guardada com orgulho.

 

Resultado final por equipes:

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DA/EQX401100.shtml#EQX401102

 

Resultado individual (qualificação para o Grande Prêmio Especial):
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DB/EQX001900.shtml#EQX001902

It was certainly an evening of highs and lows for the second half of the Grand Prix dressage competition: highs for the German team who once again carried off the gold medal, and lows for Holland, their major adversaries who had to be satisfied with silver; highs for Denmark who claimed bronze, and lows for the USA who were relegated to fourth place.

 A career low also for Portugal’s Miguel Ralão Duarte who suffered the indignity of extremely bad behaviour from Lusitano mare Oxalis de Meia Lua, resulting in his retirement from the ring. In fact, in 25 years attending major events, I have never seen a rider forced to remove his or her horse from the ring for total lack of cooperation, but it was obvious that Oxalis was upset from the minute she entered, perhaps from the heat, the lights, the atmosphere … but it was a sad evening for Portugal to find themselves eliminated from the team competition. It should be said that when this mare is feeling calm, she can perform like an absolute genius.

The competition’s first highlight came from Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, niece of the Queen of Denmark, whose mother, HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark, bred the horse she was riding, the 11-year-old Digby. Their performance was elegant from the outset, with good transitions and a light forehand in the collected paces, providing a very useful boost to Denmark’s team score ahead of the final rider, Andreas Helgstrand. “I’m very pleased. It’s only the second big show he’s done. The first was the World Championships, but then he was only nine years old and very inexperienced, but know he’s really a fighter for me. I could feel, in the middle of the test, that the heat was getting a little bit to him, but he kept on fighting until the last step. I’m very, very proud of him. I knew that I had to do a good round because Anne (van Olst) had 67% which is very good for her. We had hoped for a little bit more, but she’s only the horse for nine months, so working together still has to be optimized, but I knew I had to do at leat 70% to get closer to the bronze medal. Now we have to wait and see what Andreas (Helgstrand) and Don Schufro do.”

Regarding her plan and whether she risked everything, Nathalie said, “Yes and no! If you risk a lot you can also make very fast mistakes, so you have to see how you can risk without mistakes. Maybe he and I could have ridden a little more forward, but for him it was very good, so I’m very pleased.”

She continued by saying, “A big stone has fallen off my heart right now, because we’ve been here two and a half weeks and you build up the adrenaline and have butterflies in your tummy, so when you’ve done the test and come out with a score like that you are very relieved and very happy.”

Mexico’s Bernadette Pujals could similarly be very proud of her fine performance with Vincent, her partner for seven years, that began with an extremely expressive passage with good transitions into extended trot. In fact she was averaging a mark of around 72% until the walk sequence when she was penalized by the judges for too much tension and dropped to 68%. Towards the end of the test, the diminutive Pujals could have controlled her own posture and movement a little more, and a change of body position appeared to confuse Vincent who became a little flustered during the last piaffe, but overall the pair gave an extremely good account of themselves for a final score of 69.250%. “Really I was thinking about not doing too many mistakes because I felt the horse was not enough with me. I hope I can manage to make it better for the next round. I felt him a little tired, and it’s sometimes difficult to balance the tension and also keep him fresh. It’s difficult because when you push him he gets tense, and then you have to wonder ‘what’s the best thing to do’. He’s a big horse and very sensitive, and I felt he was not so happy. He goes, but tonight it wasn’t easy for him. He’ll still do it, even when it’s difficult but this is how I lost a little it of balance.”

“It’s always pressure, not for myself because I am so glad to be here and have the opportunity for us because for Latin American countries it’s really difficult. Four years ago I lost my placing, and I said I wouldn’t do this way again, which is why I earned my qualification in Europe through the international ranking.”

Regarding a plan for the test: “I always have the same plan. We have a 20×60 arena everywhere in the world, whether it’s a countryside show or the Olympic Games, you have the same. You look around and you can see the judges, you can see the people, you can see everything, but you have to try and ride every step with my horse, which is a lot to do. It’s not really a plan because every step gives me the next step and the next step. The plan is being in the present so you don’t feel anything outside but focus on each movement.” Pujals finished with a very creditable 12^th place and qualifies for Saturday’s Grand Prix Special.

There were, of course, high expectations for Holland’s golden girl, Anky van Grunsven, but she would have needed a phenomenal score to head off the challenge from Isabell Werth, and although Salinero settled well and produced some stunning paces, their 74.750 score, the best so far, also left the door open for her German rival.

As the third and last of the German competitors, the pressure was on Werth’s shoulders to secure gold for the team, and Satchmo didn’t disappoint, exhibiting marvelous carriage throughout and pushing his score to an 82% average for his stunning half passes, although their final percentage was a winning 76.417.

Conversely, the test from Andreas Helgstrand and Don Schufro, last to go for Denmark, lacked energy and commitment, although it was correct and error free for a score of 68.822 – sufficient to secure the team bronze medal.

However, it has to be said, that the one who stole hearts this evening was the 18-year-old Balagur, the oldest horse in this Olympic Games, competing with Russia’s Alexandra Korelova (31) from Nizhniy Novgorod, who explained that her Orlov Trotter began his career as a police horse whose duties included crowd control at soccer stadiums! In fact, he didn’t start dressage training until the age of 11, when Korelova took him to George Theodorescu in Germany and qualified  the following year to compete in the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera where she finished 26^th. Korelova now trains with Theodorescu’s daughter, Monica, and admitted that she thought her test could have been better. “He was a little bit nervous with the large arena, but it was okay. He always tries and would like to do much better. I was 100% happy with him, although he didn’t walk very well because he worked a lot in big stadiums as a police horse, so I can understand it. He’s a sport horse now, and likes to be in an arena, he likes to show, he likes the public, and also talks a lot. He may be the oldest horse, but he thinks he’s five. We may do a couple more competitions this year, but he will tell me what he wants.”

The individual competition continues with the Grand Prix Special that takes place on Saturday evening, after a rest day tomorrow.

At the conclusion of these two days, Luiza Almeida and Leandro Silva, respectively riding Samba and Oceano do Top, finished in 40^th and 43^rd place and will therefore miss the Grand Prix Special which is reserved for only the top 25. It was nonetheless, an Olympic debut that Brazil can treasure with pride.

 

Full team result: http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DA/EQX401100.shtml#EQX401102

 

Individual result (qualification for Grand Prix Special)

 

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C73DB/EQX001900.shtml#EQX001902

 

 

Apenas duas horas depois da estréia de Luiza, Leandro Aparecido entrou na pista com Oceano do Top, que se mostrou sereno frente a uma arena de 14 mil lugares, mas o garanhão tordilho flutuou durante a prova, embora um pouco menos do que os juízes normalmente vêem em competições desse nível. Mas é difícil comparar os warmbloods prontos a saltar se um alfinete cair, com os Lusitanos, que, mesmo que um tiro de canhão passasse por suas orelhas, continuariam executando o piaffe.

 

Luiza Tavares de Almeida and Samba during the Grand Prix dressage test: © Peter Llewellyn/HorseSource Photos

HIGH-RES COPIES OF THESE AND ALL OLYMPIC PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM: WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

Houve alguns momentos de desequilíbrio, mas, no geral, Oceano cumpriu uma reprise dentro de suas capacidades, e Leandro admitiu que estava muito feliz, mesmo não sendo seu melhor desempenho. “Os problemas com piaffe (quando o cavalo parou bruscamente) foram culpa minha, mas o Oceano estava calmo, o que eu já esperava. Eu estava tranqüilo também.” Perguntado se a impossibilidade de Rogério Clementino competir afetou a equipe, o cavaleiro disse: “Claro que afetou. Porque nós somos amigos e treinamos juntos, então quando uma coisa dessas acontece, atinge a todos”.

 

Leandro Aparecido da Silva and Oceano do Top: © Peter Llewellyn/HorseSource Photos

 

Leandro terminou com uma pontuação de 60,125%, com sua nota mais alta dada pelo juiz alemão Gotthilf Riexinger (61.042%), inferior ao resultado de Luiza. Entretanto, Gary Rockwell gostou da prova da jovem brasileira, conferindo 62.708% e o 10º lugar, o que aumentou a sua média.

 

O conjunto de Portugal, Carlos Pinto e Notável, teve um grande desempenho, com ótima expressão, mesmo cometendo vários erros. O cavalo falhou ao engajar os posteriores durante o piaffe, e a grande tensão do cavalo se manifestou nas seqüências de mudanças. Ele também apresentou movimentos laterais excessivos, de um lado para outro, na passagem final em direção à linha do meio. Os poucos momentos de brilho serviram para aumentar sua média, terminando com 61.708% de média. “O calor e a atmosfera afetaram o Notável, e ele esteve muito tenso durante a prova. Não foi o melhor que pôde, mas é nossa primeira Olimpíada, então estou feliz”.

 

Por último, fechando a primeira noite, Hayley Beresford, da Austrália, montando Relâmpago do Retiro. Desde o início, o desempenho foi elegante, elástico e correto, enquanto seus passos reunidos foram leves e certeiros. “Foi um trabalho árduo, mas eu estou muito feliz porque é somente nosso 11° Grande Prêmio, tendo uma rápida ascensão para as Olimpíadas. Eu só comecei a montá-lo em novembro de 2007. Estejam certos de que a reprise pode ser melhorada, mas foi muito cedo até chegarmos aqui. Estou muito feliz por mim e por ele”.

 

Eduardo Fisher, criador e proprietário de Relâmpago, admitiu a adrenalina por assistir a prova. “É fantástico porque nós fazemos parte de uma equipe internacional, com um cavalo brasileiro, uma amazona australiana, uma treinadora alemã e estamos em Hong Kong, em quarto lugar, na prova por equipes.”

 

Ao final do primeiro dia, o conjunto alemão, Heike Kemmer e Bonaparte estão liderando com 72,250%, á frente da britânica Emma Hindle com Lancenet. O segundo lugar foi uma notável surpresa para a ocasião, mas foi a vez em que tudo simplesmente entrou no lugar certo e na hora certa, e o conjunto, com certeza, atuou acima das expectativas.

 

Surpreendente também foi o fato Imke Schellekens-Bartels terminar em terceiro lugar com Sunrise – graças ao desempenho com o brilho costumeiro. Além disso, o conjunto foi fortemente penalizado pelo juiz alemão Gotthilf Riexinger, que estava bem colocado para ver quando Sunrise passou sua língua por cima da embocadura e a deixou pendurada para fora da boca – uma séria ofensa na série Grande Prêmio. A norte-americana Courtenay King também se apresentou muito bem com Mythilus, deixando o segundo cavaleiro da Holanda, Hans Peter Minderhoud e Nadine na quarta colocação. Certamente, os holandeses já estão se preparando para a perda da medalha de ouro, a menos que Anky van Grunsven, esteja na noite de sua vida, amanhã, com o imprevisível Salinero.

Às 19:30 (horário de Hong Kong), a amazona Luiza Almeida fez sua estréia como a atleta mais jovem na história olímpica a competir no hipismo e, embora tenha confessado que não foi a melhor prova feita por Samba, o Brasil deve se orgulhar de seu desempenho, com a média de 60,833%.

Na verdade, o segundo e o terceiro conjuntos a entrarem na magnífica arena de Sha Tin eram Lusitanos, sendo o primeiro, Galopin de la Font, montado pelo português Daniel Pinto. Em 2007, esse conjunto causou grande surpresa ao vencer a final de consolação da Copa do Mundo de Adestramento, em Las Vegas, mas, naquela ocasião, faltou um pouco de energia nas seqüências de passagem e piaffe. Da mesma forma, a pirueta foi um pouco pesada e a linha final de passos reunidos transpareceu cansaço. No entanto, a reprise foi realizada corretamente, sem erros, em um total de 63,083%.

Luiza Tavares de Almeida/Samba: © Peter Llewellyn/HorseSource Photos

THIS PHOTO AND OTHERS FROM THE OLYMPIC GAMES ARE AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

No mundo do Adestramento internacional, é difícil compreender como Luiza chegou onde chegou em poucos anos, mas quando ela entrou na arena, um silêncio tomou conta dos espectadores, sendo ela o centro das atenções de todos. Na verdade, Luiza se mostrou muito calma, iniciando sua apresentação com uma ótima série de movimentos reunidos, durante a primeira seqüência de passagem e piaffe. Houve uma leve hesitação seguida ao segundo piaffe, mas o conjunto executou um bom galope extendido e, apesar de boas transições na diagonal com mudanças a dois tempos, aconteceram alguns erros que lhes custaram pontos. Felizmente, as mudanças a um tempo foram sem erros e o conjunto terminou a prova extremamente bem, apresentando uma cadência regular e boa suspensão durante o final da passagem e piaffe.

“Estou muito, muito feliz. Eu somente entrei na pista e sabia o que eu tinha que fazer para dar o meu melhor e mostrar que a idade das pessoas realmente não interessa, e o mais importante é o trabalho que eu fiz. Esta não é a melhor prova que já fizemos. Sei que o meu cavalo pode fazer muito melhor, mas como primeira vez (olímpica), acho que foi realmente bom. É ótimo estar aqui, por isso estou muito satisfeita.”

Comentando sobre sua experiência em Hong Kong, Luiza disse: “Eu tenho aprendido que realmente preciso manter a calma, como sempre, em todas as competições e eu realmente tenho que confiar em meu cavalo. Neste ponto, estou feliz porque normalmente ele está muito nervoso, mas, na realidade, ele esteve calmo e, então eu só precisei ficar focada, tentar fazer o meu melhor e seguir em frente.”

Em relação ao ambiente na arena, Luiza admitiu: “Foi incrível, realmente incrível. Samba foi bem. Eu pensei que ele fosse ficar mais nervoso com o público, e é claro que ele poderia fazer melhor, mas como eu disse, sou muito feliz por estar aqui, e ele é muito jovem, tem apenas nove 9 de idade.” Quem ainda está por vir a esta primeira sessão do dia de Adestramento, série Grande Prêmio: Leandro Silva às 9:36, o português Carlos Pinto às 10:09, e, para terminar a noite dos Lusitanos, Relâmpago do Retiro sob a sela de Hayley Beresford, pela Austrália. (Horários de Hong Kong).

 

Some two hours after Luiza’s debut, Leandro Aparecido da Silva entered the ring with Oceano do Top who appeared serene given the atmosphere in a stadium that seats 14,000 people, but the grey stallion floated through the test, albeit with a little less expression than the judges normally expect to see at this level. But, it is difficult to compare the many warmblood dressage horses that look ready to jump out of the ring if they hear a pin drop, and the Lusitanos who would continue doing piaffe if a cannon went off in their ears!

 

Leandro Aparacido da Silva/Oceano do Top © Peter Llewellyn/HorseSource Photos

HIGH-RES COPIES OF THIS PHOTO AND OTHERS FROM THE OLYMPIC GAMES ARE AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HORSESOURCEPHOTOS.COM

 

There were also some moments of imbalance, but overall, Oceano performed within his ability, and Leandro admitted that although it wasn’t his best performance, he was very happy. “The problems with piaffe (when he stopped rather too abruptly) were my fault, but he [Oceano] behaved calmly, which was indeed what I was expecting. I was also calm.” Asked how Clementino’s inability to compete had affected the team, Leandro responded by saying; “Of course it affected the team because we are friends and train together, so when something like this happens it unnerves us.”

Leandro finished with a score of 60.125, slightly lower than Luiza’s with his highest score coming from German judge Gotthilf Riexinger (61.042%). Gary Rockwell (USA) meanwhile enjoyed Luiza’s test, awarding 62.708% and 10^th place, which increased her average.

Portugal’s Carlos Pinto and the Lusitano Notavel gave a powerful performance with great expression, although they also made several mistakes. The horse failed to engage his hindquarters during the piaffe, and there was a great deal of tension that manifested itself during the flying change sequences. He also exhibited rather too much side-to-side movement during the final passage down the centre line. A few moments of brilliance served to increase his score and he finished with a 63.083% average. “The heat and the atmosphere affected him, and he was very tense throughout the test. It wasn’t the best he could do, but it is the first Olympic Games for both of us, so I am happy.”

Finally, concluding the first evening, Hayley Beresford for Australia riding another Brazilian-bred Relampago do Retiro. From the outset the performance was elegant, elastic and correct, while the collected paces were light and responsive. “It was hard work out there because it’s really quite hot and heavy going, but I’m really happy because it’s only our 11^th Grand Prix, mine and the horse’s, and it’s been a quick journey to the Olympics. I only started riding him in November 2007. For sure all of the test could be improved, but it’s very early days for us. We have come here, it’s not a personal best, but I’m really happy for him and for me.”

Eduardo Fisher, the breeder and joint owner of Relampago, who had only just arrived in Hong Kong, admitted that the adrenaline of watching the performance had already kicked in. “It’s fantastic because we’re such an international team, with a Brazilian horse, an Australian rider, a German trainer and we are in Hong Kong in fourth place in terms of the team.”

In terms of the overall result at the end of the first Grand Prix day, Germany’s Heike Kemmer and Bonaparte are leading with 72.250, ahead of Britain’s Emma Hindle with Lancet in second place. The latter result was a remarkable surprise, but it was an occasion when everything simply fell into place at the right time, and the pair certainly performed beyond expectations.

Also surprising was the fact that Imke Schellekens-Bartels riding Sunrise finished in third place – thanks to a performance that lacked it’s usual luster. Also, the pair were heavily penalized by the German judge, Gotthilf Riexinger who was well placed to see when Sunrise managed to get his tongue over the bit and let it hang out of his mouth – a serious offense in Grand Prix dressage!

The USA’s Courtenay King also performed extremely well with Mythilus, relegating Holland’s second rider, Hans Peter Minderhoud and Nadine into fourth place. Certainly, the Dutch are already anticipating losing the team gold medal unless Anky van Grunsven can produce a performance of a lifetime tomorrow evening with the unpredictable Salinero.

 

 

 

 

 

At 7:33 p.m. Hong Kong time, Luiza Tavares de Almeida made her debut as the youngest equestrian competitor in Olympic history, and although she afterwards confessed that it wasn’t the best test Samba had ever done, the whole of Brazil should be proud of her performance which scored 60.833%.

 In fact, second and third horses into the magnificent international arena in Sha Tin, were both Lusitanos, the first being the French-bred Galopin de la Font ridden by Portugal’s Daniel Pinto. In 2007, this combination sprang a major surprise by winning the small tour at the World Cup Dressage Final in Las Vegas, but on this occasion some energy was missing during the sequences of passage and piaffe. Likewise, the pirouette was a little heavy, and the final line of collected paces appeared tired. However, the test had been performed correctly and without error, earning the pair 63.083%.

In the world of international dressage, it is difficult to comprehend how far Luiza has come in the past couple of years, but when she entered the arena and a hush fell over the spectators, she certainly looked like she belonged in the spotlight. In fact, she appeared remarkably calm given the electric atmosphere that greeted her, and she began with a nice series of collected movements during the first passage/piaffe sequence. There was a slight hesitation following the second piaffe, but the pair produced a good extended canter, and although they transitioned well into the two time flying changes across the diagonal, there were a couple of errors that cost them marks. Fortunately, the one-time flying changes were flawless, and they finished the test extremely well, exhibiting regular cadence and good suspension during the final passage and piaffe.

“I’m very, very happy. I just came into the ring and knew that I had to do my best and show people that age doesn’t really matter, and it’s the work that I did that’s important. This is not the best test we’ve ever done. I know my horse can do much better, but for the first time I think it was really good. It is great just being here, so I am very pleased.”

Commenting on her exerience in Hong Kong, Luiza said, “I have learned that I really have to keep calm, as always, in all the competitions and I really have to trust my horse. At this point I am really happy because normally he’s very nervous, but he was actually calm, so I just needed to stay focused, try to do my best and just keep going.”

In terms of the atmosphere in the arena, Luiza admitted; “It was amazing, really incredible. Samba was okay. I thought he was going to be more nervous with the public, and of course he could do better, but like I said, I’m just happy to be here, and he’s very young, only nine years old.”

Still to come in this first dressage session on day one of the Grand Prix: Leandro Silva at 9:36, Portugal’s Carlos Pinto at10:09, and this evening’s final Lusitano: Relampago do Retiro under the saddle of Hayley Beresford for Australia.

A noite de amanhã, quarta-feira, 13 de agosto (horário chinês), verá o início da competição olímpica de Adestramento, com a série Grande Prêmio, em Sha Tin, Hong Kong, e, apesar da tristeza de Rogério Clementino, que não poderá concorrer na seqüência devido à reprovação de Nilo VO pelo Comitê Veterinário, seis Lusitanos permanecem na competição: dois pelo Brasil, três por Portugal e um pela Austrália. A ordem de entrada dos Lusitanos em Hong Kong serão as seguintes (de acordo com o horário local da China):

Daniel Pinto / Galopin de La Font (POR) – 7:24 pm
Luiza Tavares de Almeida / Samba (BRA) – 7:33 pm
Leandro Aparecido / Oceano do Top (BRA) – 9:36 pm
Carlos Pinto / Notável JCL (POR) – 10:09 pm
Miguel Ralão Duarte / Oxalis da Meia Lua (POR) – 10:51 pm
Hayley Beresford / Relâmpago do Retiro (AUS) – 11:12 pm

A ordem de entrada completa das provas da reprise Grande Prêmio das Olimpíadas de Pequim 2008 pode ser encontrada clicando no link abaixo: 

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C51DB/EQX001900.shtml#EQX001902

 

Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, August 13 will see the start of the Olympic dressage competition with the Grand Prix in Sha Tin/Hong Kong, and despite the disappointment that Rogério Clementino will not be competing following Nilo’s rejection by the veterinary committee, six Lusitanos remain in the competition: two for Brazil, three for Portugal and one for Australia.

Their starting times in Hong Kong are as follows:

Daniel Pinto/Galopin de la Font (POR) – 7:24 p.m.

Luiza Tavares de Almeida/Samba (BRA) – 7:33 p.m.

Leandro Aparacido da Silva/Oceano do Top (BRA) – 9:36 p.m.

Carlos Pinto/Notavel (POR) – 10:09 p.m.

Ralao Duarte/Oxalis de Mei Lua (POR) – 10:51 p.m.

Hayley Beresford/Relampago do Retiro (BRA) – 11:12 p.m.

The complete Grand Prix starting order can be found on the Beijing 2008 website using the following link:

 

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/EQ/C51DB/EQX001900.shtml#EQX001902