Maxime Livio of France takes the CIC 3* title at Le Grand Complet
Following yesterday’s marathon of show jumping and cross country, today started at a leisurely hour of 10am with the ponies taking centre stage in the main arena for the final phase of the CCIP1*.During the cross country when the leader after dressage Annie Kamieth on Mr Harvey picked up some faults and dropped down the rankings, her compatriot Leoni Leuwer stepped up to first place and defended it well in the show jumping to finish on her dressage score of 42.0 riding Camissa Nera (below).
Third after the dressage, 16 year old Tori Smith riding Nutkin also had a good cross country yesterday and, despite one rail in the show jumping, took second place on a score of 46.4. Another British rider and one of the recent European junior team gold medallists, Chelsea Pearce, this time riding the striking Little Indian Feather, finished in third place on 52.9.
Tori Smith and Nutkin - flying ponies!
Whilst the pony class was completing and Libby was working hard I was being shown around the stud which hosts this event – Le Haras du Pin. I’ll bring you more about that in a separate article soon but suffice to say that a pleasant tour was finished off with, of course, un bon dejeuner in the restaurant overlooking the cross country course. As we started to eat (smoked salmon starter and chicken Normandie, if you must know) the rain started to come down and I wondered how much of the 3* I could watch from this comfortable and dry spot before feeling guilty. I finally gave in to guilt (after dessert and coffee) and, armed with a Normandy 2014 brolly, made my way down to the course.
Yes, it does rain in Normandy! Pack your wellies next year....
Luckily from that point on the rain turned to just the occasional drizzle but many of the riders chose to take the course steadily although the ground held up very well. In fact only one rider, France’s Eddie Sans on Phosphore de Lhocre was under the allotted time of seven minutes and he was full of praise for the going on the course at the press conference.
Shane Rose and Virgil
The course certainly claimed a fair share of the riders with 12 eliminations and two riders retiring on course including the overnight leader, Sebastien Cavaillon. This meant that Mark Todd on Leonidas II was in the top spot as he set on course but he picked up 20 faults early in the course so then continued on at a easy pace, picking up plenty of time faults but obviously with an eye on the future. Shane Rose and Virgil looked totally comfortable on course and Virgil looked full of running at the end which couldn’t be said about all of the horses; they picked up only 8.4 time faults which moved them up to finish in 10th place and a place in the very entertaining but lengthy presentations!
Alex Townsend and Bendigo
Alex Townsend was delighted with her round despite incurring plenty of time faults – a great result for only her second 3* with Bendigo who looks every inch the star he is all the time. Such a poser for the camera, that horse!
I caught up with Shane, Alex and Stuart Tinney shortly after the cross country
Shane, Alex and Stuart
Bonjour! Shane, Stuart and Niki Rose
It all came down to the wire as the last rider on course, Maxime Livio riding Cathar de Gamel came home with a clear jumping round and only two time faults and, after a few years of international riders claiming the top prize, France took back Le Grand Complet.Eddie Sans took second place and German rider Kai-Steffan Meier riding TSFKarascada M was third. Kai-Steffan made a great move up through the rankings during the course of the competition – 30thafter dressage, 10th after a clear round show jumping and he added only 0.4 time penalties to complete on a final score of 53.9, only 2.9 penalties behind the winner.
There is always plenty of hoopla at this presentation; speeches, clapping in of the prizewinners by the volunteers, presentation of the Haras du Pin stud horses and lots of music to finish off the event. Thank you Le Grand Complet - it's been fun and the next time we see you it will be at the 2014 FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games
