Le Grand Complet actually started on Wednesday afternoon with the first competitors in the CIC 1* taking to the dressage ring (it’s a big class with 145 competitors) but today felt like the true start of the event. The trade stands were open, spectators wandering around and the big guns were out in the CIC 3*. You don’t get much bigger a drawcard than Sir Mark Todd and, despite a chilly start to a day that soon became hot and sunny, there were quite a few people keen to watch this test at 8:30am.
Concentration - Toddy during his warm-up on Oloa
Riding Oloa, a 12 year old chestnut, Mark rode a nice test apart from an unwanted flying change in the counter canter to start the day off with a score of 48.5. As he finished his test Australia’s Alex Townsend was warming with a little help from her travelling companion and Olympic medallist Shane Rose. Alex was on her first horse, the bay mare Parodie who didn’t give Alex the easiest of rides. The first part of the test went quite smoothly but Parodie was very anxious to get from walk to canter, started to anticipate and sadly the tense canter work brought their marks down to 66.2.
Alex and Parodie warm up with the help of Shane
“That’s not too bad, considering” said Alex afterwards, with a wry smile “She does get very tense and it could have been worse”
Shortly after the first morning break Canada’s Rebecca Howard took the lead on her experienced horse Riddle Master with a score of 47.9; Riddle Master was Rebecca’s mount at London 2012 and has completed several 4* events despite being only 12 years old. . The combination had an error of course and, although very happy to be leading at the lunch break, Rebecca said that she felt that their work was not quite as good as they had been getting recently. As the riders, officials and spectators headed to that all important appointment with their stomach i.e. lunch, French rider Stanislas De Zuchowicz riding Qogoun Des Ibis had bumped Sir Mark down into third with their score of 48.1 so it was Canada, France and New Zealand in the top three spots
Lunch in the restaurant at the top of the hill?
Or the bar near the show jumping?
Or a Normandy crepe?
Or just an ice cream like young British rider Storm Straker
As with the WEG Test Event, the rider straight after lunch took the lead. David Doel of Great Britain but riding the Australian horse previously ridden by Wendy Schaeffer, Koyuna Sun Magic moved up to first place on a score of 46.2.
“He’s a great old horse” said 20 year old David, who was third here last year in the CIC 2* on the same horse. Later, riding a new horse, Chap, in the CIC 1* David found himself on the floor when a rein back went slightly haywire but, unperturbed, he hopped back on and calmly finished the test with only some dirt on his back and boots to tell the tale!
Shane Rose’s young horse Virgil (above) was a little distracted in his test so didn’t perform to his best and scored 52.9, finishing the day in 25th place. Shane told us what happened when we chatted to him later
Interview with Shane Rose after dressage
Some nice tests were now happening with French riders putting up a good performance on home soil. The lead continued to change but Mark Todd on his second horse, Leonidas II, laid claim to the top spot and held onto it until the end of the day on a score of 40.2.
Australia’s Alex Townsend, this time riding Bendigo, rode into the arena as if she meant business and continued on to ride a cracking test.
“Nice horse” joked Clayton Fredericks, Bendigo’s London 2012 rider, as we watched Alex and he gave us some video commentary on the very good test which scored 45.4 and put Alex in fourth place behind the two French riders Sebastien Cavaillon riding Only One Du Reverdy (44.6) and Luc Chateau riding Propriano de L’Ebat (45.2). These two young French riders are making a bid to try and keep the CIC 3* title in French hands this year but they have to pass Mr Todd first, who believes that the cross country course is a very big 3* course with some 4* questions, particularly at Fence 7 and the second water. As many of the riders here are maybe just starting out on 3* tracks or are on less experienced horses, the cross country may prove to be a big test
Happy! Alex and her partner, Derek
We talked to Alex, who was clearly delighted, after her dressage test
Alex Townsend interview after dressage
In the second dressage arena some CIC 1* riders completed the dressage phase for this class in the morning while others headed to the grass show jumping arena near the Trade Village. At the end of the day France was doing well in this class too with Arthur Bonneau riding Beauty Boy, a horse that started its career in the dressage arena, leading on 37.5 and Thomas Carlile (who has English parents but was born in France) close behind riding the six year old stallion Tenareze.
Tomorrow sees another busy day with show jumping for the CIC 3* riders in the morning after which the 1* and ponies take to the cross country course
