First-timer leads the Blenheim Horse Trials dressage outcomes 2024

There’s a new chief within the Blenheim Horse Trials CCI4*-L dressage outcomes on the finish of the second day (20 September). Germany’s Jérôme Robiné using Black Ice scored 22.8, due to a phenomenal and assured check on this mix’s first go to to the occasion.

Black Ice, a 14-year-old owned by Dorothea Von Zedwitz, was fifth within the five-star at Luhmühlen and seventh individually on the European Eventing Championships, each in 2023, and extra just lately completed fifth within the Nations Cup CCI4*-S at Arville final month.

Jérôme and this placing gelding have been awarded a smattering of nines from the judges, together with for the 2 flying-changes that carry a coefficient.

“He’s very calm in his thoughts and there aren’t any surprises while you go into the world,” defined Jérôme, 26. “He has excellent flying-changes and he has a giant, ahead canter and good motion and it’s straightforward for him.

“I needed to work on his flying-changes previously, however he’s good now. It’s not straightforward for him in his physique as he’s lengthy, however he strikes nicely and now he’s established.”

New Zealand’s Jesse Campbell briefly shot into the lead earlier than Jérôme stole it from him as the following rider in. Jesse scored 23.3 together with his personal and Kent Gardner’s Diachello and sits in third going into the cross-country after Gemma Stevens and Jalapeno III slotted into second in the direction of the tip of the day.

“He’s at all times promised to ship a extremely good check and for no matter purpose, issues haven’t fairly gone to plan for him – he’s such a giant, unfastened shifting horse that it‘s not been straightforward, however he’s getting higher and higher with age,” defined Jesse of this 14-year-old Diarado, with whom he was a part of the New Zealand staff on the Tokyo Olympics.

“It’s enjoyable to carry him right here and luxuriate in it. I used to be taking all of it in and staying targeted – he wants a little bit of using as a result of he’s so huge and unfastened and desires a little bit of placing collectively, however I’m delighted with him. He has good adjustments and that basically helps with the coefficient marks in these strikes and you can also make up some floor with that.”

Talking of tomorrow’s cross-country, Jesse hopes that the rain – which has solely made a really transient look to date at Blenheim this week – stays away.

“He prefers the highest of the bottom, however we’ll see what we’ve received.”

Gemma Stevens and Chris Stone’s 16-year-old mare Jalapeno III scored 23 to sit down .3 of a penalty forward of Jesse.

“We are able to actually do it, however she’s a girl of her personal thoughts and if she’s slightly bit not within the temper, then we’re on a 27 – if she’s actually with me and within the temper, she will get a 22 or 23 and right this moment she determined that she was within the temper.,” defined Gemma, who was sixth at Badminton in 2023, seventh within the CCI4*-L right here in 2022 and fourth in the identical class in 2021.

“She is a correct lead mare and we now have to return to an settlement and we got here to a great settlement right this moment and was lovely to trip.

“She is aware of what she likes, when she likes it, how she likes it and who she likes.”

Talking of her check, Gemma stated: “I believed the trot was super-consistent for her right this moment, which I then knew I might keep it up into the canter and I might get pleasure from it as a result of she’s received a phenomenal canter and adjustments – she will do tempi-changes at dwelling when she’s with me and he or she felt like she was actually with me.”

Joint Blenheim dressage leaders after day one, Tim Worth and Tom Woodward maintain fourth on Comfortable Boy and Low Moor Fortunate respectively on 25.4, whereas Germany’s Calvin Böckmann is sixth on 25.8 with The Phantom Of The Opera.

The USA’s Phillip Dutton and the nine-year-old Denim are seventh on 25.9, Britain’s Fred Powell and Grafiba are eighth on 26 and the highest 10 are rounded off with Piggy March and Halo on 26.2 in ninth and Eire’s Ian Cassells and Kellys High quality in tenth on 26.5.

The CCI4*-L cross-country will get underway tomorrow (Saturday 21 September) at 11.30am.

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Gemma is an skilled journalist, having been a part of the H&H staff since 2014, who’s obsessed with all equestrian sports activities, together with racing and point-to-pointing. She has loved using out for high trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took half in a charity Flat race at in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting skills have taken her to quite a few five-star occasions round Britain and Europe, in addition to European championships.