Gemma Stevens continues to ride her wave of success, leading the way at Military Boekelo after the first day of dressage on Thursday.
The British rider, who recently won the Defender Burghley CCI5* on Chilli Knight, followed by showjumping wins at Hickstead the next weekend, topped the provisional leaderboard at Boekelo after the first 50 combinations had completed their tests.
The penultimate combination into the arena and riding her first horse, Chilli Morning IV as an individual competitor, Gemma scored 25.4 to finish the day ahead of Brazilian rider Marcio Carvalho Jorge, who had taken the lead four rides earlier aboard Castle Howard Casanova, on 26 penalty points. This had moved him ahead of the early morning leader German rider Nadine Marzahl riding Victoria 108, now in third place (27.1) and defending champion, Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier riding her recent Strzegom 4* winner, the nine-year-old Call me Senorita (28.3), in fourth.
New Zealand doesn’t have a team at Boekelo this year but their two individual competitors, Jonelle and Tim Price are both in the top 20 with Jonelle riding Indian Tonic, a new horse for her this year (apparently for Team Guatemala according to Jonelle’s website). Previously ridden by Julia Krajewski, this will be the eight-year-old mare’s first CCI4* and they currently sit in equal 13th place (31.4) while Tim riding Gloire de Marchenval is in 19th place (32.4).
Australia has just one representative with Lamoza Velish riding Call Me Cooley in 42nd place.
You can watch all Thursday's tests in the video below with Gemma’s leading test starting at 7:35:07.
Gemma will be back in the arena on Friday as part of the British team of Kirsty Chabert riding Classic VI, Yasmin Ingham riding Kinda Corvette, Katie Magee riding Cushlas Indigo and Gemma on Cooley Park Muze, as the FEI Eventing Nations Cup series final kicks off.
American rider Allie Knowles, who closed out the first day in fifth place individually with La Crown Royal (28.6) is also back on her team horse, the nine-year-old Montpellier Scais as part of the US team (Hallie Coon riding Sirius SB, Jack Curtis riding Luska Candy Clover, Lauren Nicholson riding Landmark’s Jungle Gold and Allie riding Montpellier Scais).
Seven more individual combinations will go before the start of dressage for the Nations Cup and one definitely worth a watch will be the legendary Ingrid Klimke on Kallista – we can never resist watching Ingrid in the dressage arena and we don’t get to see her that often now!
Running alongside the CCIO4*-L and FEI Eventing Nations Cup final is the Dutch National Championship standings and, of the four Dutch combinations competing on the first day, Jordy Wilken produced the best result. With his eleven-year-old bay gelding Champ van’t Vhij, he scored 34.4 to sit in 30th place and currently lead the Dutch National Championship.
