Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend continue Britain’s strong start to the Eventing World Championships  

Fabulous tests from Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend give the British eventing team a commanding lead with a record-breaking sub-70 first phase score at the World Championships

With test scores of 24.3 for sixth and 25.6 for seventh, Oliver Townend and Tom McEwen respectively put down solid performances to help Britain on its way to a convincing lead going into today’s (Saturday 17 September) cross-country phase at the Eventing World Championships. With a team total of 69.2 – a first-phase record at a World Championship – ahead of closest competitors the USA on 76.1, it’ll be all to play for tomorrow with the caveat that each rider has echoed so far – it certainly won’t be a dressage competition.

As predicted, the second day of dressage at the Eventing World Championships saw a bit of a shake-up to the leader board but it was only Germany’s Michael Jung who could touch Laura Collett and London 52’s magnificent lead. Earning an incredible 18.8, this means Laura settles for second going into the cross-country phase, while Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir sit in third. Other key performances came from Cheshire-based Chinese rider, Alex Hua Tian on Don Geniro who scored a phenomenal 23.7 to stand fourth, and the USA’s Tamie Smith whose Mai Baum performed beautifully for 24.0 and provisional fifth place.

Oliver Townend earned the best British score of the day when, last to go for the team, he completed his test on the 15-year-old Ballaghmor Class to a tune of 24.3 and sixth place going into the next phase.

“I was happy enough with him, maybe didn’t quite take me forwards enough in the trot but I felt that once we were into the canter work, we were away and I felt the work was very quality,” said Oliver of the horse he’s produced through the levels himself to get to a World Championships. “It’s nice to be here, it’s a fantastic venue. I couldn’t have been happier to be here.”

Oliver’s test looked exceptionally correct and there were elements of the canter work that looked to have improved over recent events. So, what has the combination been up to at home?

“Just trying to get him more forwards,” Oliver continued. “He’s a horse that is a little bit introverted – either that or completely explosive – so I’m just trying to get him to breathe and take me a little bit more in all the paces, really.

“It showed up in the canter, when it shows up in the trot, obviously, we can produce a better score, but for him to go in there and do a correct test is very good for him and obviously very, very good for the team. I think it’s a bit of a dream start for the Brits so let’s hope we can keep it up.”

Third to go for the team, Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser didn’t get off to the best start when Toledo broke into canter during his first medium trot, but this was a blip in an otherwise beautiful and harmonious test, for which they were duly rewarded with 25.6. The fighting fit horse might have looked a little on his toes but the pair clawed back their score and, aside from a halt a touch too early, the remainder of their test looked spot-on, rising through the ranks to settle for equal fourth after his test and eventual seventh place going into the cross-country.

“It wasn’t our best test,” admitted Tom, speaking after his test, “but we recovered really well. We did some really nice changes, the canter work was lovely, I was really pleased with his walk.

“I didn’t have him enough in front of the leg going in, probably, so it was a little bit of a recovery process from the first part,” he continued, “but it happens, and it was fine and he was brilliant. I’m very happy with him.”

Compared to their test at Badminton, where Tom and Toledo were front runners after the dressage, Tom added that his work today probably could have been “higher quality”. “But I’m really pleased with him,” he continued. “It’s always been the case that, for whatever reason, he loves the grass. On a surface he canters every now and again and goes a little bit like this. I’m looking forward to the next two phases on grass and I wouldn’t swap him for anything for the rest of it. It’s perfect to be here on him.”

Results as they stand

Going into the cross-country phase, the top 20 individual results are as follows…

1. Germany’s Michael Jung and FischerChipmunk FRH – 18.8
2. Great Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52 – 19.3
3. Great Britain’s Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir – 22.0
4. China’s Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro – 23.7
5. USA’s Tamie Smith and Mai Baum – 24.0
6. Great Britain’s Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class – 24.3
7. Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser – 25.6

=7 New Zealand’s Monica Spencer and Artist – 25.6

9. Australia’s Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam – 25.7
10. Belgium’s Karin Donckers and Fletcha van’t Verahof – 25.8
11. Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne JRA – 25.9
12. Germany’s Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville – 26.0
13. New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and McClaren – 26.1
14. New Zealand’s Tim Price and Falco – 26.2

=14. Britain’s Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo – 26.2

=14. USA’s Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg – 26.2

17. Australia’s Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture – 26.3
18. USA’s Will Coleman and Off The Record – 26.4

=18. France’s Tom Carlile and Darmagnac de Beliard – 26.4

20. Switzerland’s Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH – 26.8

Team results going into the cross-country phase are as follows…

1. Great Britain – 69.2
2. Germany – 76.1
3. USA – 76.6
4. New Zealand – 77.9
5. Australia – 84.1
6. France – 84.2
7. Japan – 86.1
8. Belgium – 87.4
9. Switzerland – 90.1
10. Italy – 90.3
11. Spain – 97.4
12. Ireland – 99.0
13. Sweden – 99.0
14. Canada – 100.5
15. Austria – 100.8
16. Brazil – 1066.4

Photo credit: Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser © British Equestrian / Jon Stroud