Saturday, 03 August 2024
With the excitement of yesterday’s gold for Team GB’s jumping trio still fresh in the mind, thoughts today turned to dressage. The threesome of Charlotte Fry, Carl Hester and Olympic debutante Becky Moody were ready to take to the Versailles stage to battle it out for team honours in front of a packed house.
Ten teams of three riders came under the seven-strong judging panel of Henning Lehrmann (GER – President), Raphael Saleh (FRA), Magnus Rinkmark (SWE), Mariette Sanders (NED), Michael Osinki (USA), Isobel Wessels (GBR) and Susanne Baarup (DEN) to contest the Grand Prix Special. Germany had led the way in qualification, with the Danish trio just a few marks adrift and Great Britain a strong third – but what would the final result be?
First up for the British team was Becky Moody and her homebred Jagerbomb, who she jointly owns with Jo Cooper. This pair has really caught the imagination of all concerned this week with their harmonious performances, huge personalities and all-round positivity – hopes were high for something special.
The crowd welcomed them with rapturous applause as they entered the arena, which ‘Bomb’ found very, very exciting. As a result, it was a very brief halt to get the round under way, with the Yorkshire rider having barely time to salute. The Grand Prix Special ups the technicality and intensity of the Grand Prix, which really suits Bomb, and they were quickly knotching up sevens and plenty of eights. The test had a natural, free flow, with an effortless feel and great expression. The canter work was particularly impactful, with energy and correctness in the changes.
Towards the end of the test, the judges found their nine button and a final flourish brought the marks up. Becky had done a super job to manage a slightly spicy Bomb and keep him focused on the task for a clear round to post 76.489% – a new personal best, which, after the first rotation of riders, was good enough for the lead.
“It was pretty cool. I mean, what an incredible stadium, the crowd were fantastic and my horse was a total legend – what more could I ask for on a fair Saturday morning? I’ve just come here to do the best that I can do and the team around me are amazing, so we’re doing our thing – and what will be, will be,” Becky reflected.
“We’re expecting a medal – I don’t know which one. We all want gold, but we have some very, very tough competition, so we’re all just going to go do our thing and see where that leaves us.
“Bomb is just a total dude, a lovely, lovely horse. He’s been quite spicy here this week, I have to say – Carl has helped me an awful lot to find that inner calm in both of us. It has been fantastic and he’s amazing.
“I think anyone who’s trained a horse – whether you’ve bred them or not – from the beginning as a youngster, knows that you do know each other so well because you’ve been through everything together. When you’ve done your first show together, your first big show together, your first Grand Prix together, you do learn to understand each other. He’s such a character – he’s absolutely a yard favourite at home with all the girls because he’s probably the best to hack, he goes out in the field and chills out, and he’s an all-round legend,” she said.
With a solid foundation set by Becky and ‘Bomb’, it was the turn of the maestro Carl Hester riding Fiona Bigwood, Mette Dahl and his own Fame to build on Becky’s score. Fame is a horse Carl has made no secret that he loves to ride, but this test would be their biggest moment together because there was an Olympic medal at stake.
As the competition progressed, a number of horses seemed to take exception to the ‘F’ corner of the arena, with plenty of spooks and nerves, and Fame – normally fairly level – was no exception. Carl had started well with a bright beginning to trend around 80% and it was looking good, until the extended trot headed towards the corner where, upon feeling the 13-year-old backing off, Carl pushed forward and Fame broke into canter. A spell of passage immediately followed and the spook impacted the transition and beginning of the movement, to impact on a few more marks.
However, Carl is second to none in clawing back marks and he began to do just that. From the fours and fives, he was quickly back to eights and nines and the percentage rose. Fame was very hot and didn’t give Carl an easy time, but the canter work gave him chance to settle somewhat –the marks piled in and a wonderful final centreline brought the performance to an end.
The final score was 76.520% to edge ahead of Becky and, importantly, keep Team GB in the medal hunt.
“I had a bit of a fragile start,” Carl explained. “He was brilliant out there – he’s normally brilliant and he still was brilliant – but he was so spooky at the beginning that I couldn’t get on the sides [of the arena] and, of course, everything in this test happens on the sides. When I went in there, I was just next to the judge when he rang the bell and my horse immediately jumped sideways. Fame was just so nervous at the beginning, but to think of where he went down to at the beginning of the test because of the mistakes, then he came back up with all his good marks and his good points. He is a horse than anyone would love riding, so it doesn’t matter. Well, it does matter because we all want to win gold, that would be an aim, but after the week we’ve had, if we get a medal, as a team we’ll be really united and excited.
“This morning, I had the stress of Becky as well because I’m helping her, and that was very emotional for me, too because she went beyond what we expected – which made my life easier, because when something went wrong in my test at the beginning, I knew I still had Becky’s score behind me. I didn’t get what I wanted or needed to get, I had a bit of leeway because she’d been so brilliant,” he added.
With the scores neck-and-neck between Germany, Denmark and Great Britain, the final riders for each nation would have to deliver something truly special to decide the medals, with the gold still in touching distance for any of the three.
For Britain, there was nobody better to take the anchor role than reigning double world champions Lottie Fry and the spine-tingling black stallion Glamourdale, owned jointly by Lottie and Van Olst Horses. Lottie was pleased with their Grand Prix performance, but was clear on what she needed to do to deliver.
They cantered up the centre line meaning business and the nines started flooding in – the trot half-passes swept gracefully from side to side with great reach. A few marks were lost in the walk tour and some loss of energy in the piaffes just dropped a few marks. However, the canter is certainly ‘Glammy’s’ best work and today was no exception. Some of the seven judges were happy to dish out nines for well-executed canter half-passes, flying changes and pirouettes. The extended canter, the movement they make their own, was awarded a perfect 10 from five of the seven judges.
They halted for the final time and a smile came across Lottie’s face – it was good, but was it gold medal good? The score was finalised on 79.483% – not quite as high as was needed for gold, but it made at least bronze a certainty. The final tally was six 10s and 25 nines over the test.
Lottie said afterwards, “I had an amazing ride today – so many improvements from the Grand Prix. There are still a few little things we can improve for tomorrow, which is exciting, but I had an amazing test. It was an amazing feeling to ride in that arena. It looked pretty sold-out and we both really enjoyed it.
“I think there were definitely some highlights in the canter today. I was really happy with the changes, the extended canter, of course – every time! – and we really nailed the pirouettes today, so I’m very proud,” she concluded.
So, it was a final wait for the remaining two combinations. First up was Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle – a duo who have been on the ascendency since coming together last October and today they looked as though their partnership had progressed to the next level, thanks to a score of 81.216%. That put extreme pressure on the final pairing but, in reigning Olympic champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, there was no one better to take on the challenge for Germany. The calculator had done its job to state that Jessie needed 79.834% to take the title from Denmark.
Dalera didn’t quite look the force she often is, but with Jesscia expertly holding her hand, the marks were steadily matching the Danish duo as each movement progressed. As they left the arena, 79.954% was announced – it was just enough! With a winning margin of just 0.121%, it couldn’t be closer, but Germany had retained their title they won in Tokyo, Denmark were in second and it was a brilliant bronze for Team GB.
Becky Moody, taking a bronze medal on her Games (and senior championship) debut said; “It’s just been incredible. I have an amazing team around me that have been really supportive and we have three absolute superstar horses who’ve been legends. We’re having a great time now. I still have to pinch myself – I was expecting a lovely 10-day holiday in France and it hasn’t quite come to that, but this is quite a bit better in reality.”
Best of the Brits, Lottie Fry added; “I had an amazing ride today. We made some big improvements from the Grand Prix and I was so happy with him. I feel like there’s still quite a bit left in the tank for tomorrow, which is really exciting. In there today, he made me very proud. He did some amazing things and it was an incredible feeling to ride in that arena. It’s basically sold out and we had a lot of fun together. He was a little more relaxed than the other day and the whole canter work just felt incredible. He just loved it, he was so cool.”
Carl rounded off; “It’s been a week of very, very different emotions for everybody, but this is a fantastic way to top the week. All of us will ride the final, which is fantastic because nobody will be left out, and I think we’re probably expecting to score even better in that. To have an Olympics where all three teams medal… so far, four medals have been on offer and we’ve taken one in everything – that’s pretty incredible.”
There’s been talk that this could be Carl’s Olympic swansong after seven Games, but, having won a medal, what were his thoughts now? “Retirement is on my mind, but I don’t say it because you just don’t know how you’re going to feel. I feel like I’ve done enough – seven Olympics and all that pressure. Luckily, for me, it doesn’t mean an end because I love the coaching. I get as much pleasure watching these guys as I do competing. That’s just age – you don’t care about the winning so much – but I do care about the sport and these guys. Whichever way I go after here doesn’t mean I won’t be involved, but I think I’m nearly at the end of the wire with the riding.”
One thing is for certain, though, and that is that we get at least one final chance to see Carl Hester ride in an Olympic arena because he’ll be part of tomorrow’s Grand Prix Freestyle individual final. Carl has new music to showcase so, if it is his final time, it should be a cracker.
Gold = Germany – 235.790
Silver = Denmark – 235.669
Bronze = Great Britain – 232.492
4th = Netherlands – 221.048
5th = Belgium – 215.289
6th = Sweden – 212.811%
After a second horse inspection with the vets tomorrow, we get underway at 09:00 BST for the final battle for dressage medals. Start times will be published post-vet check.
Full results and times for tomorrow can be found on Olympic.org and read our ‘how to watch’ guide for all your viewing information.