Defending champions Germany go into Sunday’s concluding show jumping phase of the Longines FEI European eventing championships at Blair Castle with a massive nine-fence lead over Great Britain while team member Michael Jung looks set to claim a third successive individual gold medal.
Relentless rain began falling before the first horse went out on the Ian Stark-designed cross-country course on Saturday morning which made conditions extremely testing. Nineteen riders failed to complete, including three Irish team members, and, following a couple of falls at the influential downhill combination of fences 21 and 22, the Neeps, Haggis and Tatties, the ‘haggis’ was removed as the going deteriorated.
Joseph Murphy, the first Irish rider out on the course, was unseated from Sportsfield Othello at the Tatties skinny element at the bottom of the hill which meant the other three members of the team had to complete. This was not to be however with team newcomer Padraig McCarthy being decanted from Simon Porloe at the second of the corners in the main arena (another influential fence) while Austin O'Connor and Balham Houdini parted company at the first element of the third water at 19.
Eighth fastest on the day, Michael Ryan completed the course on Carol and Tom Henry’s Ballylynch Adventure. With the addition of 9.20 time penalties, he was lying 14th overnight on a total of 61.10, just behind Irish individual Sam Watson who, with 10.40 cross-country time penalties, is on a score of 57.70 with his own Horseware Lukeswell. Camilla Speirs, the second individual rider on the squad, is in 30th place (75.50) with the diminutive Portersize Just A Jiff which she owns in partnership with her mother Bridget.
Only three of the 65 combinations which started got home within the time, Jung going to the top of the leaderboard when clear with the eight-year-old Anglo Arab gelding fischerTakinou, the youngest horse in the field. His teammate Sandra Auffarth, the reigning world champion who led after the dressage phase, dropped to second (42.60) when picking up 11.2 time penalties on Opgun Louvo.
British individual Izzy Taylor is in the bronze medal position having jumped from 26th to third (44) when clear within the time on the mare KBIS Briarlands Matilda while the only other totally clear round was recorded by another British individual, Gemma Tattersall, who climbed from 35th to seventh (47.30) on the Irish thoroughbred Arctic Soul.
In the team competition, Germany is on a total of 122.70 with Britain, whose William Fox-Pitt retired Bay My Hero following a most uncharacteristic run-out at the bush arrowhead at 17, on 169.30. France, who also lost a team member (Karim Florent Laghouag), is in third place on 115.20 as it seeks Olympic qualification. Spain, the only team besides Germany to get four riders home, is in sixth place on 153.80.
