Michael Jung has stormed into the lead for Germany in the Olympic eventing dressage in Tokyo today (31 July). Riding Chipmunk FRH, he posted an impressive score of 21.1 to sit 2.5 penalties clear of second-placed Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, who were long-time leaders for Britain.
“I had a very good feeling with my horse in the weeks before this competition, which gives you confidence as a rider and makes you relax,” Michael said after his test. “We had a very good partnership today and everything worked like I wished it to, so I’m very happy with him.”
Michael admitted that the Olympics being postponed for a year has worked in his favour.
“For me actually it was much better that I had one year more for the time to train with this horse and a long winter to work with him and to get more competitions in this year together. Everything is working much better this year than last year, so, for me it was perfect. We have worked every day together to get a good partnership, get information about each other one and try to find the best preparation for us.”
Tim Price takes fifth in Olympic eventing dressage
New Zealand’s Tim Price also impressed the judges during the final session of dressage. He scored 25.6 with Vitali to slot into fifth place.
“Today was a little bit of a glimpse of what he’s capable of,” Tim said after his test. “I think once he’s an established advanced horse in the future, he’s going to be pretty special.”
There were a few mistakes in Tim’s test, including on the first centre line.
“There were a couple of errors, which were just a little bit due to his age and stage in training, but he’s a real trier and he kept coming back to me,” Tim explained. “He just was over-trying and overthinking – we came into trot with a nice uphill transition and I was happy with that, then I put my leg on a little bit and he popped to canter, which is not like him – he knows the distinction in the aids pretty well usually.”
You might also be interested in:
‘The team is in a strong position’: Tom McEwen boosts Britain’s eventing hopes with smart dressage test
The Horse & Hound Podcast: Daily Tokyo Special – episode five
Tales from Tokyo: ‘As a young horse he just wanted to party all the time – I was scared and hated him’
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