Denis Lynch was the first Irish rider into the ring at the Agria FEI World Showjumping Championships, and set the standard with the first clear round of the day.
Denis was third to go, riding Brooklyn Heights, a new ride for him since February. He set out with purpose on the 13-year-old gelding by Nabab De Reve and was rewarded with a tidy clear to stop the clock on 88.43sec. An all-important clear round in the bag, but there will be faster rounds to come.
The pair did have a slight miscommunication at the water fence, which was in the shadow of the stands. The horse popped in an extra stride, but it hardly broke their rhythm and they emerged fault-free.
“He really helped me out at the water when I didn’t get the jump I wanted – he was fantastic,” said Denis. “He fought all the way home – he’s a real fighter, this horse.
“It was a good first-day track. It’s a bit difficult with the light and shadows at this stage in the morning and there are definitely plenty of questions but there will be plenty of clears. But jumping clear is a very good start.”
The pathfinder was Mexico’s Federico Fernandez on the grey stallion Romeo (not to be confused with Harry Charles’s Romeo 88, competing for Britain later on). Federico knocked two down, adding eight seconds to his total.
World Showjumping Championships: first qualifier
Straight after Denis came Australia’s Billy Raymont on Black Jack Ixe, who also jumped clear but in the faster time of 88.34sec.
“We didn’t want to come and make up the numbers,” said Billy, who has been based in Europe since May. “My horse has only done one show in the past eight weeks to prepare for here, and he went the best he’s ever gone in training last week, so I was excited. He felt perfect.
“The course is nice for the first day. There are a couple of fences where you can roll in tight, but you just have to follow the numbers and let it come.”
The eight-stride distance between three and four looks to be influential at this early stage. It’s set on a forward distance, causing the horses to flatten into the double at five.
Today is the first qualifier, which is a speed class set at 1.55m. Each fence adds four seconds to the rider’s total. Scores from this qualifier count in future rounds.
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