The two dressage days of the CCI5* in Pau have come to an end. Tim and Jonelle Price have settled at the top of the standings with their horses Falco (by Cardenio) and McClaren (by Clarimo) with -22.1 and -24.4 penalty points respectively. Both horses will run their first 5* cross this afternoon. William Fox-Pitt is third with Little Fire (by Graf Top). The twelve-year-old Hanoverian was already ninth in Badminton once.
New Zealander Tim Price rode one of his best dressage tests at 5* level yesterday. With the twelve-year-old Hanoverian Falco he scored 77.90% (-22.1) and he was unanimously in the lead among the three jury members. “It took a while to get the subs right,” Tim Price told Eventing Nation, “but he’s got it all. He was just relaxed and happy today.”
‘Relieved to see some good numbers’
Price’s wife Jonelle also rode a 5* debutant, the fourteen-year-old Holsteiner McClaren. Clarimo’s son comes from Mark Todd’s stables when he retired from eventing. In Pau, Price and McClaren came to a percentage of 75.56. “The dressage has been a bit of a stumbling block with him this year,” says Jonelle. “It always felt pretty good, but every time I look at the scoreboard, the points made me a little sad. So I was just relieved to see some good grades, and it was just too bad that Tim came along and disrupted my party!”
Two KWPN horses in top ten
Routinier William Fox-Pitt scored 24.5 with the little Hanoverian Little Fire, slightly less than Jonelle Price, who is 24.4 after dressage. In sixth and seventh place are two KWPN bred horses. Sofia Sjoborg received for her trial with her 16-year-old former junior horse DHI Mighty Dwight (by Indorado) 26.8. Bubby Upton, UK Under-25 National Title Holder, rode a five-star dressage test for the first time with the Oklund son Cannavaro and scored 27.1.
This afternoon at 13.30 the cross starts in Pau. Follow live via horseandcountry.tv.
