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Sandra Auffarth Claims Lead after Dressage Phase in Eventing at WEG

(FRA, 29 August 2014) Sandra Auffarth riding Opgun Louvo, has a firm lead after the Dressage phase of the Eventing competition , with William Fox-Pitt (GBR) riding Chilli Morning taking second place, and Jonathan Paget (NZL) riding Clifton Promise in third place at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, in Normandy.

Germany’s Auffarth Takes the Lead

Local born equine hero Opgun Louvo, ridden by Germany’s Sandra Auffarth, completed the best dressage performance of the two days with a stunning score of 35.0, to lead the overall competition going into the cross-country phase tomorrow. William Fox-Pitt rode a beautiful test yesterday on Chilli Morning posting a score of 37.5 and was the overnight leader after day one of the two-day dressage phase. Fox-Pitt’s lead looked further under threat when New Zealand’s Jonathan Paget produced a dazzling dressage performance in front of a packed crowd to take third position on his horse Clifton Promise with a score of 38.0.

Germany’s Michael Jung is well placed in fourth position, despite riding reserve horse FischerRocana FST after his 2010 world champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW had to be withdrawn last week. He scored 40.7 with a relaxed, soft performance and hopes to be able to retain his World Champion title.

Auffarth and Opgun Louvo won the Bronze medal in the individual event at the London Games and Silver at the European Championships in Luhmuhlen, so will be hoping to go one better in Normandy.

Quotes:

Sandra Auffarth (GER):

He got better and better during the test. The canter work is his strength and you could earn a lot of marks doing that so that was good for me. Let’s forget the dressage. It was nice but now we have to move on to the cross-country!

William Fox-Pitt (GBR):

I am very relieved that we nailed the test. That was his best test ever. He’s a lovely horse to ride on the flat and he coped really well in that arena. The cross-country is a good track with plenty to jump. It’s quite hilly and with the soft ground it’s going to be a serious test. We tend to get all these conditions in England and so it should be good for us here, but the effect of the course will be cumulative and may be hard to gauge.

Michael Jung (GER):

I’m very happy. My horse was relaxed and didn’t make too many mistakes. She also concentrated. The arena wasn’t slippery. At the beginning the horses look at the ground because of the water splashing up, but the going is OK. [Jung described the course:] A tough four-star because of the big fences and the hills.

Rolex Testimonee Zara Phillips Riding High

The 2006 World Champion Zara Phillips (GBR), who was riding her top horse High Kingdom, scored 54.5. “I was really happy with him,” said Phillips. “He did some really good work and everything I asked of him. He broke in the medium trot and my marks didn’t come back up after that. He does nice work but he’s not a flash horse.” Phillips remains positive, believing that Saturday’s cross-country course will be hugely influential and should suit her gelding.

“You’ve got to look at the whole event; it’s not just about the dressage phase. You need something that will gallop up those hills and make those distances; we’ve just got to go out there and ride to the conditions. It’s tough and it’s raining,” she added.

For more information on the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and full results, please visit www.normandy2014.com.

Rolex and the World Equestrian Games

Rolex’s association with the World Equestrian Games began in 2002 in Jerez, Spain and the brand is at the forefront of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which takes place between 23 August and 7 September in Caen, France where a record 74 nations intend to take part.

The exceptional bond between Rolex and the World Equestrian Games has no doubt been instrumental in attracting 12 new countries to make their debut this year; a glorious achievement in the development of the sport on a global scale. Across the 15 days, approximately 1,200 media will follow 1,000 competitors as they compete across eight official disciplines including the Olympic sports of Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing in front of over 500,000 spectators.

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