After years as the stalwart of the U.S. team, Brentina gave a heartbreaking performance for Debbie McDonald in their final appearance together, Aug. 14 in Hong Kong, China, scoring an uncharacteristic 63.00 percent.
“She started spooking at something on the side,” said McDonald of the 17-year-old mare who has earned Olympic, World Championship and Pan American Games medals. “I have no idea what it was. I couldn’t put my leg on or anything. It totally took me by surprise. I feel awful. I knew in the pirouettes I had no hope. It was a bad day.
By the time Steffen Peters entered the arena, he needed a score of 73.60 percent to bring the U.S. team up to bronze. It was a stiff task for a horse who shows supreme talent but was competing in only his 12th Grand Prix. He gave an excellent performance to score 70.00 percent, for 10th place.
That score meant the Danish earned the highly contested bronze medal, behind the gold-medal Germans and silver-medal Dutch.
Peters lost some points when Ravel became distracted in his extended walk, and his first and last piaffes weren’t quite as good as he’d hoped, but his trotwork—especially the half passes—was lovely.
“Right now I couldn’t expect more of him,” said Peters. “I went for it in the half passes and extensions. I can’t risk that much in the changes right now, so I went for safe and clean.”
But even with the bronze eluding them, Peters said McDonald had no reason to apologize to the team. “The last four or five weeks, [Brentina] has been so extremely consistent,” he said. “They’re horses, not machines. Some people say horses are human too, but horses are horses.”
Teammate Courtney King-Dye’s husband, Jason Dye, asked Peters in the warm-up if he wanted to know the score he needed. “Of course I did,” said Peters. “I tried. I went for it. I knew a big prize was at stake, and I went for it.”
Both King-Dye, who finished seventh, and Peters move on to the Grand Prix Special, where they will start fresh on a score of 0 in the individual competition.
Gold For Germany
The Germans (Isabell Werth/Satchmo, Heike Kemmer/Bonaparte, Nadine Capellmann/Elvis) won their seventh consecutive gold after Werth posted the top score of 76.41 percent, with gorgeous half passes and extensions.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in the German team after we lost the European Championships, so we’re really proud,” said Werth. “From the beginning we had a positive attitude that we could do it. Satchmo was in great shape, and I was hoping he could show the same [form] inside [the arena as in warm-up].”
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She didn’t feel like she could risk her best since the team needed a solid top score. Although Satchmo kicked out once in his piaffe, she had no major mistakes. “That can happen, but the rest was really good,” she said.
Capellmann started the evening for the Germans with a 70.08 percent after bobbles in her extended trot and piaffe. “I’m not pleased with the piaffe. I [asked for] too much, maybe a little less would have been better, but I’m here at the Olympics and want to do my best,” she said.
She was pleased with her canter tour. “But the trot and piaffe I have to work on. It was not a piaffe day today. In the first extended trot, he was looking at something. That’s normally an 8 or 9 for him. And in the extended walk he was distracted by something.”
The Dutch Pull Off Silver
Anky van Grunsven said her score of 74.75 percent reflected a conservative ride aboard Salinero to secure the necessary points for the team silver (van Grunsven/Salinero, Hans Peter Minderhoud/Nadine, Imke Schellekens-Bartels/Sunrise).
“I didn’t want to make a big mistake, but in the Special and freestyle, I can go for it,” she said. “After yesterday I forgot about the gold team medal. We had a bad draw [as the first team to compete], and our first two rides were not good enough. If another country’s better, that’s life.
“It was a difficult competition for us,” she added. “Hans had to ride first, and we had two riders on the first day, and their tests were not good enough. We’d hoped for more, for sure. I’m disappointed with a couple of scores because I was happy with my own test, and I thought there could have been a few more points.”
Van Grunsven said she doesn’t like the format of having three riders instead of four with a drop score. “You see a couple of teams like the U.S., where if there is one bad ride, the team is gone,” she said. “I hope it’s the last time we have a team of three; it’s more exciting with four.”
Piaffe and passage was the highlight of Salinero’s test, as well as the pirouettes, although he moved off from his final halt. “He almost started to stand, and then the applause started and that was it,” she said.
“The changes were also good, and it was mistake free,” added van Grunsven. “He was not too relaxed. He has to settle down a little more. He’s very fit, and the weather doesn’t bother him. I had a lot of power, which made it difficult today, but it will help me survive the next days.”
Denmark Earns First Team Medal
Andreas Helgstrand of Denmark said tonight’s test may have been the most important he’s ever ridden, and, together with scores from Anne van Olst and Clearwater and Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein on Digby, it was good enough to bring bronze to Denmark for the first time.
“I’ve never ridden under such pressure,” Helgstrand said. “I’d hoped for a bit more; I was not super happy with my test. I was trying to qualify for a team medal and not do a stupid thing.”
He didn’t like one of his piaffes or his last extended trot. “I could hear him breathing—the weather got to him a bit,” he said. “But there was no problem with spooking; he is a gentleman.”
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Back To Health
Less than a week ago, Kyra Kyrklund wasn’t sure she’d get to compete, since Max was running a fever of 104 degrees. “We don’t know what caused it, but his immune system was down, and we think it was some sort of bacteria,” she said. “The vet clinic here is amazing, with the best vets from around the world. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
She said over the last few days, she’s gone from hoping he would get well, to hoping she could compete, and then hoping she could be competitive. But as a result of his sickness, she missed practice time in the main arena. He’s been back in work for five days, and he felt so well today that she thought he was almost too fresh.
They scored a 70.58 percent to stand sixth and advance to the Special. “He loves big crowds, and he is convinced everyone buys a ticket to come look at him,” she added. “”He’s a showman, and he’s really reliable. He never spooks.”
An Electric Arena
Unlike Max, two horses took particular offense to the atmosphere. Oxalis, a mare ridden by Miguel Ralao Duarte of Portugal spooked at the Jumbotron, cantered through part of his trotwork and began rearing. Duarte tried to console him but ended up retiring.
Japan’s Hiroshi Hoketsu, 67, rode through a big spook from Whisper in the walk to salvage the test and score 62.54 percent. “She’s been in the arena five times but never got used to it,” he said. “I only expected a mistake in the two-tempis, but not that she would turn around and run away in the extended walk.”
Jan Brink had a mistake in the one-tempis that brought his score with Briar down to a 68.87 percent. “He was not really in front of my leg [in the one-tempis] and he lost confidence and had to canter a few steps before he could continue,” he said. “But the two-tempis were nice, and his pirouette was good today.”
Holzer Hopes For More In Special
Ashley Holzer was disappointed with her test aboard Pop Art (67.04%), who stumbled in an extended trot and in his canter zigzag. But they finished 19th and will advance to the Special.
“He stumbled in his first extension, which brought his balance off a little,” she said. “It’s difficult with the footing, and going at the end [of a group], it was pitted up. The zigzag was unfortunate. He gets nervous [when he stumbles] because he’s not used to that. He’s always in self-carriage, and when he loses himself, that’s not him. He could easily get a 70 or 71, but you can’t make a mistake, and I tripped twice. Then I started to ride cautiously—I couldn’t push for a big extension.”
But she did like her tempi changes and pirouettes, and she promised to be more competitive in the Special, which suits him better. “That’s where I shine,” she said.
The scores in general weren’t at their highest, although judge Leid Tornblad of Denmark said many of the riders were a little below their normal standard tonight.
“If you start low, you have to stick to your guns and keep some logical system,” said FEI delegate Mariette Withages. “I know it doesn’t sell so well when the scores are lower, but that’s the way it goes.”
Other members of the ground jury included: Barnabus Mandi, Gotthilf Riexinger, Gary Rockwell and Ghislain Fouarage.
