O'Connor storms through

Riders dump their stopwatches as wet ground takes its toll on cross-country day, with Ireland's Austin O'Connor recording the day's outstanding round

- GEMMA REDRUP

FOLLOWING an incredibly wet spring, the weather on dressage day two did nothing to help the going. It didn’t rain on the Saturday – it poured.

Many riders on the first day of dressage were full of praise for the Eric Winter-designed track – it was bold and gallopy, with some serious questions, but fair ones.

Then it rained, and rained – 12mm to be precise – and the track became a whole new ball game. The conditions led to two elements of combinations being removed, although the optimum time of 11min 35sec and distance were unaltered.

Much of the focus before the day was on how the direct route into The Lake at fence 21a – a MIM-clipped rail – would jump (see box, far right).

PLACINGS AFTER CROSS-COUNTRY 

1st Ros Canter (GBR) on Lordships Graffalo

2nd Austin O’Connor (IRL) on Colorado Blue

3rd Oliver Townend (GBR) on Ballaghmor Class

SKILLS AND HORSEMANSHIP 

WILLS OAKDEN did a superb job as Pathfinder. With such soft going, stamina was always going to be a concern and although Oughterard Cooley visibly tired towards the end, he kept galloping and jumping to complete with 28 time-faults.

“Today it’s about using your skills and horsemanship and thinking about the horses and getting them home as well as you can,” said Wills.

Fiona Kashel, who was second out, fell four from home at fence 26. WSF Carthago was treated in the vet clinic at Badminton and subsequently hospitalised, but sadly his injury meant successful repair was not possible and he was put down. Fiona elected to withdraw her second ride Creevagh Silver De Haar.