The Pau 5* will certainly be one all the riders remember from the season. Persistent rain took its toll on the Les 5 Etoiles de Pau field with world no.3 Tim Price saying the very influential cross country produced some of the deepest ground he has ever experienced.

He remains the best of the Kiwis, sitting in 10th place aboard his 5* debutant Jarillo. They picked up 22.4 time for an end-of-day tally of 49.6 penalty points.

Tim summed the day up well with his post-course words. “That was a really tough day,” he said. “When you are looking for your first time 5* and go to Pau you don’t expect to be confronted with these kinds of conditions.”

But the efforts of Jarillo impressed him and Tim feels will set him up for the future. “Jarillo coped with it really well I thought. He kept trying for me all the way home. He got a little tired towards the end but nothing to major and I think this will be a really good set up first 5* for his future.”

The horse has recovered well and Tim is now looking forward to a good (show) jump on him tomorrow. “What a day – it is still raining. It has been raining all day and all last night. It is crazy weather for this job and was a tough day for the Kiwis – when you can’t quite get up on the crest of a wave it is not going to be there for you and a couple of us suffered from that today but I am still very pleased with my guy.”

Not a single rider in the 73-strong field made time but Tayla Mason and Centennial went close, adding 10.4 time and 11 jump faults for 51.4 and shooting them up to 12th spot. Tayla was ecstatic with the efforts of her horse. “I couldn’t fault him. He was just jumping the moon. He made my job very easy and had plenty of gas left in the tank at the end so I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “He was fantastic today.”

The only other New Zealander still in play is Caroline Powell and High Time who added both time and jump to finish the day on 65.3. “High Time was amazing in the mud but unfortunately got 11 for a MIM (activating a frangible device). Aldo was not coping with the mud and he lives to fight another day.”

James Avery with MBF Connection, Clarke Johnstone aboard Menlo Park, Ginny Thomasen on Capitaine de Hus Z and Caroline with CBI Aldo were amongst the eight retirements on the shortened Pierre Michelet-designed course. There were also seven eliminations and two withdrawals before the cross country including Samantha Lissington aboard Lord Seekonig.

Yesterday organisers removed fences from the cross country course but overnight weather saw more fences taken out for a total of nine withdrawn.

The Brits have six of the top eight positions with Caroline Harris (GBR) aboard D Day reaping the reward for the closest to the optimum time adding just 10 to her tally to scoot up the leaderboard from 22nd after the dressage to the top on 40.3. Dressage leader Rosalind Canter (GBR) and Izilot DHI are in second on 40.6 with Tom McEwen (GBR) aboard Brookfield Quality in third on 43.

Click Here For: START LISTS AND RESULTS
Click Here For: LIVESTREAM
Click Here For: EVENT WEBSITE

Horse Breeding Owner
Capitaine De Hus Z by Cosinhus out of France de Hus who is by Fergar Mail David and Karie Thomson and Ginny Thomasen
Jarillo by Dantos out of Fiorilla who is by Alicante

Lucy Allison, Frances Stead and James and Rachel Good
Menlo Park by Berlin out of Faerie Queen who is by Rock King

Jean, Rob and Clarke Johnstone
MBF Connection Luidam out of Traditionally Aloof

Hazel Livesey and James Avery
Lord Seekonig Lord Fauntleroy out of Seekoenigin who is by Carpalo Sharon Honiss, Annabelle and Robin Greville Williams, Neil Robertson and Brayden Lissington
CBI Aldo Goodluck VDL out of KMS Eclipse who is by Ramon

Serena Greenwell, Pat Melville-Evans, Jo West and Caroline Powell
High Time Hemmingway out of Freckleton Maxima’s Mandolin

Ruth  Armstrong, Serena Greenwell, Jo West and Caroline Powell
Centennial Euro Sport Centavos out of Made You Look who is by Moonwalker Sue Rutter and Sonya, Kyle and Tayla Mason

By Diana Dobson – HP Media Liaison
Photo: Irish Eventing Times – Pam Cunningham