dcro

Time faults for Sjoborg, but very useful for Sweden.

Well done Schivo! It was a hard work though.

Okay, show jumping today is becoming worrisome. It's too tough, and therefore not really in the spirit of eventing. It's doesn't help that the course was set by Uliano Vezzani, a pure show jumping course setter, who has only previously done eventing once before. That's insane.

Ghazala be like: "There was a ticker saying something a commentator should never say... Cappai & Uter haven't had a fence down in the last 18 shows." And then immediately Cappai has a fence down.

It increases in difficulty. 5* dressage has more flying changes (4), stretch circle in canter, more difficult transitions. 3* dressage, for example, has no flying changes at all, which are often where mistakes happen and the low scores come in.

Excellent from Parro though.

9 fences down for Tosi... Why on earth are they mixing 5* dressage, 4* cross-country and 5* jumping at Worlds/Olympics, I have no idea. Make it either 4* or 5*!

Kitajima, Kaminski, Ramsgaard, Wilken withdrew overnight. Everyone else presented and passed the inspection. Following this, Japan dropped from 7th to 11th. They are way back and effectively out of it. This is mostly bad news for the emerging nations of Groups F/G. Thailand, India, Hong Kong no longer have any chance of a team, while China will I'm sure turn every stone next year in an attempt to upset Australia or Japan.

Jarno Verwimp also had 15 penalties removed upon an appeal so Belgium climbs to 8th with 122.40. That's within a striking distance for the OQ.

Pretty much this. It's a nice lead for the seven of them, but show jumping will be at the 5* technical difficulty so there will be fences coming down. Switzerland is down to three names so they better stay careful. Ireland has Fallulah in their team who has a woeful show jumping record, but they have four riders up there and a nice lead. One of the Japanese horses, Cekatinka, looked really tired at the end of the course, but in my experience that doesn't have to mean anything. She could still turn up fit and fresh tomorrow morning. In an ideal situation for Europe, Japan would have to drop out in favor of Sweden or Belgium...

Team standings after cross-country: 76.10 77.40 88.30 95.90 (or 80.90) 105.00 109.40 111.90 125.40 137.40 146.30 151.10 221.30 279.20 1097.20 1105.10 1115.10 Individual standings: Jung 18.80 Ingham 23.20 Smith 24.00 Townend 24.30 Krajewski 26.00

It has been a long day. I like her as a commentator on horse things, but Ghazala is really not that good at presenting anything except show jumping. There have been much more informative host commentators in the past.

Not on Vassily de Lassos though, with whom he stayed on dressage score in both Tryon and Tokyo (the only one there).

Wow, and it turned to a total meltdown for both Hoy and Australia. Surely no Olympic quota this time.

Refusal for Hoy & Vassily de Lassos... Guess there is first time for everything.

There are. I think there is an option at every combination obstacle, which is not always the case.

Nasty fall for Diaz. Spain is due 1000 penalties now.

Bad performance given that Paris is around the corner.. They wanted more out of this. But let's keep an eye on the newbies Maksud & Zaragoza who are having an incredible competition thus far. They are Olympic material.

He was awarded 15 flag penalties. I believe those will be removed, but we'll see.

Wow, Germany stays on their team dressage score.

Tamie Smith This is new territory. Getting inside the time at XC was always the one weakness of Mai Baum. Btw, Godel had his 15 penalties removed.

Godel awarded 15 flag penalties. May be reviewed but expensive for the Swiss. Bordone eliminated. Apparently she got injured in fall just a few weeks ago, so just starting here was kind of a miracle. Italy is probably out of the OQ contention now, though.

Lara de Liedekerke down on the very first fence. First elimination for Belgium then...

Germany and Ireland continue their strong showings with further clears.

He was Top 10 way back in Rio 2016. But dressage is by far their best phase, so it will go downhill from here likely.