Michael Jung wowed the judges during his Olympic eventing dressage test at the Paris Games aboard the impressive Chipmunk FRH, scoring 17.8 to go into provisional second.
It’s nip tuck at the top of the leaderboard, with the German rider just .3 of a penalty behind Britain’s Laura Collett and London 52, who hold the lead after setting a new Olympic record score.
Chipmunk FRH produced a relaxed and accurate test, earning a 10 from one judge for his penultimate flying change and 10s across the board for his final halt.
“It was an amazing feeling to gallop into the stadium – it was really like a goosebump feeling,” explained Michael of what it was like to ride this 16-year-old, owned by the German Olympic committee for equestrian sport, Klaus and Sabine Fischer and Joachim Jung. “At the same time, Chipmunk was so well concentrated and so with me and listening. Every second it was nice to ride him and directly before I went in, I knew I could take all the risks and I can try everything to get the best marks with him.”
Australia’s Chris Burton produced a beautifully presented Olympic eventing dressage performance with Shadow Man to score 22, which is enough for equal third at the moment, alongside Alex Hua Tian and Jilsonne Van Bareelhof.
“He was on his toes – he’s normally a very relaxed horse, but he got really excited because some guy went before me, who the crowd likes to cheer for,” joked Chris, referring to Michael Jung completing his test just prior to him entering the arena. “But then I was just delighted with him, he went back to work showing what a lovely gentleman he is and showing how well schooled he is, so that was a real treat for me.”
Chris took over the ride on Shadow Man, a 14-year-old he co-owns with Guy Bloodstock Ltd, from British event rider Ben Hobday at the start of this season.
“I said when we went up to Ben’s to ride him and vet him in the same day, I felt like I knew him already – were made for each other,” explained Chris of how he managed to cement a partnership with Shadow Man so rapidly.
Chris spent time away from eventing to focus on showjumping before returning to eventing this year.
“I was away from eventing for a while and I was delighted when I got back to it and found my skill set hadn’t left me,” he stated. “Although I got very nervous at Aachen [where he finished fourth in the CCIO4*-S with Clever Louis this month], because I thought ‘what if I ruined my career and what if I’m old and I can’t go fast anymore?’ But that was nice to see it hadn’t left me.”
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Credit: Peter Nixon
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H&H features, racing and point-to-point editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, having been part of the H&H team since 2014, who is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at in August 2018. Gemma’s reporting talents have taken her to numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.