HEIKE HOLSTEIN made an impressive Olympic dressage debut yesterday, but failed by the most tantalising of margins to qualify for tomorrow's Grand Prix Speciale after earning what she described as disappointing marks for a "best ever test" with Ballaseyr Devereux.
Dublin born Holstein (24) rode a supremely mature test, getting the best out of the 11 year old chestnut gelding who threatened to allow the occasion to go to his head. At the close of play, however, just five marks and one place kept her out of the top 25 that go through to the Speciale.
The Dutch warm blood had seemed so laid back during his 30 minute warm up that Holstein's trainer Dr Reiner Klimke suggested a gallop to wake up the horse. The plan worked, but perhaps too well, with the gelding offering to recreate that burst of speed at the beginning of the test.
Holstein refused to be fazed, however, and managed to contain the horse's exuberance to show good extensions, plus excellent changes and canter pirouettes, although the piaffe lacked some sparkle.
Her score of 1,613, which represents 65.24 per cent of the available marks, was lower than she had expected however. "I thought he'd get 67 or 68 percent for that test. It's the best he's ever gone", she said afterwards.
Holstein was not the only rider to express disappointment at the scoring. Anky van Grunsven, Holland's reigning world freestyle champion and double World Cup winner, was thrilled with the way her horse Bonfire went yesterday morning, but a score of 1,893 left her 22 marks short of overnight leader, Germany's Isabell Werth.
In fact, van Grunsven needed an impossibly high score to make up the deficit between the Dutch and defending champions Germany, who held onto their title with a final tally of 5,533, nearly 100 marks clear of Holland who took the silver on 5,437. The Americans followed the Germans and Dutch onto the medal podium to claim bronze.
Much to the relief of show jumping chef d'equipe Colonel Ned Camp ion, the combination of four days rest plus a substantial amount of veterinary attention meant that Peter Charles' horse Benetton was passed sound at yesterday's trot up and the four Irish show jumpers now go forward to today's first qualifier.
