:00:27. > :00:31.familiar territory, because this place was the heart of London 2012.
:00:31. > :00:37.The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it is in a process of transformation.
:00:37. > :00:42.The main stadium is gearing up for the London anniversary games at the
:00:42. > :00:47.end of July, and then the north end of the park will be open to the
:00:48. > :00:53.public. Everywhere else, workers are making sure that it is perfect, this
:00:53. > :00:58.will be the heart of the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic games.
:00:58. > :01:05.That does not look how I remember it. Inside the aquatic centre, they
:01:05. > :01:11.have taken off the sides, they have -- it will be replaced by class.
:01:11. > :01:17.Major swimming Championships can be staged here still, but it will be
:01:17. > :01:21.open to the public. You cannot just click your fingers and transform and
:01:21. > :01:27.Olympic venue into something that is safe and practical for public use,
:01:28. > :01:33.that is why it is taking so long. It will be open in the spring, and for
:01:33. > :01:36.the European Championships, you will see more moments of history. But we
:01:36. > :01:46.are here for another golden British sport, showjumping. Remember
:01:46. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:04.London? Our first gold medal for 60 It is crunch time for Britain! A
:02:04. > :02:07.
:02:07. > :02:12.lovely round. Just the start Britain once. Beautifully ridden! He has got
:02:13. > :02:22.us off to a gym and start yet again. That was Nick Skelton at his very
:02:22. > :02:32.best. The crowd go mad! Britain are on the old Trail! This could be the
:02:32. > :02:39.
:02:39. > :02:44.first gold medal since 1952! Britain for Nick Skelton, the culmination of
:02:44. > :02:48.an -- a lifetime. It has regenerated interest in the sport, and that is
:02:48. > :02:53.one of the reasons we believe this has been chosen as the venue for the
:02:53. > :02:58.Global Champions Tour. This is the richest event ever staged in this
:02:58. > :03:01.country, the first new major showjumping event since Olympia
:03:01. > :03:11.started in the early 70s, so let's find out a bit more about what it
:03:11. > :03:12.
:03:12. > :03:18.The Global Champions Tour is the most valuable and glamorous series
:03:18. > :03:22.in showjumping. London is brand-new on the map, there are 13 events this
:03:22. > :03:27.year, in the hotspots of Europe, before it heads east in the autumn
:03:27. > :03:33.to Shanghai and the final in Doha. The best riders in the world
:03:33. > :03:39.competing. It is the first time it has been in London. You will see the
:03:39. > :03:44.best horses in the world. It was established by the 1992 Olympic
:03:44. > :03:48.champion. He decided something was missing from world showjumping so
:03:48. > :03:55.instead of waiting for somebody to set it up, he went and made it
:03:56. > :04:03.happen. We have 13 legs in the whole year, we end up in Qatar in
:04:03. > :04:07.November. There is London, Monte Carlo, Vienna, Lausanne, it is one
:04:07. > :04:12.fabulous city after another. Global Champions Tour is like the
:04:12. > :04:18.Diamond league or the Formula 1. At the end of the year, if you are at
:04:18. > :04:21.the top of the league, you win a big prize. There have been three legs so
:04:21. > :04:31.far and a British success in Madrid, Michael Whitaker with the winner 's
:04:31. > :04:42.
:04:42. > :04:48.cheque. That sees him in 18th place Queen's grandson. Nine months ago, I
:04:48. > :04:55.was asked to put on a Global Champions Tour leg for the first
:04:55. > :05:05.time in London. I thought, yes, why not? A gold medal! Nick Skelton
:05:05. > :05:06.
:05:06. > :05:10.steps up. After the success of the Olympics, across all of equestrian,
:05:10. > :05:17.it was important that we had a showpiece legacy event after
:05:17. > :05:21.Greenwich, and this is it. After the Olympics, coming back, it feels like
:05:21. > :05:25.the Olympics, because we are living in the village, so good memories.
:05:25. > :05:30.are in front of the home crowd again, it was great in London in the
:05:30. > :05:34.summer, and if it is half as good as that, it will be good. People
:05:34. > :05:44.recognise what we are doing, and hopefully we get the people in to
:05:44. > :05:46.
:05:46. > :05:51.follow us. He has always looked a class rider. So, who is here? It is
:05:51. > :05:59.the best in Britain. The best in Europe. And, indeed, the best in the
:05:59. > :06:05.world. I had a good show in Lisbon and Madrid. We will see how it goes,
:06:05. > :06:08.you never know with horses, but Cedric is in good form. It is a big
:06:08. > :06:15.chance to have a good result in London, because of the Olympics,
:06:15. > :06:20.really bad. I have one of the best horses in the world, he is the most
:06:20. > :06:25.winning horse in the world, and in the Global Champions Tour he has won
:06:25. > :06:32.the majority of the prize money. bring my Olympic horse to this
:06:32. > :06:39.place. We will do our best. I sold my horse, he is not here, but I have
:06:39. > :06:43.got a good substitute. She was third at Olympia. British riders tend to
:06:43. > :06:51.come forward when they are in their home country, so between our Olympic
:06:51. > :06:59.team, we can produce some good results. Nick Skelton, Big capital
:06:59. > :07:05.to start is on form. He is one of the best there is, it gives you
:07:05. > :07:09.great chances. I would not want to swap him with any of the horse, so I
:07:09. > :07:15.will stick with him. You have got to ride well and trust your horse and
:07:15. > :07:18.have luck on your side. You can be in front.
:07:18. > :07:23.You can tell how much the riders are looking forward to this, and so our
:07:23. > :07:28.way. These men would have loved to have been riding for this sort of
:07:28. > :07:34.prize money in London. How important is it that London is part of this?
:07:34. > :07:43.Totally important. It has come on the back of the Olympics, the
:07:43. > :07:50.enthusiasm, and they brought the global tour here. The money now, it
:07:50. > :07:55.has totally transform the sport. In its seven or eight years, prior to
:07:55. > :08:03.that, top professionals were struggling to make a living, they
:08:03. > :08:09.had to sell their best horses. Now, totally different. When you can jump
:08:09. > :08:15.for this money, it is unbelievable. So is the level of competition.
:08:15. > :08:21.Unbelievable standard. Is it fair to say the, apart from the Olympics,
:08:21. > :08:28.this is the highest quality event staged in the UK? No doubt. I bought
:08:28. > :08:31.a course at the Olympics, and I did so today, and you cannot believe
:08:31. > :08:38.that horses can jump comfortably around this kind of course, because
:08:38. > :08:43.if you built this a huge years ago, nobody would have jumped it. This is
:08:43. > :08:50.built in a very small area, we are just outside the Olympic Park, we
:08:50. > :08:54.have got student accommodation behind us, but this is the arena,
:08:54. > :08:59.with an all-weather surface, you can do it anywhere. This is why the
:08:59. > :09:07.sport has got more global, you do not need the glass arena -- the
:09:07. > :09:11.grass Arena. The Arab countries can build this kind of facility, and
:09:11. > :09:17.they can compete. It has brought a lot of countries into the sport that
:09:17. > :09:22.were not there a fuel years ago, it is totally global now. Perfect
:09:22. > :09:29.conditions, it is slightly cloudy, I like trees, and this feels like
:09:29. > :09:33.showbiz showjumping. Yes, it is glamorous, sexy, cool, big money,
:09:33. > :09:40.all of the stars, the showbiz people want to be involved. It feels great
:09:41. > :09:45.to be here. One of them is Bruce Springsteen, because his daughter
:09:45. > :09:51.Jessica has been competing here. She did not make it through to the live
:09:51. > :09:59.round that we are going to show, but he will be back here playing later
:09:59. > :10:05.this summer. Again, that is important, it feels cool. Yes, if
:10:05. > :10:09.you go back, it was the sport to be in, and then it lost a bit of
:10:10. > :10:15.profile. It has come back again, without a doubt, and the Olympics
:10:15. > :10:20.was the icing on the cake. The prize money is important to the
:10:20. > :10:23.competitors, as far as you are concerned, it is all about the
:10:23. > :10:28.quality of the horses and the riders involved.
:10:28. > :10:34.All four of great returns Gold medal winning team are here, Nick Skelton,
:10:34. > :10:39.Ben Maher, Peter Charles and Scott Brash. But they have stiff
:10:39. > :10:48.opposition, up against the man who beat them to individual gold, Steve
:10:48. > :10:55.Guerdat from Switzerland. Also back in London, riding a horse called
:10:55. > :11:05.London, Gerco Schroder, who took the silver medal at the Olympics, and
:11:05. > :11:06.
:11:06. > :11:12.the world number one, Christian Ahlmann from Germany. The defending
:11:12. > :11:15.champion is Edwina Tops-Alexander, she won in 2012 and 2011. As we
:11:15. > :11:25.mentioned, the current leader is from America, Laura Kraut, Nick
:11:25. > :11:35.Skelton's other half, which she is out to beat him. And this is how it
:11:35. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :11:57.works. All of the riders took part they get into the arena, everybody
:11:57. > :12:07.for themselves. It should be an exciting competition, we are live
:12:07. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:17.until 5pm. First, highlights of the relive, we hope, those wonderful
:12:17. > :12:27.moments from Greenwich. The first is the reserve rider, from the
:12:27. > :12:27.
:12:27. > :12:36.Olympics, Tina Fletcher. Hallo Sailor has been jumping for Britain
:12:36. > :12:43.and elsewhere. Graham suffering after a knee operation. Tina hit her
:12:43. > :12:53.knee last night, she is suffering. This horse is jumping. A horse with
:12:53. > :13:01.
:13:01. > :13:08.top scope, has the ability to jump vertical. You have got to get home
:13:08. > :13:18.under 79 seconds to make sure you get inside the time. A tight five
:13:18. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:31.strides. No fillers. Still clear. The last line is very difficult. She
:13:31. > :13:41.has taken four. She jumped it. The first clear round goes to Britain.
:13:41. > :13:47.
:13:47. > :13:54.It is Tina Fletcher and Hallo have seen a lot of courses in
:13:54. > :14:03.Europe... Having another look, a big stretch, watched the ride. She was
:14:03. > :14:13.quite a long way off, but she made it happen. Now, the man who
:14:13. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:25.eventually lynched the Olympic team gold medal, Peter Charles. This
:14:25. > :14:31.horse has already hit the big time, went well at Christmas. Started
:14:31. > :14:38.quite late this season, but he is already beginning to show a lot of
:14:38. > :14:44.form. This is a big test, though. She has got a lot of blood, she has
:14:44. > :14:52.got her own way of going. She sticks her nose out a bit. Pete rides her
:14:52. > :15:00.very sympathetically. He allows her to go forward in her own style.
:15:00. > :15:03.Lovely, clean jump over that vertical. The riders have got to
:15:03. > :15:13.cruise around the corner is reasonably quickly to make sure they
:15:13. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:18.do not get any time faults. Does not look as though the time is that
:15:18. > :15:26.tight. It is not tight if you keep on rolling. Peter is still clear, he
:15:26. > :15:34.will be OK full-time. A clear round, the second one for great written, so
:15:34. > :15:41.free clear rounds so far. It is a very good start. The clear rounds go
:15:41. > :15:47.through to the second round. He is beginning to build up a really good
:15:47. > :15:57.rapport with this French horse. You can see her trying her heart out,
:15:57. > :16:16.
:16:16. > :16:25.not always delivered. Today was the day that he was really going to put
:16:25. > :16:35.this horse to the test. This horse has always promised to be a top
:16:35. > :16:35.
:16:36. > :16:42.Grand Prix horse. He has never enjoyed the tight indoor atmospheres
:16:43. > :16:50.and this arena is like an indoor show. It might interest the audience
:16:50. > :16:55.because it is actually 80 metres by 50 metres, which is not big.
:16:55. > :17:05.horses are jumping the fence is very close to the crowd. It can make the
:17:05. > :17:06.
:17:06. > :17:15.horses tents but looking good at the moment. A super careful horse.
:17:15. > :17:22.by the start who is becoming one of the top names in breeding. He has
:17:22. > :17:27.gone forward and jumped it as well. Four clean rounds and three of them
:17:27. > :17:37.for Britain. This is a world class field and of course a lot of big
:17:37. > :17:51.
:17:51. > :18:01.can distract the horses. As you see there, he is a bit uptight.
:18:01. > :18:01.
:18:01. > :18:06.Tops' wife Edwina Riding this extraordinary horse. Twice the
:18:06. > :18:15.winner of the global champions league, 2011 and again in Doha in
:18:15. > :18:19.2012. This is a top-class combination, on form. These two have
:18:19. > :18:28.won so much money over the years. A brilliant partnership. Definitely
:18:28. > :18:34.the smallest horse in the competition, barely 15-2. A massive
:18:34. > :18:44.heart. Edwina will have to move on around the corners to make sure she
:18:44. > :18:51.
:18:52. > :19:01.gets on in time because it doesn't throws his big horse into
:19:02. > :19:11.
:19:11. > :19:16.everything, stretching out over an extra one there. She is just
:19:16. > :19:23.inside. The time is interesting because the fastest clear rounds
:19:23. > :19:26.will go last and the slowest will go first. She will get an early draw.
:19:26. > :19:36.She will make the jump off but she will be one of the first horses to
:19:36. > :19:37.
:19:37. > :19:42.go. Let's have another look at the horse here, jumping the last fence.
:19:42. > :19:47.She put the five strides in, kicking on and if she had not ridden that
:19:47. > :19:57.strongly for the last strides she might not have got it. She judged it
:19:57. > :20:01.
:20:01. > :20:06.to perfection. Now Laura Kraut. Heading the global champions league
:20:06. > :20:16.after three rounds on this, the horse that she helped America to win
:20:16. > :20:22.
:20:22. > :20:32.in Hong Kong. It is a horse that is going as well as ever. It was the
:20:32. > :20:33.
:20:34. > :20:37.winner earlier. Barely 16 hands but what an athlete this horse is. This
:20:37. > :20:44.sport is such an amazing contrast between the combinations, you get
:20:44. > :20:49.cold guys riding power horses and these women on little elegant
:20:49. > :20:53.horses. This horse has been a wonderful servant for Laura Kraut
:20:53. > :21:03.over the years. It is interesting because the ladies have had a great
:21:03. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:16.run in this globe you'll champions tour. -- global champions. Laura and
:21:16. > :21:23.Edwina had a great shootout, didn't they? A little bit slower. Is she
:21:23. > :21:32.going to get inside the time? she is through to round two. Laura
:21:32. > :21:42.Kraut for the USA. You see Laura patting her horse. She absolutely
:21:42. > :21:44.
:21:44. > :21:49.loves Cedric. She is saying, good boy, you have done it again. He's
:21:49. > :21:59.got springs in his heels, this little horse. He makes an immaculate
:21:59. > :22:17.
:22:17. > :22:27.medallist, Gerco Schroder with London, the horse involved in a
:22:27. > :22:29.
:22:30. > :22:37.bankruptcy case after London but the courts gave him the horseback. Out
:22:37. > :22:43.he goes, I think. A very silly fence to bring down on with a horse of
:22:43. > :22:48.that calibre. Very disappointing. He is widely acclaimed as one of the
:22:48. > :22:58.best riders in the world and this horse is right up with the very
:22:58. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:08.best, so that's a big conditions with the ground, the
:23:08. > :23:18.temperature is just right, not too hot, everything set up for top-class
:23:18. > :23:20.
:23:20. > :23:26.jumping here. And the course testing the best, in 11 clear rounds,
:23:26. > :23:36.including beer bound for Germany. 12 good ones have already gone out. 18
:23:36. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :24:04.go through to round two but I think with his back legs. That is show
:24:04. > :24:11.
:24:11. > :24:21.jumping, very fine margins on those light poles. Now it is Nick
:24:21. > :24:26.
:24:26. > :24:30.Skelton. This combination was so key in the Olympic gold medal. He hasn't
:24:30. > :24:40.jumped too much in this current global champions tour but he will
:24:40. > :24:50.certainly be trying. This horse is back on fire, hopefully right at his
:24:50. > :24:50.
:24:50. > :24:54.best at the right time. One of the difficulties for the riders and
:24:54. > :25:03.their team is to manage the horse to have him best when they want him and
:25:03. > :25:07.I suspect Nick will have been trying to have him absolutely tiptop here.
:25:07. > :25:13.He is a master horse man, it is all about picking your horses when you
:25:13. > :25:18.really want them. He is riding with his normal attacking style. He has
:25:18. > :25:28.added a stride to the last and he jumped it, he is clear. Clear round
:25:28. > :25:31.
:25:31. > :25:38.number 12 and Britain really having a tremendous go. That is the fastest
:25:38. > :25:48.times so far and at the moment Nick is in pole position. If he goes
:25:48. > :25:49.
:25:50. > :25:55.through clear in the next round he will be last to go in the jump off.
:25:55. > :26:05.Now the Olympic individual gold medallist for Switzerland, Steve
:26:05. > :26:07.
:26:07. > :26:11.Guerdat. This horse won the world championship in 2006. Steve Guerdat
:26:12. > :26:21.is a wonderful horse man and of course his win in the Olympics
:26:22. > :26:25.
:26:25. > :26:34.really showed what a class act he is. There is the Olympic champion
:26:34. > :26:44.Gan, middle part of the combination, hit it pretty hard in front. --
:26:44. > :26:59.
:26:59. > :27:09.champion gone. Saudi Arabia and cat are have got clear rounds. -- Qatar.
:27:09. > :27:12.
:27:12. > :27:19.It looks like he has retired. There is no doubt that the course is
:27:19. > :27:29.proving worthy of the London round of this global champions tour. Now
:27:29. > :27:39.Michael Whitaker. With Viking he won the first round in Madrid in very
:27:39. > :27:40.
:27:40. > :27:44.good form. He is 18th place so far. Viking is an 11 new Roald now but
:27:44. > :27:49.this man can pull a white rabbit out of a house and he rides this
:27:49. > :27:54.difficult horse so well. He has got better as the combination has got
:27:54. > :28:00.more miles on the clock. I have to say that this horse is sharp, he has
:28:00. > :28:04.all the ability and I think he is getting calmer as he gets older, he
:28:04. > :28:14.doesn't shake his head so much. I think the fact that Michael doesn't
:28:14. > :28:15.
:28:15. > :28:20.jump him so often is helpful. Michael riding with his normal
:28:20. > :28:27.style. Here are the five strides. He is karma because normally he would
:28:27. > :28:35.have rushed down there. -- he is more calm. He has a difficult choice
:28:35. > :28:44.to make. Will he go four strides or five strides the last? He gets the
:28:44. > :28:53.five and he is close to it, he touched it, but he is clear. He is
:28:53. > :29:00.really enjoying the moment. Britain looking in a very strong position.
:29:00. > :29:07.Only one per nation at the moment but it is five British clear runs.
:29:07. > :29:11.Viking a lot smoother and more calm than he has been and that was lovely
:29:11. > :29:20.style, plenty still in the tank for the forthcoming rounds. Michael
:29:20. > :29:28.pretty pleased with that. another member of that golden London
:29:28. > :29:38.team, Scotland's Scott Rasch. The horse owned by Lord and Lady Harris
:29:38. > :29:40.
:29:40. > :29:50.and Lord and Lady Kirkham. He did not have huge experience before
:29:50. > :29:50.
:29:50. > :29:54.London but whenever it has mattered this man has come good in a big way.
:29:54. > :30:00.Scott appeared on the scene a few years ago and he is going to be
:30:00. > :30:10.there along time. He has the backing out, he has the horses and he is
:30:10. > :30:13.
:30:13. > :30:23.super cool. A wonderful rider to watch. Two of the London team clear.
:30:23. > :30:30.
:30:31. > :30:40.Will it be number three? And still with his five strides. Keeping up a
:30:41. > :30:47.
:30:47. > :30:51.beautiful flowing rhythm. He has got before. A class run. Three of the
:30:51. > :31:01.four have gone clear, Britain looking very strong. But a long way
:31:01. > :31:09.to go in the London round of the Global Champions Tour. Such a call
:31:09. > :31:19.cookie, that man. He is so stylish, so much in chewed with his horse.
:31:19. > :31:36.
:31:36. > :31:45.Just had a little bit of luck with German clear at the moment. The
:31:45. > :31:52.world number one, with the horse tallow blazered. They had an Olympic
:31:52. > :32:01.Games to forget. As he said in the build-up, they are determined to
:32:01. > :32:07.make their mark. So interesting, looking at the different styles.
:32:07. > :32:15.This is a Germanic way of riding, very up right, very tall, and hugely
:32:15. > :32:18.powerful, so different from the ladies. He is the conscience of
:32:18. > :32:28.professional, if you look at how he has got his horse totally under
:32:28. > :32:30.
:32:30. > :32:34.control. He is not the world number one for no reason. When you think
:32:34. > :32:42.that 16 out of the world 's top 20 ranked riders in the world are
:32:42. > :32:47.higher in London this afternoon, this is a competition very much like
:32:47. > :32:55.those hazy days in London a year ago. Christian Ahlmann has made it
:32:55. > :33:01.look so easy. Not the quickest time. Lovely, clear. 17 clear
:33:01. > :33:09.rounds, the top 18 go through. At the moment, Robert Smith is just
:33:09. > :33:19.hanging in there, but still some more to come. Germany with two, the
:33:19. > :33:24.only other country that has got more than one, Great Britain. A lot left
:33:24. > :33:33.in the tank, he was not struggling to jump anything. Wait out over the
:33:33. > :33:42.last fence, very comfortable. the last of the golden team from
:33:42. > :33:46.those London Olympics, Ben Maher with the super grey horse. Jane
:33:46. > :33:51.Clark was president of the American International Federation, she had a
:33:51. > :33:55.lot of top horses that were jumped by American showjumpers, but she
:33:55. > :34:03.fell out with the Federation, and then Maher has become the recipient
:34:03. > :34:11.of some super horses. This horse is definitely world-class. This is a
:34:11. > :34:18.new combination for a lot of the viewers at home. Very successful in
:34:18. > :34:23.America on the Sunshine tour. If you watch this horse go, she canters a
:34:24. > :34:33.bit her own way, she does not like anything bothering her. Just to keep
:34:34. > :34:41.
:34:41. > :34:48.anything from imitating her. A very Three of the British gold medal team
:34:48. > :34:58.are part of the seven, two for Germany, and 149 nations. This is
:34:58. > :34:58.
:34:58. > :35:03.pretty fast. Is it the quickest time? It is. Then Maher will go last
:35:03. > :35:08.in the second round, and Nick Skelton will go second last. In 11
:35:08. > :35:15.nations through to the second round, and Britain have seven of the
:35:15. > :35:24.18. He was really going for it, he wanted to get into pole position. He
:35:24. > :35:34.has kept motoring. That makes a big difference to the jump off. Joy in
:35:34. > :35:44.the British camp, not surprisingly. Here is the position to go into the
:35:44. > :35:45.
:35:45. > :35:55.second round. Luciana Diniz, the very good Portuguese rider. We go in
:35:55. > :35:57.
:35:57. > :36:01.the reverse order of this. A great performance from William Funnell.
:36:02. > :36:09.The Brazilian was the bronze medallist in the Olympics. Christian
:36:09. > :36:19.Ahlmann, the world number one, is through. Laura Kraut is the leader
:36:19. > :36:24.
:36:24. > :36:30.through. Nick Skelton and then Maher will be going to last. It is
:36:30. > :36:37.important, especially when there are so many clear rounds, you have to go
:36:37. > :36:45.later for the jump off. How is the horse feeling? He is in good form at
:36:45. > :36:50.the moment. He is better when he is not too fresh. He was too fresh in
:36:50. > :36:56.Madrid. I have worked him a lot more sense, he won in Rome two weeks
:36:56. > :37:01.ago, so this is the next class back. For do, it is a new ride, what sort
:37:01. > :37:07.of a horse is this? How will be course suit you? She likes to run
:37:08. > :37:13.and jump. Luckily, the ring is not too small this week. I was aware of
:37:13. > :37:22.the time, I just wanted to leave her alone. It is a different ride, but
:37:22. > :37:28.the course suit the big horses. So far, it is working. She seems very
:37:28. > :37:33.sensitive, you write her with a cover over her nose. When she was
:37:33. > :37:40.younger, she shook her head a lot more. She does occasionally now, but
:37:40. > :37:44.it is more her security blanket. She came with it, we leave it on, she
:37:44. > :37:50.likes to do it her own way, and I leave her alone and trust her.
:37:50. > :37:54.look forward to seeing you write again. How much are you feeling the
:37:54. > :38:03.Olympic spirit, being back in London? It is great to be back in
:38:03. > :38:08.London, we really appreciate having it here in London. So long as we do
:38:08. > :38:16.not repeat the individual from London, we will be all right!
:38:16. > :38:22.you, did you think this is important for British showjumping? It was very
:38:22. > :38:26.popular before I was even born, and we need big prize money, it is
:38:26. > :38:32.drawing big sponsors, and our country has proved that we love
:38:32. > :38:36.equestrian, and we need more events like this. Good luck. They will be
:38:36. > :38:41.going second last and last, because they were the quickest rounds of.
:38:41. > :38:48.Graham has done a fantastic job of hopping around as much of the course
:38:48. > :38:54.as he can! How much of a test will this be? The distance will be
:38:54. > :39:00.difficult to tell, but it is big. There were big jumps in the last
:39:00. > :39:08.round, it shows the standard, 18 clear rounds. This is a big, stern
:39:08. > :39:16.course. The distance from the corner to the combination, that will be one
:39:16. > :39:21.of the most difficult lines, and the last line. But I would think there
:39:21. > :39:27.will be between five and eight clear rounds. Looking at the 18 clear
:39:27. > :39:34.rounds, we will start with Edwina Tops-Alexander, she rides a tiny
:39:34. > :39:40.horse, 17 years old. How amazing a relationship is that? They have a
:39:40. > :39:45.wonderful relationship, a lovely horse. 17 years old, he puts his
:39:45. > :39:50.heart and soul into every jump. It shows how they have produced him to
:39:50. > :39:55.last as long as that and still be giving his best. He has had some
:39:55. > :40:02.really good form, and if he gets into the jump off, he can go as fast
:40:02. > :40:06.as any. Andy had a proper look around, where do you think the
:40:06. > :40:14.problems will come? It is difficult from the gate, coming off the
:40:14. > :40:22.corner, a difficult line, because it is so tight. Very delicate fences
:40:22. > :40:24.could cause problems. Who would you make the favourite? That is a
:40:24. > :40:32.difficult one! I think that's a trick could come good again, with
:40:32. > :40:37.Laura Kraut. He jumped brilliantly. But Maher was looking like he meant
:40:37. > :40:43.business in the last round. He has got a very good chance. The riders
:40:43. > :40:49.have been cleared out, they will have a short warmup, and then they
:40:49. > :40:53.come in, the slowest first. All of these horses jumped clear, this is a
:40:53. > :41:00.difficult and different course. We will see how the competition
:41:00. > :41:05.unfolds, they will try to not think about the prize! It is only when you
:41:05. > :41:15.have a jump down when you think about what you have missed! Let's go
:41:15. > :41:18.
:41:18. > :41:28.saw so many mind-boggling achievements 12 months ago. Memories
:41:28. > :41:31.
:41:31. > :41:36.that will never, ever be forgotten. For many, a life changing Olympics.
:41:36. > :41:46.You can see the arena, they have done H in this job of tucking it in,
:41:46. > :42:01.
:42:01. > :42:11.it ended in to the limpet Park. -- out. Steve Guerdat. Gerco Schroder
:42:11. > :42:25.
:42:25. > :42:33.missed out. A lot of stars will not form, and here is another one, the
:42:33. > :42:38.reigning European champion from Sweden. Rolf Goran Bentsen. He bowed
:42:38. > :42:44.out in round one. Although we have seen the highlights of the 18 that
:42:44. > :42:54.went through, there are a lot who are licking their wings and have not
:42:54. > :42:54.
:42:54. > :42:59.made it through. The arena here has gone in quite late, but the actual
:42:59. > :43:09.surface, tremendous, a lot of water on it. This is the order for the
:43:09. > :43:13.
:43:13. > :43:18.jump off. Edwina Tops-Alexander, twice the global champion. The
:43:18. > :43:25.French rider is an interesting one, he won a lot in Hong Kong in
:43:25. > :43:32.February, he has been in good form. Do not discount the Brazilian rider.
:43:32. > :43:37.A great round for the Swedish rider. Luciana Diniz has got a great record
:43:37. > :43:44.in these competitions. The three British riders at the end, that is
:43:44. > :43:54.exciting. Looking at the last three, quite amazing to have the British
:43:54. > :44:08.
:44:08. > :44:18.straightforward line. Cruising around the top. Down to the
:44:18. > :44:31.
:44:31. > :44:41.arena. To the edge of the arena. Not a lot of room for the combination.
:44:41. > :44:43.
:44:43. > :44:52.This line can cause problems. A skinny one. It is a long way round.
:44:52. > :45:00.A time limit of 77 seconds. The double, and into the finish. It is a
:45:00. > :45:10.big test. The horses have already jumped one round, so fitness will
:45:10. > :45:11.
:45:11. > :45:15.play a part. After the second round, we go into a jump off. Not too many
:45:15. > :45:23.finals do not go through to a jump off. Fasten your safety belts, get
:45:23. > :45:33.comfortable, we are a way with Edwina Tops-Alexander. The chestnut
:45:33. > :45:53.
:45:53. > :45:57.we have a jump off with the clear rounds, they remain in this order,
:45:57. > :46:04.so this is the disadvantage of going first in the second round. If you
:46:04. > :46:10.are watching at home, this order will not change. Every single rider
:46:10. > :46:20.is coming into the round clear. A double clear, they will definitely
:46:20. > :46:27.
:46:27. > :46:35.jump off. Little bit of a tight six strides up there, but that suited
:46:35. > :46:45.this horse. We thought this horse would probably jump another double
:46:45. > :46:47.
:46:47. > :46:55.clear so that is a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, if
:46:55. > :47:05.there were no runs better than four faults, they would jump off. Here is
:47:05. > :47:09.
:47:09. > :47:19.the big gate. Very big oxer, square at 160. These fences at this side
:47:19. > :47:19.
:47:19. > :47:24.are in shadow. I think it is OK, because it is pretty uniform. Now
:47:24. > :47:34.comes the water fence. Just that niggling fence, inside the time
:47:34. > :47:39.
:47:39. > :47:48.pretty comfortably. There is the penalty, four penalties, 68.70.
:47:48. > :47:54.Edwina, who is currently seventh in the league. There he is, the little
:47:54. > :48:03.horse, jumping the last fence. Every early intercourse can have a fence
:48:03. > :48:13.sometimes and that is a disappointment for Edwina. -- every
:48:13. > :48:30.
:48:30. > :48:34.is riding as well as ever and has some lovely young horses that are
:48:34. > :48:39.getting better and better. Interesting you mentioned the ages
:48:39. > :48:43.of the horse. A 10-year old might not sound that young but at this
:48:43. > :48:49.level it is still relatively inexperienced. Most of the horses
:48:49. > :48:53.competing will be 12, 13, 14, and when they get to 17 they are getting
:48:54. > :49:02.close to the end of their career, so it is a fairly short window when you
:49:02. > :49:12.consider it takes eight to ten years to get them to that level. The horse
:49:12. > :49:28.
:49:28. > :49:34.jumping with his normal very didn't see that one coming. We are
:49:34. > :49:42.getting a few shocks here. That is another one that really looked like
:49:42. > :49:49.they were going to jump a double clear. Ludger Beerbaum, the world
:49:49. > :49:55.number one on many occasions. light touch on that last fence. It
:49:55. > :49:59.is such a cruel sport at times, he jumped an immaculate round and it is
:49:59. > :50:07.a wide open fence with the water tray underneath it and they can take
:50:07. > :50:13.their eye off the top rail. Now it is Laura Kraut on this wonderful
:50:13. > :50:18.15-year-old, Cedric. What a horse it has been for her. Tremendous
:50:18. > :50:28.performance which helped team America win the gold medal in Hong
:50:28. > :50:29.
:50:30. > :50:39.Kong, and still going as well as ever. She was well paced in Rome. --
:50:40. > :50:40.
:50:40. > :50:50.well placed. Could they be our first clear? The form combination was
:50:50. > :51:02.
:51:02. > :51:06.absolutely brilliant. She is letting this horse cruise forward and jump
:51:06. > :51:16.dutifully, not interfering with him at all. She had to push for that
:51:16. > :51:19.
:51:20. > :51:24.oxer. This is where Ludger Beerbaum had his fence. She has taken another
:51:24. > :51:34.one but she has jumped it. Right underneath the last fence. What a
:51:34. > :51:34.
:51:35. > :51:38.superstar he is. She is based in Europe a lot of the time nowadays.
:51:38. > :51:42.She has a lovely yard in Warwickshire so we have the
:51:42. > :51:48.opportunity to see her in Europe a lot of the time and you can see how
:51:48. > :51:53.much fun that is. There is the big date and the long stretch down to
:51:53. > :52:00.the oxer. Just made it work. Didn't he do well to jump the last fence?
:52:00. > :52:10.What an athlete. The one rider from Saudi Arabia and part of the bronze
:52:10. > :52:14.
:52:14. > :52:24.medal team in the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He is riding this lovely
:52:24. > :52:26.
:52:26. > :52:30.12-year-old. From the stable that won the world title in 2006. Saudi
:52:30. > :52:40.Arabia really the first Arab nation to get right onto the world stage
:52:40. > :52:56.
:52:56. > :53:04.clear, tight, two strides. They really need to bend their backs down
:53:04. > :53:10.that combination. That oxer across the top end, it is really a power
:53:10. > :53:20.jump. He just got caught out. He did not really have the grant to jump
:53:20. > :53:31.
:53:31. > :53:40.it. Double clears are pretty scarce. They were fourth in the Olympics.
:53:40. > :53:44.Fences down for the one Saudi Arabian, Kamal Bahamdan.
:53:44. > :53:53.Laura Kraut away in the distance and she will be heading over to us in a
:53:53. > :53:59.moment but not until the Irish rider has run. She said that she had
:53:59. > :54:06.shortened Cedric up to get six strides in between the second to
:54:06. > :54:13.last and the last fence. Let's see if we can grab a word. Laura,
:54:13. > :54:18.congratulations, that was very lovely. Isn't he clever? He is just
:54:18. > :54:24.wonderful. He jumped even better this round, I think, when he is more
:54:24. > :54:31.relaxed. At the last fence he saved me, I eased off and he accelerated
:54:31. > :54:41.and I don't know how he did it but he is great. You debrief Nick. How
:54:41. > :54:42.
:54:42. > :54:48.do you think the course will see Big Star? Every course suits Big Star! I
:54:48. > :54:52.just told him it is very short and that the time is not a problem. I
:54:52. > :55:00.don't tell him too much because he knows what he is doing! Laura, well
:55:00. > :55:06.done, are only clearance so far. In the ring, Mark McAuley from
:55:06. > :55:12.Ireland. Both his parents competed in Ireland but he is riding in
:55:12. > :55:19.Italy. He has had a fence down as we can see but he jumped a lovely first
:55:19. > :55:24.round. He is a young lad with a lot of style, a lot of feel for his
:55:24. > :55:29.riding, and sometimes you come to the first fence almost a bit
:55:29. > :55:34.relaxed, it is by far the easiest fence, then the egg oxer across the
:55:35. > :55:44.middle, that is a proper power jump, and that comes down as well.
:55:45. > :55:46.
:55:47. > :55:52.-- the big oxer. Certainly this round is definitely sorting out the
:55:52. > :56:00.riders. It is that big bigger. Some of the horses are slightly tired. We
:56:00. > :56:06.are just seeing a few poles coming down now. The sun has come out.
:56:06. > :56:10.There is actually quite a chill wind in the arena, it is not red hot this
:56:10. > :56:20.afternoon, as the one Irish contender boughs out, Mark McAuley,
:56:20. > :56:23.
:56:23. > :56:31.with Par Trois. It is a very tight turn that comes very quickly on a
:56:31. > :56:40.big angle for that oxer. You need a lot of power. Now the world's ranked
:56:40. > :56:50.number one, Christian Ahlmann, Taloubet Z. He won his first medal
:56:50. > :56:50.
:56:50. > :57:00.in 2004 in Athens and has gone well in the global champions tour. He
:57:00. > :57:00.
:57:00. > :57:05.could be a real live contender with this round here in London. Christian
:57:05. > :57:09.jumped the first round so comfortable, so totally within
:57:09. > :57:19.himself, and obviously does not have the best draw but if he does get
:57:19. > :57:26.
:57:26. > :57:29.into the last round I think we will has so much in the tank. He needs to
:57:29. > :57:34.be quick to shorten up here to get out of the combination. Just got
:57:34. > :57:44.away with it. That is probably one of the toughest things for a horse
:57:44. > :58:09.
:58:09. > :58:19.fence, this horse will find it very it. Lovely round. He won in hamburg.
:58:19. > :58:26.
:58:26. > :58:35.The first prize is 148,000 euros. He the combination. It is a double
:58:35. > :58:39.clear, he is still in there. So much power and ability. Christian has to
:58:39. > :58:49.sit up here and try to shorten him. The middle part nice clean and he
:58:49. > :58:57.
:58:57. > :59:07.just got away with that touch coming out. Now it is the single rider from
:59:07. > :59:39.
:59:39. > :59:44.11-year-old. Jumping a nice tidy round. Just had that one silly fence
:59:44. > :59:48.down. It is interesting, when you get a lot of horses into a second
:59:48. > :59:58.round, some really rise to the occasion is, others, a little edge
:59:58. > :00:00.
:00:00. > :00:10.comes off them that last fence takes quite a lot of jumping with that
:00:10. > :00:13.
:00:13. > :00:23.water fence underneath it. riders from Qatar, helped by Jan
:00:23. > :00:31.
:00:31. > :00:41.Tops, have made huge strides very quickly in the sport. This Frenchman
:00:41. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:49.has been on fire. This is Patrice Delaveau. Two Olympic Games, he has
:00:49. > :00:55.been in the showjumping world for a long time. This horse is only nine
:00:55. > :01:04.years old, it won four out of five competitions in Hong Kong in the
:01:04. > :01:10.Masters in February. It has also shown some of that form recently. He
:01:10. > :01:20.has got a team of horses, better than he has ever had. A very
:01:20. > :01:22.
:01:22. > :01:29.impressive first round here. dynamics of showjumping change so
:01:29. > :01:35.much. Some of these riders can win sizeable and out of money. He won
:01:35. > :01:40.several hundred thousand dollars in Hong Kong. 300,000. That is changing
:01:40. > :01:46.the sport, as it becomes more global. France did not have a good
:01:46. > :01:53.Olympic games, and they have not had a good competition so far. Kevin
:01:53. > :01:58.Stout, Penelope Leprevost and Roger-Yves Bost have been
:01:58. > :02:06.eliminated. But he is the man in form. The competition is beginning
:02:06. > :02:11.to build. Three clear rounds, one for the USA, one for Germany and one
:02:11. > :02:16.for France, and they will definitely go against the clock. This is great,
:02:16. > :02:21.it is building up into the jump off that we want to see. Patrice
:02:21. > :02:31.Delaveau is the man in form, with this wonderful horse. Only nine
:02:31. > :02:32.
:02:32. > :02:42.years old. He is one to watch in the jump off. The first of the seven
:02:42. > :02:45.
:02:45. > :02:55.from Great Britain, William Funnell. He is riding Billy Congo. Still
:02:55. > :03:00.quite inexperienced at this level. 12 years old now. The vector has
:03:00. > :03:10.produced a lot of good horses. William said this was the day he was
:03:10. > :03:18.
:03:18. > :03:28.bit of forward pace to give Billy Congo that bit of extra scope and
:03:28. > :04:01.
:04:01. > :04:10.thought that he had it, but he is clear. Britain has got at least one
:04:10. > :04:18.through to the jump off. His wife is in great form in Yorkshire, and so
:04:18. > :04:24.is her husband. There he is, jumping the combination. He gave the horse a
:04:24. > :04:34.superb ride, he got away with the touch. He did not get height, you
:04:34. > :04:37.
:04:37. > :04:43.harrowed the surface and make sure it is fair. For clear rounds so far,
:04:43. > :04:49.is that right? I thought we would get between five and eight, and I
:04:49. > :04:54.think we will edge towards eight. That was a great round, testament to
:04:54. > :05:00.his preparation, because that was a top horse, lost a bit of form, but
:05:00. > :05:07.he is jumping better than ever. horses get caught in behind us, they
:05:07. > :05:12.get checked over. We'll is relatively rare in showjumping, he
:05:12. > :05:21.reads a lot of his horses, and he bred this one. There is nothing
:05:21. > :05:27.nicer than doing that. It is a long process. Unlike racehorses, you are
:05:27. > :05:34.talking at at least eight, the top of their game, but he has done it as
:05:34. > :05:37.well as anybody. He is a stallion, a lot of the horses are. Is that
:05:37. > :05:47.difficult in terms of containing their temperament and keeping the
:05:47. > :05:48.
:05:48. > :05:53.weight off? Yes, all stallion is different. That is why he lost a bit
:05:53. > :05:59.of form, he got a bit spooked. He has brought him back, he looks a lot
:05:59. > :06:02.more chilled out and better. They get better every year. We have had
:06:03. > :06:12.nine riders so far, four of them have gone clear, we have got nine
:06:13. > :06:38.
:06:38. > :06:44.the Global Champions Tour. He is very capable. Based both in Europe
:06:44. > :06:54.and South America. He has been part of Brazilian success for the best
:06:54. > :07:02.
:07:02. > :07:07.just fell foul of the combination. A few riders had a rub and got away
:07:07. > :07:17.with it, but he did not. That was a bit unlucky. He looked to be
:07:17. > :07:32.
:07:32. > :07:39.silly fence down. He is lying third in the leak at the moment. He went
:07:39. > :07:49.very well in Madrid. But he will not feature in the jump off, we have
:07:49. > :07:53.
:07:53. > :08:01.Funnell. He has jumped clear. It was not without its nervous moments.
:08:01. > :08:05.thought I had had a stride, I had a job to squeeze the six in. I was
:08:05. > :08:12.waiting to hear it fall, but it stayed there. Otherwise, he jumped
:08:12. > :08:18.super. It is great to be here, hopefully we can jump another clear
:08:18. > :08:26.round. How big is this for you, to be in with a chance of winning the
:08:26. > :08:32.big pot? You do not get a group of top riders together apart from here
:08:32. > :08:39.or at the Olympics, so it is lovely to be here. That gives it an extra
:08:39. > :08:49.thrill. Let's hope I can do it again! Peter Charles is now in the
:08:49. > :08:58.
:08:58. > :09:02.enthusiast for Peter's talents. He would love to get to the 2016
:09:02. > :09:07.Olympics, and he would love the price today. You took the words out
:09:07. > :09:17.of my mouth. He has a habit of coming good when there is a lot of
:09:17. > :09:18.
:09:18. > :09:28.prize money at stake. He is the most unbelievably focused rider. He
:09:28. > :09:35.concentrates so brilliantly. You heard him there, he shouted out. She
:09:35. > :09:41.was too quick and too forward, that is a shame. That combination is
:09:41. > :09:47.quite short and tight. One or two raiders -- riders have got away with
:09:47. > :09:57.it, but not Peter. That is a big disappointment for him, he has
:09:57. > :09:58.
:09:58. > :10:05.jumped to lovely round here. Really unlucky. That man goes second last
:10:05. > :10:15.for great Western. And Ben Maher will go last. But Peter Charles will
:10:15. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:21.not go through. For riders have gone clear. She has got a chink in her
:10:21. > :10:31.armour, she stuck her nose out in the combination and shot forward
:10:31. > :10:32.
:10:32. > :10:38.slightly. She did not get her shoulders up. A good crowd, very
:10:38. > :10:43.much wrapped in the tension. Tina Fletcher with Hallo Sailor. She was
:10:43. > :10:51.the reserve in London, it would have been lovely for her to get into the
:10:51. > :10:56.jump off, but the first fence has gone down. It can be a brutal sport
:10:56. > :11:02.at times. She jumped one of the best clear rounds in the first round.
:11:02. > :11:12.Hallo Sailor not concentrating. The first fence is one of the smallest
:11:12. > :11:12.
:11:12. > :11:20.fences. He made a bad mistake. Tina was desperately unlucky not to make
:11:20. > :11:23.it onto the team. She was the reserve rider for the Olympics. This
:11:23. > :11:33.is a true championship horse, he has got the scope and ability to jump
:11:33. > :11:37.
:11:37. > :11:44.these fences. The ladies who bought the horse for Tina and others,
:11:44. > :11:48.tremendous owners. Owners are so important in any sport. He got much
:11:48. > :11:58.better as he went round, just did not concentrate at all at the
:11:58. > :11:58.
:11:58. > :12:04.beginning. He jumped beautifully around the second half. We have
:12:04. > :12:11.jumped 12 of the 18, six to go. Britain with one of the four double
:12:11. > :12:17.clear is that we'll go against the clock. The first fence was not
:12:17. > :12:26.unlucky, it was a proper mistake. The second one came down on the back
:12:26. > :12:35.rail, which is different for Hallo Sailor. You will recognise a lot of
:12:35. > :12:39.these fences, they were designed for London. They are still part of the
:12:39. > :12:44.legacy, it is good to see them here. They play an important part of the
:12:44. > :12:54.colour and excitement of this wonderful Global Champions Tour in
:12:54. > :13:12.
:13:12. > :13:19.stallion. -- a mayor. He has been given the privilege of riding it for
:13:19. > :13:29.Sweden. He jumped one of the best first round that we saw from
:13:29. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:42.anybody. It is uncanny, watching him right, --. We were talking about
:13:42. > :13:46.owners, as far as Germany is concerned, the owner has been in
:13:46. > :13:56.place for the best part of 20 or 30 years. She has had some wonderful
:13:56. > :14:05.
:14:05. > :14:15.fireworks in the jump off. He will be one to be reckoned with. Sweden
:14:15. > :14:24.
:14:24. > :14:29.order as they do in this round. Laura Kraut will go first, Christian
:14:29. > :14:39.Ahlmann second, then Patrice Delaveau, William Funnell, and then
:14:39. > :14:40.
:14:40. > :14:50.this man. Just one sticky moment. Brilliantly recovered. Have a look
:14:50. > :15:23.
:15:24. > :15:28.feel and style about him. He looks as though he enjoys pressure. That
:15:29. > :15:38.is the impression I got from the Olympics. When you are riding at
:15:39. > :15:39.
:15:39. > :15:47.this level for this kind of money, it is a fair bit of pressure.
:15:47. > :15:48.Beautifully smooth through the combination. This lying down here
:15:48. > :15:51.combination. This lying down here has not caused as many problems as I
:15:51. > :16:01.combination. This lying down here has not caused as It is quite a
:16:01. > :16:08.
:16:08. > :16:13.tight turn to the gates. Come on, Scott, just these three jumps.
:16:14. > :16:17.Lovely round, copybook! What an inspiration move it was when this
:16:18. > :16:23.man was taken to the world Equestrian games in 2010 because he
:16:23. > :16:32.learned from this and put it to such good effect. What a round. Britain
:16:33. > :16:36.has two of the six. He will be around for a long time, Scott. He is
:16:36. > :16:46.stylish, effective, the horses really like him and he is brilliant
:16:46. > :16:57.
:16:57. > :17:03.have been very complimentary of the whole venue, the stabling where the
:17:03. > :17:11.boxes are parked. It is all been put together very well. It is Peter
:17:11. > :17:17.Phillips' very first event of this level as a director and he has a
:17:17. > :17:26.very very professional team with him and the time they have had, they
:17:26. > :17:34.have done a very good job. Now the Brazilian born lady, very stylish,
:17:34. > :17:44.Luciana Diniz. Winningmood is a horse who is very often in that
:17:44. > :17:48.
:17:48. > :17:58.mood. He has a very good track record in this series. He is short
:17:58. > :18:12.
:18:12. > :18:22.coupled and really powers off the three of the champions tour rounds
:18:22. > :18:23.
:18:23. > :18:30.so far and lies second behind Laura Kraut in the league. Looking good.
:18:30. > :18:40.Lovely stylish way of riding, fluent. Gets in close to the last
:18:40. > :18:45.and she has jumped it as well. stylish, and this is becoming a very
:18:45. > :18:55.strong international affair. Portugal join the USA, Germany,
:18:55. > :18:57.
:18:57. > :19:07.France, Britain, Sweden. He is getting a big pat and he deserves
:19:07. > :19:07.
:19:07. > :19:11.it. Here he is heading on into the double, second to last fence. He
:19:11. > :19:21.jumped a bit to the side to make room for himself there. What a
:19:21. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:27.lovely horse he is. Three left to go, all British. Michael Whitaker to
:19:27. > :19:37.go first. He won the first round on this horse in Madrid. Michael
:19:37. > :19:44.
:19:44. > :19:54.missed off the Olympic team. He loves to be involved at the top end
:19:54. > :19:54.
:19:54. > :20:04.of the sport. Yes, he is riding as well as ever but he has some
:20:04. > :20:04.
:20:04. > :20:12.youngsters, particularly his son Jack, who looks to have all of the
:20:12. > :20:16.natural flair of his family. A great inspiration to Michael. Michael
:20:16. > :20:25.worked hard to shorten up Viking's exuberant style through the
:20:25. > :20:35.combination. Brilliantly ridden there. Michael, we want to see you
:20:35. > :20:47.
:20:47. > :20:53.looked easy for Viking and Michael Whitaker gives us clear round number
:20:53. > :20:58.eight. Britain have three. And one of those three is with me
:20:58. > :21:08.now, Scott Brash. What were you expecting jumping with Hello
:21:08. > :21:08.
:21:08. > :21:14.Sanctos? He is in really good form, I think it will be a fast jumpoff.
:21:14. > :21:17.There are some good ones there so we will have to be clear and fast.
:21:17. > :21:24.tend to be quite aggressive in a jumpoff. Is that your attitude,
:21:24. > :21:32.fast? Yes, and sometimes it works to your disadvantage that he is quick
:21:32. > :21:42.so I will definitely try to do that. It seems odd to say but some people
:21:42. > :21:46.do go for a gentle clear with the jumpoff. Not this man, Nick Skelton.
:21:46. > :21:56.Big star. Can he be an even bigger star than he was a year ago in
:21:56. > :22:02.
:22:02. > :22:11.London. This horse is so exuberant, so much power. Nick shortening him
:22:11. > :22:20.up for the combination. And he just had a little touch there. He has so
:22:20. > :22:28.much stride. He got away with that one. It would be so interesting to
:22:28. > :22:37.see Nick's tactics to the last fence. Will he have a stride and try
:22:37. > :22:44.to keep his hocks underneath him? Yes, he has added a stride and he
:22:44. > :22:51.has jumped it, he is through. crowd love that. It really is
:22:51. > :22:57.building to a potential cliffhanger, with nine clear rounds.
:22:57. > :23:07.And Britain right in there with a tremendous chance. Nextel and makes
:23:07. > :23:11.it clear round number nine. -- Nick Skelton. So much power under the
:23:11. > :23:21.bonnet, Nick Hass to control that, he needed to set up and control him.
:23:21. > :23:29.
:23:29. > :23:39.Here is the little touch, just moved the pole very slightly. Last ago in
:23:39. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:54.round two, it is then Maher on Cella. -- Ben. This mare jumped
:23:54. > :24:11.
:24:11. > :24:19.corners. She wants to have her say. She has a little shake of the head.
:24:19. > :24:29.Well, that was another one through the combination that he was really
:24:29. > :24:45.
:24:45. > :24:52.lucky to clear it. He can't afford Teamed up with his horse on the
:24:52. > :24:57.Florida circuit during the winter, he got very excited about the
:24:57. > :25:05.potential of his horse and it is showing today. Ten clear rounds and
:25:05. > :25:10.Britain has five of those. Can you believe it? Here is the combination,
:25:10. > :25:20.very lucky in the middle. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they don't.
:25:20. > :25:20.
:25:20. > :26:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds
:26:17. > :26:20.Thankfully for Ben it stayed. He is seems a big strong horse to ride.
:26:21. > :26:29.don't think there has been a better rider to watch in full flight. He
:26:29. > :26:34.loves going up to the jumps, he contains the jump. The only one
:26:34. > :26:44.that, to me, was the most difficult, the middle of the combination,
:26:44. > :26:45.
:26:45. > :26:51.because he has so much jump. Only the slightest of touches. He was my
:26:51. > :26:58.favourite before the competition. You also gave a big shout out to
:26:58. > :27:05.Cedric, who Laura Kraut rides. He seems much more relaxed. He seems to
:27:05. > :27:11.be a bit more settled. It is the American way of riding. They like
:27:11. > :27:17.the horses to go in the chilled out fashion. A great, great rider, great
:27:17. > :27:21.competitor, and that is why she is head of the league at the moment.
:27:21. > :27:26.They are clearing the arena at the moment because they've ring it down
:27:26. > :27:33.to a very few fences. The riders do not get the chance to walk the
:27:33. > :27:43.course so it adds to the advantage of going late. Not only do you know
:27:43. > :27:44.
:27:44. > :27:51.what time you have to beat, you have also watched the course. Yes, they
:27:51. > :27:58.all will anticipate jumping clear. As you rightly say, the later in the
:27:58. > :28:08.draw you have, and especially with ten, it makes an awful lot of
:28:08. > :28:08.
:28:08. > :28:11.difference. Showjumping does continue here in Stratford tomorrow
:28:11. > :28:20.afternoon and there is coverage on the BBC on the red button if you
:28:20. > :28:28.would like to watch more Showjumping. We also have over this
:28:28. > :28:34.weekend the European boxing Championships from Belarus. And the
:28:34. > :28:37.athletics Diamond league is live from Oslo on Friday. The same bolt,
:28:37. > :28:47.who was beaten by Justin Gatlin and over 100 metres earlier this week,
:28:47. > :28:52.
:28:52. > :29:02.he will be running the 200 metres. -- Usain Bolt. We have half the
:29:02. > :29:11.field for the jumpoff so it might be a British rider taking first. Let's
:29:11. > :29:17.take a look at the course they are facing. We start with the oxer that
:29:17. > :29:27.was number eight, the gate, and then down to the big oxer towards the end
:29:27. > :29:27.
:29:27. > :29:34.of the arena. A bit of a tight turn here, back to the double and then an
:29:34. > :29:41.option. Inside, big vertical, towards the end of the course,
:29:42. > :29:49.galloping now, all the way round what was five, six, seven, middle of
:29:49. > :29:53.the combination, left on its own, last jump.
:29:53. > :29:58.Unfortunately one of the riders who didn't make it into the jumpoff was
:29:58. > :30:07.Tim Fletcher. It is really tough out there. What do you make of this
:30:07. > :30:12.jumpoff line-up? You have a lot of the best riders in the world there.
:30:12. > :30:20.It will be a very tight jumpoff. You have to put the money on Nick. It
:30:20. > :30:23.will be quick. For you, how did it feel riding around that arena?
:30:23. > :30:29.a fabulous arena. They have done a great job, the grounds are
:30:29. > :30:37.fantastic. With five British riders in the jumpoff, half the field, do
:30:37. > :30:41.you think we are entering a new golden age? I hope so! All of the
:30:41. > :30:51.British riders did pretty good today. You have the top riders of
:30:51. > :31:01.
:31:01. > :31:11.much does money focus the mind and how much can it add to the tension?
:31:11. > :31:16.You have got to feed the kids! It is really important. You cannot believe
:31:16. > :31:25.the expenses you have, not just the stuff, the transportation, it is
:31:25. > :31:29.phenomenal. Every year, you need to win a major all be there or
:31:29. > :31:36.thereabouts to balance the books. One like this will put you into
:31:36. > :31:39.positive equity. You said it was very important that bookish riders
:31:39. > :31:47.can win this prize money so they do not have to sell their horses. What
:31:47. > :31:55.kind of value are we talking about? That is Ben Maher's horse. How much
:31:55. > :32:01.is he worth? It would be difficult to put a price on, but there would
:32:01. > :32:08.not be a horse that was not worth 1 million. I would put Nick Skelton's
:32:08. > :32:12.horse at eight or 10 million. Unbelievable money. Laura Kraut has
:32:12. > :32:22.just gone past, she will be the first of the ten in the jump off.
:32:22. > :32:28.
:32:28. > :32:35.She is on the lovely grey horse somebody can put an early fast clear
:32:35. > :32:45.on the board, it will set the others going. It looks like an enormous
:32:45. > :32:46.
:32:46. > :32:55.course. 148,500 euros, the prize, it is enormous. You get a clear round,
:32:55. > :32:59.fireworks could begin. A brilliant combination going first, they are in
:32:59. > :33:08.form, let's hope she goes for it and sets a target, so then we will have
:33:08. > :33:18.a quick jump off. And a tight turn. It looks very tight. But never count
:33:18. > :33:20.
:33:20. > :33:30.against these riders. He can run forward very freely. She has taken a
:33:30. > :33:30.
:33:30. > :34:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds
:34:11. > :34:14.the stride out. This is the term, and acute angle. You get one or
:34:14. > :34:23.possibly two strides for the horse to see the fence. It did not come
:34:23. > :34:33.off on that occasion. But the first to go, you have got to go for it.
:34:33. > :34:43.
:34:43. > :34:51.Now, Christian Ahlmann, the world showjumping. He was the victor in
:34:51. > :35:00.Hamburg. This is his best horse, though. We have seen him jump to
:35:00. > :35:10.steady rounds, now we will see him open the stride up. A big striding
:35:10. > :35:36.
:35:36. > :35:42.horse, he is cruising around the was quick. 31.86. Not a lot of
:35:42. > :35:46.shorter routes possible. There is not a shorter route, the only
:35:46. > :35:53.possible thing, down to the last fence, he took one more stride than
:35:53. > :36:03.you could possibly take. It will take something special to beat that.
:36:03. > :36:08.
:36:08. > :36:12.Now, Patrice Delaveau. Only a nine-year-old, but with that money
:36:12. > :36:18.at stake, he will not worry about the age. This horse covers the
:36:18. > :36:27.ground quickly. There is no doubt that he will take the stride down to
:36:27. > :36:35.the last, I would think. effortless stride, it is all about
:36:35. > :36:45.the turn after the double. He got away with the rub. He is not quite
:36:45. > :36:49.
:36:50. > :36:57.as quick, he might have to gallop to quick enough over the first part of
:36:57. > :37:07.the course. It is quite a big gap, two seconds is a lot. Christian
:37:07. > :37:11.
:37:11. > :37:21.Ahlmann has really set a serious time. Three gone, seven to go. The
:37:21. > :37:23.
:37:24. > :37:30.time to beat, 31.8 sex. -- 31.86. William Funnell has never, ever had
:37:30. > :37:34.such a big moment in his showjumping life. He might have won the
:37:34. > :37:44.Hickstead Derby, but if he could win this, he would put himself on the
:37:44. > :38:02.
:38:02. > :38:12.map in a big way. Come on, Billy careful. He is in touch. The crowd
:38:12. > :38:15.
:38:15. > :38:20.urge him on. Not quite. It will be he who dares at the last. He goes
:38:20. > :38:26.second at the moment. That is a super round, he will go home with a
:38:26. > :38:35.big payday. He will not win, but that was brilliant riding. He did
:38:35. > :38:42.not quite take the chance on the last fence, but he was in touch. If
:38:42. > :38:47.he can hold on to second place, he will still win 90,000, two. And 60
:38:47. > :38:56.seconds of third place. We do not need to worry too much about his
:38:56. > :39:00.bank balance at the moment. What a round from Christian Ahlmann. There
:39:00. > :39:10.is still a tiny debate left at the final fence if somebody wants to
:39:10. > :39:14.
:39:14. > :39:24.take it. Perhaps Nick Skelton is the one to do that. This is Henrik von
:39:24. > :39:45.
:39:45. > :39:55.different teams. He will have given him some instructions. He has got
:39:55. > :40:09.
:40:09. > :40:15.such a lovely attacking style, he is taken. Did not really take off. He
:40:15. > :40:24.ends up with a slow time as well, in comparison. Not working out. He
:40:24. > :40:34.drops down to fifth place. Christian Ahlmann leads. William Funnell
:40:34. > :40:36.
:40:36. > :40:42.second, Patrice Delaveau third. is the first fence that came down.
:40:42. > :40:51.The next one, the angle was way too acute. The horse had no chance to
:40:51. > :40:55.take off. You can see how light the polls are, coming down easily.
:40:55. > :41:05.left to go, four of them British. The young man from Scotland, Scott
:41:05. > :41:06.
:41:06. > :41:16.Brash. An 11-year-old horse. There will be some owners sitting on the
:41:16. > :41:31.
:41:31. > :41:41.not hanging about. He is in touch. Will he dare? He is going to have to
:41:41. > :41:50.
:41:50. > :41:58.thought for a moment he was in there with a shout, but not to be. He goes
:41:58. > :42:05.into third place. Christian Ahlmann has set a pace. Incredibly fine
:42:05. > :42:13.margins. It was the turn back to the second last. He gave himself a bit
:42:13. > :42:22.more room to jump the big one. A brilliant effort, into third place.
:42:22. > :42:32.Great Britain second and third. still free to come. But here is the
:42:32. > :42:58.
:42:58. > :43:06.lady from Portugal. So stylish. costing valuable time. She will have
:43:06. > :43:16.to make up a bit of time somewhere. He has not got the biggest stride.
:43:16. > :43:17.
:43:17. > :43:25.She is working really hard. I do not think so. She goes behind both
:43:25. > :43:35.William Funnell and Scott Brash. She goes into fourth place. Christian
:43:35. > :43:42.
:43:42. > :43:48.second last in something under 26, they cannot make it home quicker
:43:48. > :43:53.than Christian Ahlmann from there. She did brilliantly, because this
:43:53. > :44:03.horse has not got the biggest stride. It is not easy for him to
:44:03. > :44:04.
:44:04. > :44:09.cover the ground. That was very fast. Well written. Do not bite your
:44:09. > :44:19.fingernails, sit tight! Keep those fingers crossed, Michael Whitaker
:44:19. > :44:27.the first of three for Great Britain. 31.86 to beat. This horse
:44:27. > :44:37.has a massive stride. Just a bit forward, that is the problem with
:44:37. > :44:48.
:44:48. > :44:54.the horse. He can just take the to go into fifth place. He is. He
:44:54. > :45:02.goes into sixth place, with the four faults. Still not quicker than
:45:02. > :45:10.Christian Ahlmann, he has set the pace. He jumped really neatly, he
:45:10. > :45:20.seemed to be OK, and just clicked a front leg onto it. His chance was
:45:20. > :45:26.
:45:26. > :45:36.gone. There could be a few million jockeys watching this around great
:45:36. > :46:03.
:46:03. > :46:09.Britain and riding with Nick take the chance with the last fence.
:46:09. > :46:19.He is a long way off, and he has jumped it. He is half a second up.
:46:19. > :46:23.
:46:23. > :46:32.He has done it! 100th of a second. That is amazing! Christian Ahlmann
:46:32. > :46:41.cannot believe it. Justice is going to be served at Stratford this
:46:42. > :46:46.afternoon. They were the best combination at Greenwich last year.
:46:46. > :46:54.He has the sash on already and he is going to have to take it off and put
:46:54. > :46:59.it on to Nick Skelton. If you came here this afternoon wanting drama,
:46:59. > :47:04.you are certainly getting it. competition has lived up to all
:47:04. > :47:14.expectations and it is not over yet because this man will give it 200%,
:47:14. > :47:32.
:47:32. > :47:39.Ben Maher and Cella. The time to absolutely motoring. He is up.He is
:47:39. > :47:49.quick enough to win it. He has to take the stride out to the last.
:47:49. > :47:50.
:47:50. > :48:00.is. If he jumps the last I think he can do it! He has taken it for Great
:48:00. > :48:02.
:48:02. > :48:11.Britain! He has taken a second off the time! Disappointment for Nick
:48:11. > :48:21.Skelton but it is a fantastic run. The crowd standing, as they should
:48:21. > :48:29.
:48:29. > :48:39.be, because that was a world-class Grand Prix has really shown what
:48:39. > :48:40.
:48:40. > :48:43.Great Britain can do. Beverly and Gary will be disappointed but very
:48:43. > :48:52.proud of what their horse and Nick Skelton have achieved this
:48:52. > :48:59.afternoon. The first two places for Britain. Christian Ahlmann in third
:48:59. > :49:06.place. Scott Brash in fifth. Four out of five the great written, what
:49:06. > :49:13.an achievement. When you are down the riders we realise we have seen a
:49:13. > :49:18.world-class competition. -- when we look down the riders.
:49:18. > :49:25.He was the last ago, he has won the biggest prize ever been given in
:49:25. > :49:29.this country. Ben, you made that look so smooth and so easy. Thank
:49:29. > :49:33.you. She is an amazing horse. We have had a tough time in the last
:49:33. > :49:40.couple of months and I doubted myself in the last couple of rounds
:49:40. > :49:46.and just tried to do a job today. In the end, the first round paid off. I
:49:46. > :49:51.was last ago, I knew what I had to do and she was unbelievably fast.
:49:51. > :49:57.She gives the fences plenty of room but you seem not to interfere with
:49:57. > :50:02.her. I am just a passenger, not a pilot, which is normally not my
:50:02. > :50:08.style, but it is what she likes. It is a new owner for me and she is
:50:08. > :50:14.having a good weekend at the moment with her horses. She had her horses
:50:14. > :50:23.with the Americans before, didn't she? Yes, but she has dressage
:50:23. > :50:33.horses here, so if she is spending some time over here now. -- so she
:50:33. > :50:34.
:50:34. > :50:39.is. Cella is standing over there. She is so calm now but you said she
:50:39. > :50:44.is sensitive and she needs gentle handling. I have to be very light
:50:44. > :50:49.with my hand and the smallest pole I take in the wrong direction she
:50:49. > :50:55.tends to throw her head back. We had a bad round in Rome a couple of
:50:55. > :51:01.weeks ago, I don't think she was very well and we rested her, got her
:51:01. > :51:07.ready for this week and she is a great horse. Winning here, in
:51:07. > :51:10.London, does this matter? You can't compare it to an Olympic gold but is
:51:10. > :51:20.this commercially the biggest success of your career and in your
:51:20. > :51:20.
:51:20. > :51:25.top three moments? Absolutely. It is always great to win in London.
:51:25. > :51:30.Obviously the prize money helps but it is lovely to be here, great
:51:30. > :51:40.weather, great sport, and it is good to show the organisers of the global
:51:40. > :51:40.
:51:40. > :51:50.tour that we can hold an event as well as anybody. We will jump in the
:51:50. > :51:53.
:51:53. > :51:57.Grand Prix next week. It was a joy to watch you. Congratulations.
:51:57. > :52:07.Let's look at the two rounds head-to-head. On the left, big Star,
:52:07. > :52:13.
:52:13. > :52:20.on the right, Ben Maher. Ben Maher definitely looked quicker here. He
:52:20. > :52:30.was already the best part of a second as he turned out of that.
:52:30. > :52:40.They then galloped to the last. Look at that round. Ben really won the
:52:40. > :52:42.
:52:42. > :52:52.jumpoff hubbub Lee after he turned to the combination. -- after he
:52:52. > :52:52.
:52:52. > :53:02.turned. Laura Kraut in second, Christian Ahlmann in third, Michael
:53:02. > :53:06.Whitaker in six. The world's best take part in this Global Champions
:53:06. > :53:10.Tour and we have seen it this afternoon.
:53:10. > :53:17.And into the top ten in terms of the overall league. Do you reflect on
:53:17. > :53:26.that, thinking, that was good, or is it frustrating? You have to be happy
:53:26. > :53:35.with the way that Big Star has jumped. You can't be too displeased.
:53:35. > :53:41.At this level, with so many good horses, it is important. Ben has the
:53:41. > :53:46.key draw. You won't get to jumping the net anywhere in the world.
:53:46. > :53:56.was amazingly smooth but yours was really exciting. You were only a
:53:56. > :53:58.
:53:58. > :54:04.couple of seconds behind Christian. I like to do it nice and stylish, I
:54:04. > :54:10.just flap around. -- I don't like to do it. Do you think we are in a
:54:10. > :54:17.golden age? I think so. I had my doubts in Rome but animals are not
:54:18. > :54:25.machines. We got blown out of the water in the Nations cup but days
:54:25. > :54:31.like today and everything is fine again. Are you loving it?With a
:54:31. > :54:35.horse like that to ride, anybody would love it. Nick Skelton, who has
:54:35. > :54:39.finished second to his British team-mate Ben Maher. They are
:54:39. > :54:49.congratulating each other there. Great live sport on the BBC, with
:54:49. > :55:14.
:55:14. > :55:24.action tonight, Argentina against England in the rugby union, that is
:55:24. > :55:55.
:55:56. > :56:01.second and fourth. Do you get money for fourth? I hope so. It was great
:56:01. > :56:07.to be in the shake-up. When I looked down the ten, they are the fastest
:56:07. > :56:11.horses in the world. To be out there with these medallists, I don't know
:56:11. > :56:17.how many Olympic medallists we had, it is great. It would have been nice
:56:17. > :56:23.to get on the podium but it is nice to have a British winner or so.
:56:23. > :56:32.you continue on the league and go to glamorous locations around Europe?
:56:32. > :56:36.go to France next week and then home and then Monte Carlo. You and your
:56:36. > :56:45.wife pepper are the biggest equestrian partnership in the
:56:45. > :56:55.country. Does she know how you got on? She is watching on the TV. She
:56:55. > :56:57.
:56:57. > :57:02.is pretty pleased. She rode the horse for a year, two years. It is
:57:02. > :57:12.all a team thing. It is a team effort for the British riders as
:57:12. > :57:16.well will stop well done. Nick Skelton and Ben Maher have made
:57:16. > :57:22.their way into the arena to be presented with the cheque and the
:57:22. > :57:32.trophy. If we had written it out at the beginning, beautifully sunny
:57:32. > :57:36.day, a British top two, people would say we were dreaming. Absolutely. I
:57:36. > :57:46.have been involved in this sport for more years than I care to think
:57:46. > :57:51.about but I have never seen a better jumpoff. Nick Skelton, when he did
:57:51. > :57:58.that, I thought, nailed on winner. Ben Maher, there is nobody quicker
:57:58. > :58:03.than him. It is so exciting to watch because the two British men are so
:58:04. > :58:09.different as riders. Nick Skelton in his interview said that he flaps
:58:09. > :58:13.around. He has his own style but he is unbelievably effective. Ben Maher
:58:13. > :58:21.is calm and stylish but show jumping, you do your own way. They
:58:21. > :58:27.are both brilliant. Does sport get much better than that? I was doing
:58:27. > :58:31.the commentary and I was beside myself with excitement. Thank you
:58:31. > :58:36.both and to the guys in the commentary box. Thank you to the