2011

:00:58. > :01:02.Hello and welcome to the backstage area at Olympia, we are live in

:01:02. > :01:06.west London, we have the World Cup qualifiers coming up. The World Cup

:01:06. > :01:10.series is the equivalent of the Champions League in football, all

:01:10. > :01:16.of the best riders from around the world, and in today's class, and

:01:16. > :01:20.monks them, 11 British riders, trying to win the first prize of

:01:20. > :01:24.33,000 euros -- amongst them. They are trying to catch the eye of the

:01:24. > :01:33.British selectors because what they all want is to be riding for Great

:01:33. > :01:38.Britain next summer at the London To get the Olympics in London is a

:01:38. > :01:42.great thing. It would be unbelievable to be part of it.

:01:42. > :01:47.Every rider that has ever been want to go to this Olympic Games. It is

:01:47. > :01:51.the one thing I would love to do more than anything else. It has

:01:51. > :01:55.been a dream since I was 10 years old, it is all I can think about at

:01:55. > :02:02.the moment. I want to win a gold medal. Nothing else would be good

:02:02. > :02:05.enough. I would love to be a part of it. There are probably 10 or 12

:02:05. > :02:10.riders that are good enough to go but it is just having the course. I

:02:10. > :02:14.think I have got the horse. I think it will come down to the wire this

:02:14. > :02:19.year, it is probably the most wide- open toys that the team manager has

:02:19. > :02:24.had for a long time. -- choice. has always been a dream to go to

:02:24. > :02:31.the Olympics, I plan to be on the team and get a medal. I have some

:02:31. > :02:35.unfinished business. The only thing that matters next year is London.

:02:35. > :02:39.massive opportunity for a lot of riders. Hopefully I will be there.

:02:40. > :02:46.Yes, I would love to be on it. Let's get our best team out there

:02:46. > :02:52.and win a gold medal. The old guard would be the strongest line-up. I

:02:52. > :02:56.would love to get one in England and won the gold medal, who

:02:56. > :03:00.wouldn't? My dad and Michael have ridden at a lot of Olympics. It is

:03:00. > :03:04.my turn, they should give me some other horses, that would make it a

:03:04. > :03:08.lot easier. I think we know what it Robert Whitaker wants for Christmas

:03:08. > :03:12.and what he won't be getting. Despite the fact that you have

:03:12. > :03:20.broken three vertebrate in your neck, at the Olympics is still on

:03:20. > :03:24.your agenda? That's right. I had this accident. I have got to get

:03:24. > :03:29.this over and done with. I should be riding in March and I hope to be

:03:29. > :03:33.in May, please pick me and give me every chance to go to the Olympics.

:03:33. > :03:37.Who are the key contenders in this afternoon's class? We have a good

:03:37. > :03:42.line-up of riders. I think three people that I am going to say you

:03:42. > :03:47.should look out for, Guy Williams, he is on fire this week. Everything

:03:47. > :03:53.he does, he is flying, he is doing everything right, he is on full

:03:53. > :03:57.complement. Nick Skelton has one horse, it is only a major role,

:03:57. > :04:05.called Big Star. He has wrested him specifically for this competition.

:04:05. > :04:10.He said he went in there and didn't look at anything. I think he has so

:04:10. > :04:16.much confidence with him, he will with their or their about. Lastly,

:04:16. > :04:23.Ben Maher. Triplex is flying and he is on the top of his game. --

:04:23. > :04:33.Triple X. This is the course they are going to face, it is very big

:04:33. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:45.and our commentators can tell us narrow, Trekkie vertical towards

:04:45. > :04:51.the crowd. Right into these tight corners -- tricky vertical. This is

:04:51. > :04:55.a committed distance, built on five long strides to the water. Very

:04:55. > :05:01.tight in the corner, back to another narrow stile, and then it

:05:01. > :05:06.is power, two big oxers and spread fences on two strides. Then one

:05:06. > :05:11.stride coming out of the combination. There is a big set of

:05:11. > :05:15.planks and you have a committed distance again. You have to go six

:05:15. > :05:20.strides to the triple bar, five strides to another power fence.

:05:20. > :05:24.Towards the end of the course, another very difficult distance,

:05:24. > :05:34.four strides, you are committed to that. That oxer is enormous and

:05:34. > :05:40.

:05:40. > :05:50.very square. To finish with, a 160 field. A young 19-year-old to start

:05:50. > :05:58.

:05:58. > :06:06.first British challengers. John Whitaker on the Casino, he is on

:06:06. > :06:11.form. Peter Charles has been very confident. You have to say, Gerco

:06:11. > :06:15.Schroder is the one who stands out. He has been winning combinations of

:06:15. > :06:25.-- competitions all over the world. Michael Whitaker thinks a lot of

:06:25. > :06:25.

:06:25. > :06:35.Viking. So Nick Skelton, a big star, looks very promising. Guy Williams'

:06:35. > :06:49.

:06:49. > :06:54.Titus, re- looking on fire. And big one, over 410 metres. Given the

:06:54. > :07:02.time allowed of 71 seconds, time has played quite a part in the

:07:02. > :07:08.first round of this Rolex World Cup round here in London. They are

:07:08. > :07:18.going to have to keep up a flowing, moving canter all the way, to get

:07:18. > :07:22.

:07:22. > :07:27.Spain. Even when he was in ponies, they were saying he is a future

:07:27. > :07:33.champion for Spain. He is 19 years old, Manuel Anon, riding a lovely

:07:33. > :07:41.10-year-old. He was an exceptional winner on Friday. I would not be

:07:41. > :07:45.surprised if he gives us a very good start to this competition.

:07:45. > :07:50.Turning back, this vertical, it is not the biggest fence, but it is

:07:50. > :07:59.very narrow. Right towards the age of the arena. This is the

:08:00. > :08:09.interesting distance. Very forward, five strides, and that is a huge

:08:10. > :08:12.

:08:12. > :08:16.leap. Over the square oxer with the needed to jump the first two parts

:08:16. > :08:26.of that combination. He is keeping up a really good moving canter,

:08:26. > :08:31.that is just what he needs to do. He gets his six strides there.

:08:31. > :08:35.Another five. Ride to was the end of the course now. This seemed to

:08:35. > :08:44.be the hardest distance, very short here. You can see him checking.

:08:44. > :08:50.What a jump! Just the last fence. This is a sensational horse and a

:08:50. > :08:54.very good young jockey. He really impressed us here on Friday. Now

:08:54. > :08:59.the Spanish haven't got a team through to London next year, but

:08:59. > :09:05.they could have this young man, and this is an exciting partnership to

:09:05. > :09:10.get as under way. That was outstanding. Here he is, the power

:09:10. > :09:16.and ability, and then he moved up, as he landed, to get the five

:09:16. > :09:22.strides. A lot of riders will find that a long way. This horse was

:09:22. > :09:32.reputedly bought for 3.4 million euros. That's probably why it has

:09:32. > :09:53.

:09:53. > :10:00.in the world for nearly 30 years. been played very well this season.

:10:00. > :10:05.When very well in the Toronto winter fare in Canada. Ludo had his

:10:05. > :10:09.plan organised, really motored down the five strides. I think it is

:10:09. > :10:16.going to be very difficult to jump that on six, we will see if anyone

:10:16. > :10:26.tries it. Another horse showing masses of ability, those two big

:10:26. > :10:33.

:10:33. > :10:40.oxers. The first part is the vertical, then they have to shorten

:10:40. > :10:47.and showed tremendous power to jump the next big oxer. Got away with a

:10:47. > :10:53.little rattled. Doesn't look as if time is going to play a part, they

:10:54. > :11:03.are making the time reasonably easy. Ludo is very happy with that. He

:11:04. > :11:08.

:11:08. > :11:15.managed to steady, got the balance, nearly paid the penalty at the back

:11:15. > :11:24.rail. Two clears on the bounce. very capable jockeys and capable

:11:24. > :11:30.horses, and it is a very good field. Gerco Schroder from the Netherlands,

:11:30. > :11:34.he is one out of a real class field. Germany now. They won the team

:11:34. > :11:41.title and the Europeans. You might have seen, in Madrid. Holger

:11:41. > :11:50.Wulschner, with a horse that was placed recently very well indeed,

:11:50. > :12:00.in the big show in Stuttgart. He was in the German team that won the

:12:00. > :12:02.

:12:02. > :12:08.course earlier, you realise how tight this arena is. The fences

:12:08. > :12:18.come so quickly out of the corners. After this long distance, the next

:12:18. > :12:23.

:12:23. > :12:26.vertical is right in your face. It well. The general consensus,

:12:27. > :12:36.walking the course, was that there were not going to be many clears,

:12:37. > :12:43.

:12:43. > :12:53.but the way they have started is home in under 71. He is going to be

:12:53. > :13:00.

:13:00. > :13:06.allowed. Yeah, I am afraid he has got one time fault. 0.08 of the

:13:06. > :13:13.second over the time. That is an expensive time fault for the German.

:13:13. > :13:17.He will be very disappointed. kept up a pretty good pace, but it

:13:17. > :13:25.shows how quick you have got to move through the corners. There is

:13:26. > :13:33.no time to dwell anywhere at all. That's very costly. There are three

:13:33. > :13:41.of the team that will be in Greenwich next year. Kelvin Bywater,

:13:41. > :13:46.Stephen Renoir. They will be very much part of Bob Ellis's team.

:13:46. > :13:56.Another man very much back on the scene, world champion of 2002, the

:13:56. > :14:00.

:14:00. > :14:07.of horses, living in Ireland, he has been competing in North America

:14:07. > :14:13.and Europe. He jumps hallmark elite. Who was 5th in the World Cup final

:14:13. > :14:20.in Geneva a little while ago. In fact, was third in the World Cup

:14:20. > :14:25.round in Toronto, Canada. The first few riders have all motored to get

:14:25. > :14:28.inside the time. We have seen one with a time fault so already. The

:14:28. > :14:33.word will go out to the collection ring, if you don't keep galloping

:14:33. > :14:41.through the corners, you're going to get time faults. Dermott,

:14:41. > :14:51.working hard to keep his pace up. This is where you have got to make

:14:51. > :15:01.

:15:01. > :15:11.a bit of time, keep moving around towards the end of the course.

:15:11. > :15:22.

:15:22. > :15:27.Should just about be OK for time, He has made it look tight. The

:15:27. > :15:31.He has made it look tight. The first two that went clear looked OK.

:15:31. > :15:40.Manuel Anon went clear. You seem to have filled everyone with

:15:40. > :15:44.confidence, making it look easy. She jumped really good. Is is your

:15:45. > :15:49.first Olympia? Yes, the first time coming to this show. The win on

:15:49. > :15:53.Friday was really amazing. A clear round in the World Cup makes me

:15:53. > :15:57.very happy for this show. Thank you. Wish you well in the jump-off.

:15:57. > :16:07.Making reference to the class he won on Friday afternoon. He has

:16:07. > :16:20.

:16:20. > :16:30.the turn of the Swiss rider. Placed in two of the western yuen league -

:16:30. > :16:36.

:16:36. > :16:41.horse. Quite difficult to manouevre round the corners. One one of the

:16:41. > :16:45.features of this course is that they have to move up on the five

:16:45. > :16:49.strides here. Whether he was thinking about the five strides and

:16:49. > :16:54.just pushed it the second part, but he kicked out that front rail quite

:16:54. > :16:58.hard. That amazingly is the first fence we have had done so -- down

:16:58. > :17:03.so far, which when we walked the course we did think it was tough,

:17:03. > :17:13.but that is the level of competitor we have nowadays. This big horse

:17:13. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:33.finding it hard to keep his balance. tougher. There are so many good

:17:33. > :17:39.combinations in this course. They did need to build a tough course.

:17:39. > :17:48.Two down. Again, snugly inside the time. Not a lot to spare but it is

:17:48. > :17:55.a total of eight for the man from Switzerland, Werner Muff. Let us

:17:55. > :18:03.look coming out, jumped a bit forward. Took the front rail out,

:18:03. > :18:09.just a touch too much pace. Maybe thinking about pushing forward. He

:18:09. > :18:19.will be disappointed to be the man to have the first fences down. Now

:18:19. > :18:22.

:18:22. > :18:28.the turn of Robert Whitaker. Robert riding USA Today. Second in the

:18:28. > :18:38.Grand Prix of Munster and third behind his father on Casino in the

:18:38. > :18:45.

:18:45. > :18:55.Grand Prix in Stockholm. He has had concentration round the corners:

:18:55. > :18:59.

:18:59. > :19:04.There is not a lot of room if he smaller horse. There he is,

:19:04. > :19:09.starting to show a bit of character. And Rob has to be very very aware

:19:09. > :19:14.of the time. Slightly shorter stride. He has add one down that

:19:14. > :19:22.distance. And he needs to move round this corner. Just open his

:19:22. > :19:32.stride up a bit there and now balance. Really doesn't need to be

:19:32. > :19:49.

:19:49. > :19:52.little bucks we saw have cost his dear in the past, he lost the

:19:52. > :20:00.British Open for doing that and he nearly did it again going down to

:20:00. > :20:04.the last. Let us another look at Rob, this is so difficult for him

:20:04. > :20:12.to concentrate. What he did, he wasn't getting the stride pattern

:20:12. > :20:22.he wanted so he kicked on, and got inside the time. Well ridden Rob.

:20:22. > :20:26.

:20:26. > :20:30.Four clear rounds, Spain, Ireland, Germany eight, France two and the

:20:30. > :20:40.Netherlands three and they are all back again. Now it is Tina threcher

:20:40. > :20:43.

:20:43. > :20:49.on this lovely horse -- Tina Fletcher. Won the Carpet Right

:20:49. > :20:54.Derby on Promised Land. I think this horse is a work in progress.

:20:54. > :20:57.Tina said this was a huge step up for in mare. She will see how she

:20:58. > :21:07.goes. It if it is too much she will possibly retire. Already had one

:21:08. > :21:13.

:21:13. > :21:18.successful. That is a lot of the season off but now back in work.

:21:18. > :21:25.One of a team the Fletchers are taking to Florida, to work in some

:21:25. > :21:31.of the outdoor arenas, in the sun to get ready for next year's games.

:21:31. > :21:36.Think she will call it a day. That is not unexpected. It was a big ask

:21:36. > :21:40.for Tina to come in. She has given it a go. And sensible, if the

:21:41. > :21:45.horses are struggling, give them a pat. Live to fight another day.

:21:45. > :21:51.Both Tina and her husband Graham have been very very poorly this

:21:51. > :21:56.last couple of days. You can, you might have heard Tina's voice when

:21:56. > :22:01.she gave us her thoughts of the Olympic Games. She has been quite

:22:01. > :22:11.poorly. There is the former European champion Sir Michael

:22:11. > :22:16.

:22:16. > :22:23.Stoute -- Kevin Staut. It is a very tremendous track record in this

:22:23. > :22:26.competition. John Whitaker and Casino. He was second back three

:22:26. > :22:30.years ago, to Edwina Alexander when there was the difficulty of the

:22:30. > :22:37.tight time on the course in the first round. Tremendous round he

:22:37. > :22:41.jumped on Casino then. Then last year he was third, and they did win

:22:41. > :22:47.the Stockholm Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago in tremendous form. So

:22:47. > :22:52.what can he produce here? These are a pair of veterans. The oldest

:22:52. > :22:57.rider and oldest horse in the competition possibly. John 56 and

:22:57. > :23:04.this horse 16-year-old. Very few horses jump much more than sf or 17

:23:04. > :23:10.at this level. -- 16 or 17. He had a big rattle at the first fence.

:23:10. > :23:15.Got away wit. Let us hope that has woken him up. Sometimes Casino not

:23:15. > :23:21.easy through the corners. He is a big horse and can just twist his

:23:21. > :23:25.body to one side. John working hard down the combination. He had paid

:23:25. > :23:35.the penalty there. Two parts going. Just looked to be in trouble there

:23:35. > :23:39.for a second. We had the early clear rounds, now we are seeing how

:23:39. > :23:46.tough this course is, because those clear rounds probably gave us a

:23:46. > :23:51.false idea of what this really all about. It is a difficult course.

:23:51. > :23:54.John did his normal preparation by jumping one round of the puissance

:23:54. > :23:59.on Friday night before resting the horse to jump in this. But it

:23:59. > :24:05.hasn't worked this year, it has on previous occasion. He gets time

:24:05. > :24:15.penalties too. In all 13, three fences down and a time fault. Total

:24:15. > :24:16.

:24:16. > :24:19.13 for the great John Whitaker. John who won it in 98 and 99. He is

:24:19. > :24:24.John who won it in 98 and 99. He is not going through to the jump-off.

:24:24. > :24:28.Well done, a horse that bucks every other stride. He used to do it a

:24:28. > :24:33.lot and he hasn't done it so much lately, I don't know why he did it

:24:33. > :24:37.today, he was jumping the fences good. That is the main thing.

:24:37. > :24:42.you have an eye on the clock? worried because I know there wasn't,

:24:42. > :24:46.there is not many other places where you can save time. I know

:24:46. > :24:52.every buck is like a second, so I saw the last, and I really went for

:24:52. > :24:58.it. Does he buck in the jump-off as well, will he? He is normally worse

:24:58. > :25:02.in the jump-off. Oh no! I don't know why he bucked today. Hopefully

:25:02. > :25:07.you know, all week there hasn't been many clears in the jump-off.

:25:07. > :25:11.So it looks like there could be a few clears today, you know, you

:25:11. > :25:18.never know. Double clear would win it. It is exciting to watch. Thank

:25:18. > :25:25.it. It is exciting to watch. Thank you. The first time rider from

:25:25. > :25:30.Austria. Iris Murray with her husband's Night Flight. The horse

:25:30. > :25:35.has got some points in the World Cup. Ninth in Helsinki. Also jumped

:25:35. > :25:41.in Oslo. Quite surprised if this jusm ped clear in what we have seen

:25:41. > :25:51.of this combination in the classes this week so far. Very close to

:25:51. > :25:54.

:25:54. > :26:04.that vertical. But a horse with power. Lots of ability. Coming to

:26:04. > :26:22.

:26:22. > :26:27.the very careful planks and a bit 71 seconds the time allowed. Big

:26:27. > :26:34.horse. Quite strong towards the end for Iris, ends up with two down and

:26:34. > :26:38.a time fault. Total nine. So still those four early clear rounds.

:26:38. > :26:43.There is the plank, a touch in front. He is a bit loose and then

:26:43. > :26:49.he started to get unrule loi here. Not concentrating at all. Got his

:26:49. > :26:58.head up and started fighting in the corner. -- unruly here. Very big

:26:58. > :27:07.horse to control. Iris who used to be a flight attendant in the travel

:27:07. > :27:15.city. Now Peter Charles you heard how crucial the Olympic games is to

:27:15. > :27:20.Peter. Peter Charles, with a horse that stepped in when his top horse

:27:20. > :27:27.was off the road early in the season. He stepped in very well

:27:27. > :27:31.indeed, particularly well in the Spruce Meadow show in September.

:27:31. > :27:36.Peter already aware of the time allowed.. He has moved up a gear

:27:37. > :27:42.round that corner. Now, is that why he had that fence down? He does

:27:42. > :27:52.like to keep his horses bouncing under him. Maybe just lost a bit of

:27:52. > :28:08.

:28:08. > :28:18.level when you have just done a national show. That little rattle

:28:18. > :28:29.

:28:29. > :28:35.That is the big oxer we have looked at. Two down then for Peter Charles.

:28:35. > :28:39.Peter who won this competition in 2001 when he rode for Ireland in

:28:39. > :28:44.that year, ten years ago. There is the first fence he had done, it is

:28:44. > :28:54.a very quick turn off that corner. He was thinking about the time

:28:54. > :28:58.

:28:58. > :29:05.round between those fences. Just and here now is the first of the

:29:05. > :29:13.French challenges. France, who have won it twice. They won it in 1985

:29:13. > :29:23.and before that, they won it again. But this man has impressed this

:29:23. > :29:26.

:29:26. > :29:31.week in his first visit. A ten- year-old horse. Darko won this back

:29:31. > :29:41.in 1988. The father of this horse. He had gone well enough. He was in

:29:41. > :29:48.

:29:48. > :29:52.watch. He is swishing his tail. He has a big double bridle in his

:29:52. > :30:02.horse. That is two bits in his mouth. So he is quite strong and

:30:02. > :30:17.

:30:17. > :30:21.required and he started throwing his legs all over. What is

:30:21. > :30:25.interesting to me, the first two horses that went were comfortably

:30:25. > :30:30.inside the time without putting the horses under pressure, now time

:30:30. > :30:34.seems to be playing more of a part. They are in that bit more of a

:30:34. > :30:37.hurry. I think Which? We just happened to see some outstanding

:30:37. > :30:42.horses at the beginning. When you see some of these riders struggling

:30:42. > :30:46.it is a true indication of how difficult this competition is. He

:30:46. > :30:56.is really falling apart there. Certainly are. 17 in all. He

:30:56. > :30:57.

:30:57. > :31:02.another one over the time. Just one for time and those four fences down.

:31:02. > :31:08.Still Kevin staut to come. starts getting untidy, threw his

:31:08. > :31:12.front legs a bit there caught that one behind. To jump at this level

:31:12. > :31:22.the horses have to be very need and tidy. They start throwing their

:31:22. > :31:33.

:31:33. > :31:42.for Spain, two of the jockeys with the four clear round so far.

:31:42. > :31:51.Dermott Lennon and Robert Whitaker are the others. Now it is the turn

:31:51. > :31:57.of Lucia Vizzini, riding Loro Piana Quinta Roo. Now, riding Markus

:31:57. > :32:02.Fuchs' courses, who was trainer of the Italians for a while -- Markus

:32:02. > :32:12.Fuchs' horses. He has gone back to support in his own country,

:32:12. > :32:18.

:32:18. > :32:28.Switzerland. A big jumping horse, groaning, a lot of effort is being

:32:28. > :32:42.

:32:42. > :32:48.put in. Moving nicely around the to be close enough. May have to

:32:48. > :32:55.take a stride out to the last. Gets the extra one, but should be OK,

:32:55. > :33:00.but it is down! And again, although she took that extra stride down the

:33:00. > :33:05.last, just looks as if she realised she was going to be tied for time.

:33:05. > :33:15.Frustrated at that penalty. -- tight for time. We are going to

:33:15. > :33:20.here a lot more about this lady. Very unlucky, coming down to the

:33:20. > :33:25.last. What are you thinking of the course? It had come down.

:33:25. > :33:29.Everything was too easy initially. Actually, it is more difficult than

:33:29. > :33:34.it first looked. I think there will be 10 or 12 clear today, and that

:33:34. > :33:40.is where the draw will be so important. The riders are looking

:33:40. > :33:44.around and see and where they need to make up the time. Our is the

:33:44. > :33:49.draw complete luck, just lucky that they are getting drawn towards the

:33:49. > :33:52.they are getting drawn towards the end? The draw is done in two halves

:33:52. > :33:57.and the higher you are in the world ranking list, the lower that you go

:33:57. > :34:00.down the draw. You get better ranked in the second half. That was

:34:00. > :34:08.a quick look at some of the key riders, coming up, will funnel is

:34:08. > :34:11.out there in the arena now. A lovely team of young horses, this

:34:11. > :34:15.was first jumped in a major competition at Lisbon and has got

:34:15. > :34:21.better and better. He has got some World Cup points in the Western

:34:21. > :34:25.European League. Only a young horse. He rode for his life down the young

:34:25. > :34:30.-- the long-striding distance from the double to the big oxer. He had

:34:30. > :34:35.to really push, and that was fantastic bit of riding. If he had

:34:35. > :34:40.not acted, he would not have got it. Maybe that is why he had the plaque

:34:40. > :34:46.done, he had to ride so forward. Pushed his tours out of the comfort

:34:46. > :34:53.zone. 8-year-old horses, only just starting to complete it -- compete

:34:53. > :35:03.at this level. A really good effort, just one fence down, here he is at

:35:03. > :35:06.

:35:06. > :35:12.the last. The time is fairly fast, but that fence is down for Billy

:35:12. > :35:18.Angelo and will funnel. This is the Fenty had down, just got a bit flat,

:35:18. > :35:24.just touched it. -- the fence he had down. A very good effort from

:35:24. > :35:30.his 8-year-old, has got a big future in the sport. Probably a

:35:30. > :35:36.little bit frustrated. He thinks a lot of this course. He realises it

:35:36. > :35:42.is a young horse, with the next year in mind. Now a man who has got

:35:42. > :35:52.a great record in this competition, Robert Smith. He has won it three

:35:52. > :36:11.

:36:11. > :36:17.this arena in the past. And that is exactly how to ride that distance.

:36:17. > :36:27.A big striding horse, got their very smoothly. Lovely balance,

:36:27. > :36:28.

:36:28. > :36:38.straight after, jumped that have to be more careful over the

:36:38. > :36:53.

:36:53. > :37:01.shape over that vertical, that was a shame. Such a good round until

:37:01. > :37:11.that point. Jumped the first part very well, and then two down, the

:37:11. > :37:19.

:37:19. > :37:24.last part of the course for Robert petrol at the end of the course.

:37:24. > :37:34.Both the fences with his back legs. But a great effort. You can see he

:37:34. > :37:40.

:37:40. > :37:50.expect to see one of the top internationals from Sweden, Peder

:37:50. > :38:09.

:38:09. > :38:12.Fredricson, who started in the Prix in Stockholm. This horse has

:38:12. > :38:17.an interesting assortment of bits and bridles on him. He is a strong

:38:17. > :38:24.horse. He has a bit in his mouth and a bit less Bridle, all joined

:38:24. > :38:28.together. He is fighting for his head. Some of these big powerful

:38:28. > :38:38.forces get very strong and take a lot of controlling around such a

:38:38. > :38:40.

:38:40. > :38:50.beginning of the competition. Suddenly, it is looking a lot

:38:50. > :39:00.

:39:00. > :39:07.amazing. Just the last fence. the one down for the man who won a

:39:07. > :39:14.silver medal for Sweden at the team competition in Athens in 2004. Four

:39:14. > :39:22.faults will keep him at the jump- off. Now getting towards the

:39:22. > :39:26.halfway point. Watching again. That front rail of that boxer is quite

:39:26. > :39:30.difficult to jump. Because the riders are thinking about the Ford

:39:30. > :39:36.distance they have got to get straight after it. It is important

:39:36. > :39:42.to jump that fence cleanly, then push down the line. A reflective

:39:42. > :39:52.John Whitaker. He is still as competitive as ever. We can do that,

:39:52. > :39:53.

:39:53. > :40:01.too, John! Now, at Nina Fagerstrom from Finland. Based in Belgium, was

:40:01. > :40:11.the Finnish champion in 2009. She went well in Helsinki. She finished

:40:11. > :40:11.

:40:12. > :40:18.4th in that World Cup in Finland. This horse has got his own way of

:40:18. > :40:24.going. He sticks his nose out, he lost his tongue out to one side as

:40:24. > :40:34.he goes round. He is quite a character. Oh, had to push very

:40:34. > :40:48.

:40:48. > :40:53.hard for the five strides. Lost bit of time. There is a huge amount

:40:53. > :40:58.of money at stake in this class. You're absolutely right, 110,000

:40:58. > :41:07.euros is the price pop. 33,000 euros going to the winner. Not a

:41:07. > :41:17.bad pay-day. It is not, but it is going to take a lot of winning.

:41:17. > :41:30.

:41:30. > :41:34.You can see with the shot of talent. Look at the Nasal strips on the

:41:34. > :41:40.course' nos, to help the breathing. That's right, horses cannot breathe

:41:40. > :41:44.through the mouth. By having that strip, it actually brisk -- bridges

:41:45. > :41:51.that open and keeps those nostrils open, to allow more oxygen through

:41:51. > :42:01.into the lungs. It is to allow the not straw to flare and get more

:42:01. > :42:05.

:42:05. > :42:11.oxygen into his lungs and hopefully Scandinavia, and it is Geir

:42:11. > :42:15.Gulliksen, the very popular visitor here, riding L'Espoir, the horse he

:42:15. > :42:21.finished third on in the puissance on Friday night. He was originally

:42:21. > :42:27.just going to take it for what we are going to see right now, but

:42:27. > :42:34.decided the money looked good and finished equal third. He loves this

:42:34. > :42:38.arena, he can often pick out a personal best. He is a funny old

:42:38. > :42:45.horse to watch. His canter is all over the place. There is no bit in

:42:45. > :42:51.his mouth, riding with a bit less bridle. He lollops along with his

:42:51. > :43:01.head in the air, but he is a talented horse. He has been around

:43:01. > :43:37.

:43:37. > :43:42.the corner. OK, still clear, he has for you out of the corner. He has

:43:42. > :43:47.given him a lot of success, and he is frustrated. I think there are a

:43:47. > :43:51.few mutterings under his breath, and that was an unlucky fence. That

:43:51. > :44:00.vertical comes very quickly. Just caught the top of it. He is still

:44:00. > :44:08.shaking his head. L'Espoir really tried hard all the way around.

:44:08. > :44:15.Ellis with Bernardo, there. In comes Gerco Schroder. One of three

:44:15. > :44:25.very talented brothers who ride for benevolence. The Netherlands have

:44:25. > :44:35.

:44:35. > :44:43.might remember, there were the ones that lost an individual bronze

:44:43. > :44:49.medal late on in the individual Madrid European's. Gave Nick

:44:49. > :44:55.Skelton the opportunity to win his bronze medal. This man, so unlucky.

:44:55. > :45:02.Went very well down in Rio de Janeiro on this course. Very

:45:02. > :45:07.capable. It is a typical German- bred horse, bred in the north of

:45:07. > :45:14.Germany. So many of them seem to be these lovely grey types, with huge

:45:14. > :45:21.amounts of power. That didn't stay. Almost made up too much ground,

:45:22. > :45:27.with such a big stride. Clipped the front row. -- rail. He is riding

:45:27. > :45:37.his luck there as well. That very nearly came down. Front legs coming

:45:37. > :45:39.

:45:39. > :45:44.down on the back rail of that oxer now they are really scarce. As you

:45:44. > :45:48.say we had four clear rounds in the first six, we haven't had one since

:45:48. > :45:53.A very strange pattern to see that number of clears, but you can see

:45:53. > :45:57.how difficult this course is. don't often see this horse

:45:58. > :46:07.struggling at an oxer like that. Eight faults. That is quite a

:46:08. > :46:13.

:46:13. > :46:18.surprise. The last Dutch winner in this class was two years ago. It is

:46:18. > :46:28.quite a surprise there. Looking at that replay. This horse has so much

:46:28. > :46:29.

:46:29. > :46:35.power, he got too close down those five strides. Such a huge horse.

:46:35. > :46:40.Well, now, the turn of Michael Whitaker. Remember Robert already

:46:40. > :46:49.through but brother John not. Michael won it with Everest Two

:46:49. > :46:58.Step in 1993. He is now riding the horse called Viking. An 11-year-old.

:46:58. > :47:06.And this horse was sent over by Helena wineberg. A very good young

:47:06. > :47:12.rider. Went to Germany after getting married. Michael has some

:47:12. > :47:22.good form on it. He was flying in Stuttgart on it recently. He has

:47:22. > :47:27.

:47:27. > :47:37.been in several of the World Cup watch this horse go. She herself

:47:37. > :47:47.

:47:47. > :47:52.walking the course. He was mutting and shaking his head about what to

:47:52. > :47:56.do about that distance. He has put the extra stride in, got away wit

:47:57. > :48:00.but unfortunately that vertical, that is the one he was worried

:48:01. > :48:06.about. Viking can sometimes jump a bit forward. As he goes round, as

:48:06. > :48:13.he goes round the course, he gets hotter. He starts fighting for his

:48:13. > :48:23.head. When he does that, he doesn't quite get the height. That was ar

:48:23. > :48:30.

:48:30. > :48:38.time. Michael will be disappointed but it is one down, four faults for

:48:38. > :48:46.Michael Whitaker and Viking. CLARE BALDING: The mistakes are coming

:48:46. > :48:53.all over the course. We have key riders coming up shortly. We will

:48:53. > :48:57.look admit mitt's mistake. Almost catching the reign with the under

:48:57. > :49:01.catching the reign with the under girth of the horse. What it is

:49:01. > :49:07.showing is it coming all round the course. It is a lot more difficult.

:49:08. > :49:12.We have three real big names. Laura Kraut, and Nick Skelton will be

:49:12. > :49:16.coming up in three riders' time on Big Star, the horse he is excited

:49:16. > :49:23.about and could end up being his about and could end up being his

:49:23. > :49:27.Olympic ride. Now the horse that did give Laura her Olympic team

:49:27. > :49:35.gold medal. Fantastic performance for the Americans to win that gold

:49:35. > :49:41.in Hong Kong Beijing, in 2008. Laura has won the Grand Prix here.

:49:41. > :49:46.But now she would love to win this qualifier. Been in very good form.

:49:46. > :49:54.Been on the American circuit. Washington and also the new big

:49:54. > :49:59.show at Kentucky. Very capable combination. This little horse, he

:49:59. > :50:07.has springed in his heels. He is smaller than most of the horses.

:50:07. > :50:17.Only round 15 two or three. She put an extra stride in down tho that

:50:17. > :50:36.

:50:36. > :50:41.big oxer, that is the way for him last fence. What a round. One of

:50:41. > :50:48.the best lady riders there is in the world. Ranked 24 at the moment,

:50:48. > :50:52.and it is clear round number five for United States. Great

:50:52. > :50:56.combination. Let us have a look here at Cedric. He has springs in

:50:56. > :51:01.his heels. He is only a short necked horse, amazing power over

:51:01. > :51:05.the biggest oxer. And then really careful over the big vertical to

:51:05. > :51:13.finish. Laura is delighted with him. She looked up at the end to make

:51:13. > :51:23.sure he was inside the time. She gives him a big pat. Well, now the

:51:23. > :51:27.

:51:27. > :51:33.man who is leading rider of the show so far. Marcus, he last came

:51:33. > :51:37.when he was world number one. He has won the World Cup on a number

:51:37. > :51:43.of occasions. Geneva and wob it again back in 2006, one of the

:51:43. > :51:53.world's top jockeys without a shadow of a doubt. Sabrina he rides,

:51:53. > :52:07.

:52:07. > :52:13.a 12-year-old mare. That was a forward on the five strides, and

:52:13. > :52:17.suddenly, completely changed his mind. You wouldn't see others do

:52:17. > :52:27.that. Well, he has had two scary moments. The second fence and down

:52:27. > :52:38.

:52:38. > :52:46.little rattle there. Well, if this is clear there will be a lot of

:52:46. > :52:56.luck involved. And Germany join the clear rounds. Very good clear round.

:52:56. > :52:59.

:52:59. > :53:05.He had won the Grand Prix here, he did that on Sandro Boy. Here is the

:53:05. > :53:10.second fence. Didn't get a clean take off. And bounced out of the

:53:10. > :53:16.cuts. With these modern cups you don't see that. Have a look here.

:53:16. > :53:24.Went to go five, then went six. Lost his canter rhythm. Gave a big

:53:24. > :53:28.kick. Goodness me, that was a hair- raising moment! It is turning into

:53:28. > :53:33.a wonderfully class looking jump- off at the moment. Remember, it is

:53:33. > :53:39.one for Spain, one for Belgium, one for Ireland, one for Great Britain,

:53:39. > :53:46.one for the United States and now one for Germany. Now what about two

:53:46. > :53:56.for Britain? Nick Skelton with the eight-year-old Big Star. Nick has

:53:56. > :54:07.

:54:07. > :54:11.kept him as his second horse but he so much jumping. He is not a spooky

:54:11. > :54:17.horse. Not going to be too worried about being in this arena. Oh, and

:54:17. > :54:27.it has gone. He made up the ground so easily. One of the things about

:54:27. > :54:35.

:54:35. > :54:38.does find it so easy. Well, this is the thing. This horse has so much

:54:38. > :54:46.power. Whether Nick thought he was going to find that long. He has

:54:46. > :54:50.gone all wrong there! Almost went to go for an extra stride. Now will

:54:50. > :54:55.he retire. He has had so little jumping recently, this horse.

:54:55. > :55:00.Nick has been commuting, from North America back home, and this is the

:55:00. > :55:05.horse he has left here, the rest of the horses are in America ready for

:55:05. > :55:11.the Florida circuit. I think he is going to finish. It looks as if he

:55:11. > :55:17.will pop the last few fences. was a very bold move for Nick to

:55:17. > :55:27.save him, but it looked a bit rusty there. Total 16 for Nick Skelton,

:55:27. > :55:31.

:55:31. > :55:34.is Laura Kraut who is based as I Nick's yard. He is eight-year-old,

:55:34. > :55:39.and he is such an unbelievably and he is such an unbelievably

:55:39. > :55:46.intelligence animal. I think Nick thought he jumped well on Thursday,

:55:46. > :55:52.I think he got a bit green. He might have spooked away from that

:55:52. > :55:56.triple bar. I'm not sure. He will be fine. What about your old boy

:55:56. > :56:01.Cedric going clear? He has been back on form for a month. We had a

:56:01. > :56:04.down side this summer but he feels good. He was a horse on which Laura

:56:04. > :56:13.won the team gold medal for the United States in Beijing. We will

:56:13. > :56:23.see her again in the jump-off. Top From one leading lady star of

:56:23. > :56:23.

:56:23. > :56:31.America to a leading lady star of Sweden. It is Malin Baynard-

:56:31. > :56:37.Johnsson. She has won an Olympic silver in Athens. A world sl Silver

:56:37. > :56:43.Medal, with her wonderful horse Butterfly Flip. This is a capable

:56:43. > :56:46.horse, H&M Tornesch 1042. He has horse, H&M Tornesch 1042. He has

:56:46. > :56:54.been placed in Helsinki and Lyon. I wouldn't be surprised if this gives

:56:54. > :57:01.Sweden one round to go forward to the jump-off. He is different to

:57:01. > :57:04.Butterfly Flip. He is a strong stallion by looks, bred in Holland.

:57:04. > :57:10.Just clipped that back rail coming out of that combination. That is

:57:10. > :57:20.just a bit unlucky. Because she is riding with a normal fluent forward

:57:20. > :57:34.

:57:34. > :57:38.style. She always believes in her quick time. The one mistake then

:57:38. > :57:44.for Malin Baynard-Johnsson. Still those six clear rounds through to

:57:44. > :57:50.the jump-off in this, the Rolex FEI World CUp Jumping Qualifier at

:57:50. > :57:55.Olympia and we have now jumped 23 of the 34 in the first round.

:57:55. > :58:05.unlucky, a touch with the front leg, on the back rail of the middle part

:58:05. > :58:07.

:58:07. > :58:14.of that combination. Billy Twomey from Ireland now. Ireland clear,

:58:14. > :58:24.with former World Champion Dermott Lennon. Now Toowoomba with Tinka's

:58:24. > :58:24.

:58:24. > :58:32.Serenade. Been in tremendous form this season. -- -- Billy Twomey. He

:58:32. > :58:36.is lying 12 in the world. He has been higher. He won the Rolex top

:58:36. > :58:46.ten Grand Prix in fantastic style with this horse. So, if form is

:58:46. > :58:50.anything to go by, he could be one to join the clear rounds. Tinka's

:58:50. > :58:54.Serenade really interesting horse to watch. She has her own style.

:58:54. > :59:04.Little bit loose and dangly with the front legs at times but she

:59:04. > :59:33.

:59:33. > :59:38.knows where the poles are. She has for time, but that one came down

:59:38. > :59:43.with the back legs. That wasn't, what you would expect from this

:59:43. > :59:53.mare. She is normally so good over verticals. Dema is a bit of a

:59:53. > :00:01.

:00:02. > :00:05.surprise. She was jumping so well She just clipped it behind and that

:00:05. > :00:13.vertical comes really quickly out of the corner. We have seen one or

:00:13. > :00:23.two horses not concentrate at that jump. Six clear rounds so far, but

:00:23. > :00:47.

:00:47. > :00:53.riders. This World Cup round is far from done yet. Guy Williams on

:00:53. > :00:59.Titus, the course that he put in such a brilliant round on, -- the

:00:59. > :01:04.horse that he put in such a brilliant round. He has won four

:01:04. > :01:14.competitions in the last 36 hours or so, about 20,000 euros, but this

:01:14. > :01:14.

:01:15. > :01:24.is the one he would really like to competition. We had those early

:01:24. > :01:29.clear rounds, and then Cedric with Laura Kraut, the only one who has

:01:29. > :01:35.gone clear. And Marcus Ehning. with his interesting round, shall

:01:35. > :01:39.we say. Titus has plenty of power. We know he has the ability to jump

:01:39. > :01:46.this type of course. Very different from jumping at the Europeans in

:01:46. > :01:56.that great big arena. Titus has got such a big stride. He needs to get

:01:56. > :02:02.

:02:02. > :02:07.balance. This next vertical has shorten up there. Just the last one.

:02:07. > :02:15.This man is riding better than he ever has in his life. This will be

:02:15. > :02:23.one to remember, for sure. Can he really go one step higher, and win

:02:23. > :02:28.it this London round of the Rolex World Cup? This is where Guy

:02:28. > :02:35.Williams is so good. Titus has a massive stride. Pop the vertical,

:02:35. > :02:43.kept it short. Used his scope and power. And he is riding better and

:02:43. > :02:53.better. Now, or the combination of world show jumping at the moment.

:02:53. > :02:54.

:02:54. > :03:04.Of course, be very sad news out of Verona, where Eric Lomas sightly --

:03:04. > :03:26.

:03:26. > :03:36.do they have amazing horsemanship, and technical skills, but I think

:03:36. > :03:36.

:03:36. > :03:43.it is the mental skills he has got. He is so cool under pressure. He

:03:43. > :03:52.was very much the Ice man. Not the biggest horse, another small horse

:03:52. > :04:00.with springs in his heels. Remember, he also won the individual silver,

:04:01. > :04:05.behind Hickstead and Eric lames -- Eric Lamaze, in the Hong Kong -- in

:04:05. > :04:15.the Beijing Olympics. These riders are under so much pressure, staying

:04:15. > :04:24.cool, one more to jump. Poetry in motion yet again! From the man who

:04:24. > :04:34.is currently ranked second in the Rolex rankings. Of those clear

:04:34. > :04:38.

:04:38. > :04:43.Yes, hopefully it will continue. the map going to suit your horse?

:04:43. > :04:53.Today we are going to try. Food write-down on the accelerated.

:04:53. > :05:07.

:05:07. > :05:15.are going to win so hopefully he is right to the top of the French

:05:15. > :05:25.scene. He is 13 in the world. France won the 18th Silva, behind

:05:25. > :05:34.

:05:34. > :05:44.Germany in Madrid. -- won the team He has been one of the top riders

:05:44. > :05:52.

:05:52. > :06:02.in the Western European League so - course. Has got an enormous

:06:02. > :06:03.

:06:03. > :06:06.engine. -- powerful horse. Often, or the big powerful horses can make

:06:06. > :06:16.the silly mistake, just when you want them to concentrate, they are

:06:16. > :06:22.

:06:22. > :06:25.going to get some jump off coming up, with some brilliant

:06:25. > :06:30.combinations already through, and one or two exciting one still to

:06:30. > :06:40.come. Definitely, this is far from over in the first round. He has got

:06:40. > :06:47.

:06:47. > :06:53.a time fault, haven't had too many Potentially, three, maybe four

:06:53. > :06:58.clear rounds. Just having another look at that front row coming down,

:06:59. > :07:02.the first part of the combination. -- front rail coming down. We have

:07:02. > :07:12.seen the vertical come down a few times, it is a bit of a bogey fence

:07:12. > :07:20.

:07:20. > :07:30.Maikel van der Vleuten. Another family that has got another

:07:30. > :07:33.

:07:33. > :07:36.generation showing exciting skills. His father, Eric, won in 2009. He

:07:36. > :07:44.rode for the Netherlands in the team in Madrid, he had a very nasty

:07:45. > :07:52.fall. But now, he has actually already had a very good first half

:07:52. > :07:58.to the League. He is not going to hear. He has already been placed in

:07:58. > :08:03.Oslo and Helsinki today. frustrating for riders, when they

:08:03. > :08:07.have a horse with this kind of talent, and he is not concentrating.

:08:07. > :08:12.A couple of casual fences down. The one thing you need from your horse,

:08:12. > :08:22.when you come into this type of Arena, with very tight turns and

:08:22. > :08:30.

:08:30. > :08:40.fences coming at you very quickly, he's doing now. Two early fences

:08:40. > :08:44.

:08:44. > :08:49.down. You see the amount of ability the fence, he does something quite

:08:49. > :08:54.strange, he throws his arms out to the side, and his body shoots

:08:54. > :08:59.forward. He has got his own style. It is a pretty successful one on

:08:59. > :09:06.the continent, but not here in London this afternoon. Two down,

:09:06. > :09:11.putting him on a total of eight. Let's have another look at him here.

:09:11. > :09:17.Very casual at the second fence, took the front rail out. Tip came

:09:17. > :09:27.halfway round the course before he started to think what he was doing.

:09:27. > :09:37.A bad mistake, going into that double. So, no Dutch challenge for

:09:37. > :09:48.

:09:48. > :09:54.this round, and now, the great horses, to give her a chance of

:09:54. > :10:04.getting back in the German team again. Very talented, American-born,

:10:04. > :10:08.

:10:08. > :10:17.married tooth Ludger Beerbaum's Only eight years old. The thing

:10:17. > :10:27.about this horse, unbelievably powerful, beak and Scobie. Normally

:10:27. > :10:30.

:10:31. > :10:35.of running Ford and trusting the horse to jump. There won't be many

:10:35. > :10:45.courses to give you a better feel over those fences. You see how

:10:45. > :10:51.

:10:51. > :10:56.of the jump, really trusting the horse to be careful. And this is

:10:56. > :11:06.looking really good at the moment. Here is the difficult vertical. So

:11:06. > :11:07.

:11:07. > :11:11.careful. Had a bit of luck, just want to jump. Well, with Laura

:11:11. > :11:17.Kraut and now Halt Motors in this jump-off, the ladies are in with a

:11:17. > :11:24.real chance -- and now Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum in this jump-off.

:11:24. > :11:28.She is looking to try to qualify and win it a 4th time. Lovely to

:11:28. > :11:38.see a horse jumping with... His pricked, running forward, no

:11:38. > :11:38.

:11:38. > :11:48.pressure. -- ears pricked. That was poetry in motion. She is really

:11:48. > :11:51.

:11:51. > :11:57.has jumped at the forefront of German show jumping, Hans-Dieter

:11:57. > :12:03.Dreher. We have seen him at Hickstead in the Nations Cup on

:12:03. > :12:08.more than one occasion. He was part of the German team in the Royal

:12:08. > :12:16.International, then went to Dublin. Hans-Dieter Dreher has been in very

:12:16. > :12:23.good form in recent weeks. He had wins in Hanover, a very good win in

:12:24. > :12:33.the global tour. He is now very much part of the top end of the

:12:34. > :12:38.

:12:38. > :12:44.with his head. If you watch him around the corners, he is checking

:12:44. > :12:49.his head about, it makes it difficult to control him. Just

:12:49. > :12:59.there, where he was fighting for his head, he got too far forward

:12:59. > :12:59.

:12:59. > :13:09.everything in their locker. They need to have the ability, but you

:13:09. > :13:27.

:13:27. > :13:37.must be able to ride and control Dieter Dreher ands Romeo. -- and

:13:37. > :13:47.

:13:47. > :13:56.horse with a lot of ability. Not the ride ability that you need in

:13:56. > :14:01.such a tight arena. The world number four, it is Pius Schwizer.

:14:01. > :14:11.We have seen exactly why he is the world number For here this week. He

:14:11. > :14:21.

:14:21. > :14:24.has gone very, very well indeed -- to the final. The top 18 from the

:14:24. > :14:34.Western European League go to the final, which will be in the

:14:34. > :14:40.Netherlands this year in April. This is a horse that has been in

:14:40. > :14:48.very good form indeed. Successful in the Stuttgart Masters recently.

:14:48. > :14:54.It is the 9-year-old, Verdi, a lovely horse. As a very light touch.

:14:54. > :15:03.He is a joy to watch. A complete horseman with a lot of feel, always

:15:03. > :15:07.rides in a nice rhythm. And doesn't smile very often! It takes a lot to

:15:07. > :15:17.make him smile, we saw that in the puissance, but he did eventually

:15:17. > :15:23.

:15:23. > :15:33.When he comes out of the kompers,, normally comes out really balanced

:15:33. > :15:47.

:15:47. > :15:55.and very adjustable in his stride. Shortened up for the four strides

:15:55. > :16:01.and didn't quite make the stretch. That is a shame. So it is one fence

:16:01. > :16:06.down, it is four faults, and that is perhaps one of the surprises

:16:06. > :16:10.again for Pius Schwizer. CLARE BALDING: The ninth Claire round

:16:10. > :16:12.came from Meredith Michaels- came from Meredith Michaels-

:16:12. > :16:16.Beerbaum and it was a joy to watch. She is wonderful. She is only eight,

:16:16. > :16:20.that is very young for in sport. This is her third World Cup this

:16:20. > :16:25.season so she has moved up. She has done brilliantly and I am so

:16:25. > :16:31.excited about her. In terms of how you approach the jump-off, what do

:16:31. > :16:34.you intend to do? Speed is not her forte so I am going to do the best

:16:34. > :16:40.I can and hopefully I can end up somewhere at the top. We wish you

:16:40. > :16:50.somewhere at the top. We wish you good luck. Ben Maher now. With the

:16:50. > :16:55.

:16:55. > :17:02.horse that he helped bring win that bronze medal in Madrid. This a

:17:02. > :17:06.horse that Ben bred, Tripple X is a nine-year-old, growing into an

:17:06. > :17:10.exciting international prospect. He has looked very sharp of what we

:17:10. > :17:13.have seen so far this week. talk about breeding, this is

:17:13. > :17:17.registered with the Anglo European stud book, which is great for them

:17:17. > :17:27.to have a British bred horse jumping at this level. This horse

:17:27. > :17:29.

:17:29. > :17:32.does look like the real deal. Well, that was not a great moment for Ben.

:17:32. > :17:42.He really had quite a strong feel on the front of that oxer. Can't

:17:42. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :18:02.afford to hit too many like that. very balanced on his horse. Always

:18:02. > :18:13.

:18:13. > :18:19.was able to get balance easily. And he is through. What a lovely round.

:18:19. > :18:25.He really is looking the complete - - complete deal these days, very

:18:25. > :18:28.cool under pressure, and excellent technique. So it is ten clear round.

:18:28. > :18:37.Britain at the moment have got three of them. And we have got two

:18:37. > :18:42.left to jump. Tripple X got all the power. The right ability, the

:18:42. > :18:51.quality. We are going to see Ben and Guy and Rob going for it in the

:18:51. > :19:01.jump-off. Laura Renwick now, lady who won the Masterings last year

:19:01. > :19:11.

:19:11. > :19:21.here and she is riding a horse joining that Olympic party next

:19:21. > :19:29.

:19:29. > :19:33.help her cause. This little horse really caught the eye 12 months ago,

:19:33. > :19:43.winning the masters' here. And he is not the biggest. He is a little

:19:43. > :19:43.

:19:43. > :20:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds

:20:27. > :20:32.move up a gear to get those five heart. He tried really hard over

:20:32. > :20:38.the oxer. Here he is to the last. Well ridden. Congratulations Laura

:20:38. > :20:42.Renwick. She will be happy to be in this jump-off. It's a world class

:20:43. > :20:52.jump-off. One thing we know about Laura, when she is in a jump-off

:20:53. > :20:56.

:20:56. > :21:06.she will be going for it. She is Really tried for her She moved up

:21:06. > :21:10.

:21:11. > :21:18.quickly to push forward for the Britain with four of those 11, and

:21:18. > :21:25.here is the last to go. A man who finished third in this class last

:21:25. > :21:30.year, on this very horse, and of course he won the European

:21:30. > :21:35.Championship on the Windsor Europeans in 2009, class horse man,

:21:35. > :21:41.being ranked number one for a long time but has drone dropped down

:21:41. > :21:51.nine now. By his standards not had the greatest of seasons, but this

:21:51. > :21:58.

:21:58. > :22:02.the very experienced Le Prestige St and mot motored from the word go.

:22:02. > :22:07.He certainly had to push down that distance, and he is keeping up a

:22:07. > :22:13.strong canter. Just paid the penalty flattened over that

:22:13. > :22:23.vertical. Looks as though he is struggling a bit for power off the

:22:23. > :22:42.

:22:42. > :22:48.not having the best of times. One fence down. Fast time. Yes. The

:22:48. > :22:54.fastest time of all of them. But there we are, he is not threw but

:22:54. > :22:59.there are 11 and four of them are top British riders. CLARE BALDING:

:22:59. > :23:02.And that fact brings a smile to the face of Britain's team performance

:23:02. > :23:08.face of Britain's team performance manager. How happy are you with

:23:08. > :23:12.with the depth of talent in British showjumping. It is growing. We have

:23:12. > :23:17.12 combinations we can choose from. We have four nice horses in this,

:23:17. > :23:19.two more experienced, they were both at the Europeans and two up-

:23:20. > :23:23.and-coming horses and there were some nice eight-year-olds there as

:23:23. > :23:27.well. What are you asking from the riersd you might want to select,

:23:27. > :23:31.what do you want to see from them? We have a plan for each individual

:23:31. > :23:35.rider. Some will go to Florida and some will go to Spain and Italy, so

:23:35. > :23:39.they will have their individual plans to work on. And in your head,

:23:39. > :23:44.you haven't written a name down yet, have you? I have written a lot but

:23:44. > :23:47.I am not going to tell you which ones. In terms of this competition

:23:47. > :23:52.who of the four do you think has the best chance of winning it?

:23:52. > :23:57.is close to winning a big one. He jumped fantastic in Paris he is

:23:57. > :24:02.very close to winning a big one. Guy is competitive against the

:24:02. > :24:08.clock, as is Laura, so those three are in with a big chance. Rob's

:24:08. > :24:13.horse is less ex%ed but he has done a good round and Cedric jumped a

:24:13. > :24:16.good round for America. I will let you offer advice because a lot of

:24:16. > :24:22.riders are seeking him out and saying what do you think I should

:24:22. > :24:28.be doing. Tim is with me. There are big galloping stretchs on this

:24:28. > :24:32.course, you have to be brave as a rider. You have, these are big

:24:32. > :24:37.jumpss, you want to be balanced and cautious but you can't. What is

:24:37. > :24:42.strange is there are a couple of big run, then a couple of sharp

:24:42. > :24:46.turnss, so so if you start to get too much forward momentum you lose

:24:46. > :24:50.control at the end. In terms of the best chance of winning, you have

:24:50. > :24:55.been racket so far you said between ten and 12, there are 11, two of

:24:55. > :24:59.the three riders you picked out are in the jump-off. So who is going to

:24:59. > :25:04.win? My feeling is I think Ben will win today. I really do I thought

:25:04. > :25:09.his horse was beautiful. It suits him because he has such a big step

:25:09. > :25:14.and he has control. But again lawyer's horse is very fast, and

:25:14. > :25:18.she really gets everything working for her she ,could come out to win.

:25:18. > :25:23.It will be thrilling to watch. Let us look at the course with Mike and

:25:23. > :25:27.us look at the course with Mike and Andy. Let us look at this course.

:25:27. > :25:32.The first jump is the last fence backwards. Then run down, this is

:25:33. > :25:37.the run Tim was talking about to the wide triple bar. Keep galloping

:25:37. > :25:42.to that vertical. And now we gallop again to what was the middle of the

:25:42. > :25:49.combination. That will be a big oxer. These are the turns we were

:25:49. > :25:53.talking about. Crucial turn, back to this double. Gallop up the arena

:25:53. > :25:57.to that vertical and here is another turn. Look at this for a

:25:57. > :26:03.tight one. Back on yourself, galloping all the way down to the

:26:03. > :26:09.last fence. There is the finish. Well Michael Whitaker won the title

:26:09. > :26:12.for Great Britain last year. Can they get back-to-back wins in the

:26:12. > :26:18.Rolex FEI World CUp Jumping Qualifier. 19-year-old Manuel Anon

:26:18. > :26:28.gets it off to a start. Don't discard him. Down there Robert

:26:28. > :26:28.

:26:28. > :26:33.Whitaker, Laura Kraut, then in the next five, Guy Williams, four wins

:26:33. > :26:38.already, the European champion, you have to back him surely, Meredith,

:26:38. > :26:47.perhaps not on a younger horse, Ben Maher, Laura Renwick, big finish. I

:26:47. > :26:51.would think we have a really good chance here. CLARE BALDING: First

:26:51. > :26:54.in will be this young Guy, Manuel Anon, the 19-year-old from Spain.

:26:54. > :26:59.He won a class here on Friday afternoon, he has been putting the

:26:59. > :27:05.final touches on this horse. Raids raise jumping high, very very big

:27:05. > :27:11.up rights in the background, trying to keep away from the other riders.

:27:11. > :27:16.Understanding what lies ahead, and Tim, for some horses their younger

:27:16. > :27:20.horses, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum can't be asking hers for too much

:27:20. > :27:24.because it is not old or experienced enough. Others are

:27:24. > :27:29.thinking this is a chance to make my name. This young man is a brave

:27:29. > :27:33.lad. I have seen him ride a few times on big courses, he his

:27:33. > :27:36.experience level is low, he is plucky and he wants to win. And it

:27:36. > :27:40.is so interesting, watching the way people are beforehand. You can

:27:40. > :27:44.almost, you can tell the ones who are nervous. He didn't look nervous

:27:44. > :27:49.for the first round but he does now. You can feel it. There is a lot of

:27:49. > :27:54.money on the line. I think, he is in the big league. This is a World

:27:54. > :27:58.Cup qualifier and the world will look at him. He doesn't want to

:27:58. > :28:08.cock up. He is focusing but he is out of his comfort zone. This is a

:28:08. > :28:15.very big show. He is only 19. It's a big ask. He is going in right now.

:28:15. > :28:19.33 euros -- 33 euros to the winner. 110,000 euros at stake and the all-

:28:19. > :28:22.important points to get them through to the Rolex World Cup

:28:22. > :28:28.final in Holland. He looks an exciting star but this is a big it

:28:28. > :28:35.is a fork this young man. As Tim says, he is going to be feeling

:28:35. > :28:43.under intense pressure. Only a ten- year-old mare, Rackel Chavannaise

:28:43. > :28:47.by Voltaire. Manuel Anon for Spain. We will have look round this course

:28:47. > :28:52.with him. The first part, we will expect to see them gallop. They

:28:52. > :28:56.will need to be very brave, try and take some strides out in straight

:28:56. > :28:59.lines. Once you have done that it is very difficult to rebalance your

:29:00. > :29:08.horse to make a tight turn into a big vertical. I have to say that is

:29:08. > :29:13.what he did on Friday when he won that class in impressive style.

:29:14. > :29:18.So here we go. This is the first fence he will jump is what was the

:29:18. > :29:28.last fence backwards. That takes him on back up the arena. Towards

:29:28. > :29:42.

:29:42. > :29:47.Keeping a good rhythm up. A good start. He is motoring. This is the

:29:47. > :29:56.one they can take a real flyer at. Here is the turn. Yeah, that is the

:29:56. > :29:59.difficulty of that turn, having galloped your horse. Two fences

:29:59. > :30:07.jumped, swinging back, another very difficult turn. The horses are not

:30:07. > :30:12.sure where they are going. They get a built disorientated. Good try.

:30:12. > :30:22.You have to say at 19-year-old he gave it his best shot. No doubt

:30:22. > :30:23.

:30:23. > :30:27.about that. So, that has set the standard. It is a big shock to the

:30:27. > :30:33.horse, they are not expecting that jump. The first part of that double

:30:33. > :30:39.is sitting right up in your face. Comes very quickly. Looks to me,

:30:39. > :30:49.Andy, if Bob Ellis the course designer has set a fascinating

:30:49. > :31:04.

:31:04. > :31:12.Philippaerts, he won it in 1988. What a victory it would be if we

:31:12. > :31:22.could win it again. A big, striding horse. Ludo, always quick against

:31:22. > :31:37.

:31:37. > :31:43.didn't get away with it. And the last as well. Having got his horse

:31:43. > :31:48.galloping Ford, really untidy at the end. -- galloping forward. This

:31:48. > :31:56.is a fascinating jump-off. Very hard to keep the shape of the jump

:31:56. > :32:01.once they have started galloping. Absolutely. It is a real skilful

:32:01. > :32:07.course. He was a long way off that, he was trying to keep motoring

:32:07. > :32:13.around the corner. The interesting thing is there are some big guns

:32:13. > :32:18.that are very fast near the end. They can't just sit back and expect

:32:18. > :32:28.to jump clear and win it. It is too early to be tactical. Dermott

:32:28. > :32:38.Lennon, Hallmark Elite, and he is not slogans o'clock, either. --

:32:38. > :32:45.

:32:45. > :32:52.out here. But if you do... He has taken the long route. He perhaps

:32:52. > :32:56.didn't really think that the tight turn would suit him. He is there at

:32:56. > :33:00.26 seconds, having taken the long route again. He has taken a good

:33:00. > :33:05.gallop around the corners, and sometimes that is just as quick. A

:33:05. > :33:13.little bit wide here again. Now the last. The Clear round puts the

:33:13. > :33:19.pressure on the rest, and Ireland take the lead. That is not dusty.

:33:19. > :33:28.He can sniff those euros, Bernard Lennon. It is a great tactical

:33:28. > :33:34.round. -- Dermott Lennon. Crucially, it is clear. Yes, it is. Dermott

:33:34. > :33:44.Lennon was placed in the round in Toronto, and he is very happy with

:33:44. > :33:47.

:33:47. > :33:53.that, and he will have to sit and round to, this would be the biggest

:33:53. > :34:01.win of Robert's Korea. He has promised so much on a number of

:34:01. > :34:04.occasions, and he is already bucking USA Today. Robert will have

:34:04. > :34:14.to keep riding him forward, and the faster he goes, the last time he

:34:14. > :34:16.

:34:16. > :34:21.that was a shame. Those little bunny hops, disrupting the counter.

:34:21. > :34:25.That was so difficult for Rob to get a stride. As we get into the

:34:25. > :34:29.jump-off, towards the middle part of it, the riders have to start

:34:29. > :34:33.thinking, we have only got one clear, are they going to go

:34:33. > :34:43.absolutely flat out? Yes, because it is pretty good money down the

:34:43. > :34:53.

:34:53. > :35:00.line. Oh, a bit of a crazy ride to Whitaker. Manuel Anon, still the

:35:00. > :35:04.fastest time, with his one fence down. This was really difficult.

:35:04. > :35:11.Ended up too close to that vertical. Couldn't quite get his front legs

:35:11. > :35:21.out of the way. It took a stride out to the last. Normally they do

:35:21. > :35:24.

:35:24. > :35:32.that on six strides. It is possible A round that might seal it one way

:35:32. > :35:42.or the other. I think we might see it go quickly and I anticipate

:35:42. > :35:50.

:35:50. > :35:55.there could be a clear, to set the Laura has got. -- forward style.

:35:55. > :35:59.She has not taken a pull yet. She has kept moving. Look at him jump

:35:59. > :36:05.but, so much power for a little pause. Unbelievably tight, she

:36:05. > :36:15.could be in trouble... Yes, it was perhaps a bit too tight. Laura,

:36:15. > :36:20.

:36:20. > :36:28.going for the win. Let's look at last, it is the quickest time of

:36:28. > :36:38.war. Still the one clear around, from Dermott Lennon -- quickest

:36:38. > :36:44.

:36:44. > :36:48.up slightly losing momentum going into the double. Cedric David

:36:48. > :36:51.everything. She is patting him because she knows he gave

:36:51. > :36:56.everything -- Cedric gave it everything.

:36:56. > :37:00.He has been the world's number one on many different weeks of the

:37:00. > :37:05.years. The last time he was here, he was the world number one.

:37:05. > :37:11.Currently, Marcus is ranked 27 in the world. But riding as well as

:37:11. > :37:18.ever. Perhaps a bit lucky in his first round, but I would think

:37:18. > :37:22.there won't be much luck about this round, we will see. Sabrina is

:37:22. > :37:31.quite a cheeky course. A bit of character and temperament, which

:37:31. > :37:34.you really don't need when you're going flat out. Oh, this is quick.

:37:34. > :37:44.We will look at the time when he comes out of the double. What a

:37:44. > :37:52.

:37:52. > :38:02.hasn't taken a pole. Five strides to the last, he is way up! Look at

:38:02. > :38:03.

:38:03. > :38:07.that. Taken the best part of three seconds out of the lead. Marcus

:38:07. > :38:16.Ehning shows exactly why he is one of the greatest riders in world

:38:16. > :38:21.show jumping. A fantastic. Let's have another look. There is the

:38:21. > :38:29.last fence. I am not sure where they are going to take any time off

:38:29. > :38:34.him. He knows he has really thrown down the gauntlet. He has never won

:38:34. > :38:40.the World Cup round. He has won the Grand Prix. Now Guy Williams, you

:38:40. > :38:44.may have heard what he said, he is going to win. He is in that sort of

:38:44. > :38:50.confident mood. When confidence is high, sometimes it can get you all

:38:50. > :38:58.of the way. Guy Williams, Titus, the 11-year-old. Trying to beat

:38:58. > :39:03.Marcus Ehning, and that new time of 39.05. Tactics have been blown out

:39:03. > :39:08.of the water, there is only one tactic, you have to go for it, and

:39:08. > :39:14.he has got it all wrong. Titus, quite a strong horse, and he pulled

:39:14. > :39:24.into that vertical. The riders, if they want to beat Marcus' time, are

:39:24. > :39:28.

:39:28. > :39:38.going to have to throw caution to wider term here. Trying to get home

:39:38. > :39:52.

:39:52. > :39:56.fastest of the four faults. He goes six. We have four left to go.

:39:56. > :40:02.have another look. Titus got a bit strong, wasn't really looking where

:40:02. > :40:10.he was going, and ran right into the bottom of that vertical. He

:40:10. > :40:17.always gives it a go, it wasn't his day. Now, what about this

:40:17. > :40:22.combination? They can jump big fences, he has won a lot of classes

:40:22. > :40:26.against the clock. One of the interesting things that Rolf-Goran

:40:26. > :40:32.has got on his mind is whether it will be this forced to take him to

:40:32. > :40:42.the London Olympics. At the moment, it is this round of the World Cup

:40:42. > :40:46.

:40:46. > :40:51.so good at taking a smooth route, but he has overcooked it there. He

:40:51. > :40:55.has gone wide as well, he is in big trouble. He has regained his

:40:55. > :40:59.balance and composure, but that was a horrible moment. He took the wing

:40:59. > :41:04.and everything with him. I am wondering if that course the fence

:41:04. > :41:14.to go. Yeah, he probably tried to jump to the right to make the turn.

:41:14. > :41:25.

:41:26. > :41:32.still Marcus Ehning, the man they are trying to beat, for Germany.

:41:32. > :41:37.can have another look. Yeah, jumped to the right, caught his leg on the

:41:37. > :41:43.wing. It was a horrible moment. His hat went down, he lost his balance

:41:43. > :41:50.and position. You can see the pressure that Marcus Ehning has put

:41:51. > :41:59.a world-class rider like Rolf-Goran under. This is the best in the

:41:59. > :42:05.world, really being put to the test. As you had Meredith say, perhaps

:42:05. > :42:09.this is not an experienced horse. I would be suspect she would put this

:42:09. > :42:14.horse under that much pressure. Let's see. It is a wonderful

:42:14. > :42:18.opportunity for her to go into second, there is a big gap between

:42:18. > :42:28.first and second at the moment. If she keeps on rolling... Oh! Just

:42:28. > :42:29.

:42:29. > :42:32.ran into that vertical, that was a Often, when you get a big field and

:42:33. > :42:41.everyone feels they have to go for it, suddenly we are not getting

:42:41. > :42:48.clears at all. The last few riders are going to have to start thinking,

:42:48. > :42:58.if they want to get some good money, maybe they should go for second.

:42:58. > :43:00.

:43:00. > :43:07.Laura Kraut, currently third. Meredith goes forth. They are all

:43:07. > :43:12.very close around there. It actually puts her into 7th place.

:43:12. > :43:20.Just took the forward stride to the big vertical, always risky. The

:43:20. > :43:27.young mare, not quite got her eye on the fence. Two left to go, two

:43:27. > :43:37.for Great Britain. Germany, or leading. Now, what can Ben Maher

:43:37. > :43:47.do? Triple X the third. He will certainly have a plan in his mind,

:43:47. > :44:05.

:44:05. > :44:15.and be aiming to get his nose in double in around 25 seconds. A

:44:15. > :44:25.tight turn. He is there! Come on, Ben! That was a big leap! A bit

:44:25. > :44:34.

:44:34. > :44:39.is predicting this afternoon, isn't he? What a round, done in style,

:44:39. > :44:45.done with wonderful skill. It makes you dream more and more of next

:44:45. > :44:50.August. I cannot believe how smooth and comfortable he made that look.

:44:50. > :44:58.He had at one moment back to the second last. He was a long way off

:44:58. > :45:02.that vertical. But Triple X got stride and power, and here he is,

:45:02. > :45:07.taking the stride out to the last. With so much under the bonnet, he

:45:07. > :45:10.made that look really comfortable, that was an incredible ride. It is

:45:10. > :45:15.moments like that when you really do start dreaming, and it is not

:45:15. > :45:20.over yet. You can get your -- bet your bottom dollar this girl will

:45:20. > :45:28.not let this competition go by without a fight. Laura Renwick, her

:45:28. > :45:34.husband John is watching. She is riding the lovely 9-year-old, Oz de

:45:34. > :45:44.Breve. Laura has never been one to settle for anything less than

:45:44. > :45:51.

:45:51. > :45:58.trying to win, is she going to She wants to beat beans time.

:45:58. > :46:01.had to do it. She has to go from the start. There was no other

:46:01. > :46:08.option. Unfortunately once you start galloping forward, so easy

:46:08. > :46:14.for the fences to start rolling. This Oz de Breve is a lovely horse,

:46:14. > :46:18.but when you think of the horses that we have seen this afternoon,

:46:18. > :46:23.like Marcus Ehning's, like the Spanish horse of Manuel Anon like

:46:23. > :46:33.Tripple X, they have the bigger, more powerful jump. If you haven't

:46:33. > :46:36.got that it becomes all the more difficult. Yes. Well what a

:46:36. > :46:39.wonderful competition. Showjumping at its very best, without a shadow

:46:39. > :46:44.of doubt. It provides a fantastic win for Britain, with Ben Maher.

:46:44. > :46:54.Let us look at this round again. There is that first fence. Under so

:46:54. > :46:56.

:46:56. > :46:59.much pressure. This next one, speed kills as they say. Well Ben Maher

:46:59. > :47:05.kills as they say. Well Ben Maher is with Claire. That was class,

:47:06. > :47:09.just pure, pure class. Thank you, he's an unbelievable horse, and so

:47:09. > :47:14.lucky to have him. He seems to be able to keep his long stride,

:47:14. > :47:18.shorten if you need him to, turn in the air, do everything. He sun

:47:18. > :47:24.believable. He snien and we had a rollercoaster year, he was done and

:47:24. > :47:28.up and down, and I kept saying to myself, he is ready to win a big

:47:28. > :47:33.one, he is, and had a difficult year, but couldn't have wished for

:47:33. > :47:37.a better end. How big a class is this for you? It is the biggest win

:47:37. > :47:41.so far, I needed it for myself at the moment. I bred the horse, so

:47:42. > :47:46.really happy to have done that, and there is a lot of people here today.

:47:46. > :47:51.I know Rob was watching with the Olympics in mind. Is this your

:47:51. > :47:54.Olympic horse? He is a great horse. He needs experience. Robin Hood, my

:47:54. > :47:58.other horse is more proven at the moment, but I think this horse is

:47:58. > :48:03.the one I want to focus on if possible. How much does it matter

:48:03. > :48:07.to you to beat a world class field in front of a home crowd, with all

:48:07. > :48:11.those kids cheering for you, everyone cheering. It has been a

:48:11. > :48:14.long year, so many people here and gives you the energy to keep

:48:14. > :48:22.wanting to try and win every class. This is the only show in the world

:48:22. > :48:27.that does that. Fabulous to watch you. Well done.. Thank you.

:48:27. > :48:31.wonder how significant this round is in the build up to next year.

:48:31. > :48:36.Magnificent, no other word can describe that win, ahead of Marcus

:48:36. > :48:41.Ehning, my word he is riding as well as ever. Dermott Lennon keeps

:48:41. > :48:45.bringing up these top results for Ireland. Laura Kraut, she looking

:48:45. > :48:51.to get on the American team for London next year, the European

:48:51. > :48:55.champion silver medallist in the last Olympics, just showing the

:48:55. > :49:00.significance of Ben Maher's victory this afternoon, here in the grand

:49:00. > :49:03.hall. I don't know about you at home, but I can't get enough of

:49:03. > :49:08.watching Ben Maher ride. He is beautiful Tim, he looks like he is

:49:08. > :49:13.doing nothing, but he is doing everything. Well, he is a classical

:49:13. > :49:17.horse man, his whole body posture and balance with the horse, it is

:49:17. > :49:23.exceptional. In those arenas and that the speed and jumps you see it

:49:23. > :49:28.happening. He is a winner, look how far he is off that, but look at his

:49:28. > :49:32.balance and he is going some, again, very positive, he is taking a

:49:32. > :49:37.stride out here, he doesn't look it because he is again covering the

:49:37. > :49:43.ground, balance all the way, he is a fabulous perfor -- performer.

:49:43. > :49:48.horse has to trust him and he trusts Tripple X. They have been a

:49:48. > :49:52.partnership for a long time. I saw him with him as a five-year-old. He

:49:52. > :49:56.said it is a horse that jumps everything so easy, I hope he is

:49:56. > :50:00.going to carry on, and he has done. As he said he bred him, so this is

:50:00. > :50:05.a, you know this is a hugely valuable horse to him. That showed

:50:05. > :50:08.it. They knew each other, this is not a bought partnership, they knew

:50:08. > :50:12.each other, when there are instances when we have seen other

:50:12. > :50:16.horses not pull out, that horse pulled out for Ben, he knew what he

:50:17. > :50:20.wanted him to do. That is what our job is about, forging the

:50:20. > :50:23.partnership and execute under pressure. He looked emotional there,

:50:24. > :50:30.he said it has been a very difficult year this for him, for

:50:30. > :50:35.lots of reasons. Up and down, this he really needed this, a big win to

:50:35. > :50:40.finish. I you know, being a rider myself, in these big show, winning

:50:40. > :50:45.the big things, that is, what it isn't. It is not the money, it is

:50:45. > :50:48.putting your name on the trophies. He has had a few problems, that

:50:48. > :50:53.maybe haven't gone right and therefore to do this at this stage,

:50:53. > :50:57.with all the home crowd in front of him, it the best thing for him.

:50:57. > :51:01.Fantastic for him and a bright future for British showjumping in

:51:01. > :51:05.general. If you have just tuned in, Tim Stockdale wearing the neck

:51:05. > :51:10.brace because he has broken three vertebrae in his neck, he is hope

:51:10. > :51:15.torg riding again in February. The hottest equestrian sport at the

:51:15. > :51:19.moment in terms of popularity and success is dress sadge, it has been

:51:19. > :51:22.the most extraordinary year for the rider, in a moment or two we will

:51:22. > :51:26.see the winning freestyle performance from the dressage here

:51:26. > :51:36.on Wednesday but first, the new European champions reflect on the

:51:36. > :51:37.

:51:37. > :51:41.At the moment, we have three very special horse, this has never

:51:41. > :51:46.happened before in one country. This yore has been surreal. I never

:51:46. > :51:50.thought I would achieve everything like I wanted. In a year. Are Great

:51:50. > :51:53.Britain the best dressage team in the world? Yes. At the moment we

:51:53. > :51:56.are. We have an opportunity now, as a team to do something that has

:51:56. > :52:03.never been done in this country before, I think we are all really

:52:04. > :52:08.up for it. The thing I remember the most is looking at the board, in

:52:08. > :52:12.the rider's tent that said Germany, Germany, Germany, each year the

:52:12. > :52:15.European champion was Germany or Holland. What I remember, the first

:52:15. > :52:20.thing I saw when I looked that the board I thought I would wish that

:52:20. > :52:24.Great Britain could get on that board. The European Championships

:52:24. > :52:29.were gret for me. I felt ready. I had a good run through the year. I

:52:29. > :52:34.got to the Europeans and I was really like game on, I wanted to go

:52:34. > :52:41.in that arena and perform, and to come out and get get that gold

:52:41. > :52:46.medal, and well, it was just a dream, incredible. On the one hand

:52:46. > :52:50.for the team it had been ground breaking, we got our first gold

:52:50. > :52:53.medal in Rotterdam which was huge for us as a team and huge for the

:52:53. > :52:59.sport in this country. And I think for the sport as a whole, because

:52:59. > :53:04.bg, you know it has opened up a new playing field. There is more

:53:04. > :53:08.competitors as nations going for the top spot. That makes it more

:53:08. > :53:12.exciting. For me I didn't have my best performance at the European

:53:12. > :53:16.Championships. It was a healthy kick up the backside before next

:53:16. > :53:23.year to make sure I work on new things and get back to grips with

:53:23. > :53:29.things. I am not going to stress about it. If I goat the Olympics it

:53:29. > :53:33.will be an amazing achievement. But I won't ride any different. As far

:53:34. > :53:39.as am going to prepare myself, it will be another competition to me.

:53:39. > :53:44.I am not going to think oh my God it is the Olympics. We have never

:53:44. > :53:47.won an Olympic medal in individual or team. But I think it is a big

:53:47. > :53:50.possibility, and we are expecting it. It is not a question of other

:53:51. > :53:54.people expecting it and we are not. We know we can do it. We have the

:53:55. > :54:02.best horses and riders here in Great Britain and we expect to

:54:03. > :54:06.bring home that gold medal. I have been at it a long time. For some

:54:06. > :54:12.people it never happen, so the fact it has happened to me at this stage

:54:12. > :54:15.of my career is fantastic. I am as thrilled as if it happened when I

:54:15. > :54:20.first started. Olympia is always so exciting. It is a home crowd, it is

:54:20. > :54:24.packed out. It is a difficult arena, especially for a horse like mine.

:54:24. > :54:28.Everything is so close, it is late at night and so much atmosphere, it

:54:28. > :54:35.is different to any other show, so it is exciting and nerve-wracking

:54:35. > :54:39.coming in to a place like this and trying to perform P Laura not

:54:39. > :54:49.sounding particularly confident but she went out and came up with the

:54:49. > :55:12.

:55:12. > :55:17.winning freestyle round. Let us see extended walk. And it is working.

:55:17. > :55:27.Look at that walk. Ground cover there is huge. Really stretching

:55:27. > :55:28.

:55:28. > :55:32.his neck out and following the contact. Into a walk pirouette or

:55:32. > :55:42.quarter one. Nice to see that artistic flair involved there in

:55:42. > :55:42.

:55:42. > :56:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds

:56:33. > :56:42.an Achilles heel for him. Now the lovely pirouette. The horse sitting

:56:43. > :57:05.

:57:05. > :57:11.well, turning that circle. Small short behind. But she managed to

:57:11. > :57:21.get the others, that was good and then into a left pirouette. Watch

:57:21. > :57:31.

:57:31. > :57:36.his hind feet. You see how small he relaxed and easy harmonious

:57:36. > :57:46.routines I have seen them do. Careful now Judy, careful. You are

:57:46. > :57:59.

:57:59. > :58:03.not judging! No, but I can get while, with GB number one spot, but

:58:03. > :58:09.now she is having to fight for her place, I think she is rising to the

:58:09. > :58:13.challenge shall we say. She will too. He is a great competitor.

:58:13. > :58:22.she is a great competitor. Brilliant. And she knows it. She

:58:22. > :58:27.knows it. That was the winning performance. I am joined by a new

:58:27. > :58:32.Olympic sports presenter. Hello. Jennifer Saunders is here. Why you

:58:32. > :58:35.here? I am here to take over your job Claire. Fantastic. I am pleased

:58:35. > :58:37.job Claire. Fantastic. I am pleased about that. I am filming a

:58:37. > :58:41.documentary leading up to the Olympics to get people more aware

:58:41. > :58:45.of who the personalities and who the horses are in the horse event,

:58:45. > :58:48.from show Jim jumping, eventing, dressage. Fabulous, horses are your

:58:49. > :58:52.thing, if you could have had a parallel life you would have been

:58:52. > :58:56.here competing. Yes, if I had the nerve, I mean walking that course

:58:56. > :59:02.now, I mean that, it is an immense courage you have to have to get

:59:02. > :59:07.over the jumps, and I nerve had it. And so are they going to give you

:59:07. > :59:12.riding lessons? I am going to start where I left off which is not being

:59:12. > :59:16.able to go over the first jump to professional lessons and jumping

:59:16. > :59:21.and eventing. That is exciting. It is. I I can't believe I have agreed

:59:21. > :59:29.to it. There is a class at badminton called grass roots.

:59:29. > :59:35.is the aim. You know who will be jealous? Dawn French. She won't.

:59:35. > :59:40.She will be beside herself unless she comes to groom. She did, I

:59:40. > :59:43.don't know if that is that horsey. She is. She just likes the

:59:44. > :59:49.hospitality. If she is listening you are in so much trouble! We will

:59:49. > :59:53.see a bit of you over Christmas and the radio. Yes I have a radio show,

:59:54. > :00:01.it goes out between 2 and 4 on Christmas Day. In the evening you

:00:01. > :00:06.can match me, when we have a new Ab Fab coming out. I know the radio

:00:06. > :00:16.show is funny because I have heard some of it. It is very funny Claire.

:00:16. > :00:18.

:00:18. > :00:22.You are in that first one? I am. Oh, she is. With your mum. My mother

:00:22. > :00:26.didn't want to do it but you're very kind to her. She was very

:00:26. > :00:33.lovely. I am going to let you watch the finale because it is brilliant

:00:33. > :00:37.and it is my nephew's favourite bit, because it has knights in armour.

:00:37. > :00:40.We are doing a documentary all about horses. If A Question Of

:00:41. > :00:45.Sport is your thing. If you have enjoyed this coverage of Olympia,

:00:45. > :00:50.we are on again on the red button tomorrow, where you can see the

:00:50. > :00:53.whole show, including the finale, which is great. It is my nephew's

:00:53. > :00:58.favourite thing, but lots of other favourite thing, but lots of other

:00:58. > :01:08.people enjoy it. It includes the jousting. That is the dark night,

:01:08. > :01:11.

:01:11. > :01:16.and King Arthur making sure he hits agility, is on red button from

:01:16. > :01:20.6:45pm on Monday evening. The main class is the Grand Prix. That is in

:01:20. > :01:25.the full coverage but you can see highlights on Tuesday afternoon on

:01:25. > :01:35.BBC Two at 1:00pm. We bring you the serious sport and the front side as

:01:35. > :01:37.

:01:37. > :01:43.well, and next Thursday, this. -- Thank you very much. It is an

:01:43. > :01:53.honour. I have so many people to thank. BBC Sports Personality of

:01:53. > :01:57.

:01:57. > :02:03.Mark Cavendish has won the world title. Open champion,

:02:03. > :02:07.congratulations. 200 in a Test match against Australia. What a

:02:07. > :02:12.performance from Mo Farah. The new champion of the world. What a

:02:12. > :02:22.champion. A landmark moment for British sport. They have won the

:02:22. > :02:25.

:02:25. > :02:29.If Ben Maher were to reproduce this sort of form at next year's

:02:29. > :02:32.Olympics, who knows, he could be a contender for next year's Sports

:02:32. > :02:38.Personality of the Year. He is our winner of the World Cup qualifier,

:02:38. > :02:42.he gets a check of 33,000 years -- Euro-X, but he gets the confidence

:02:43. > :02:49.and kudos of knowing he has beaten some of the best riders in the

:02:50. > :02:52.world -- 33,000 euros. It was a great cost to watch. It has been a

:02:52. > :02:56.fabulous afternoon's entertainment but top-class sport. It was a very

:02:56. > :03:04.difficult course, there was a lot of challenge in the jump-off and

:03:04. > :03:08.then met them bang on, it was Who is going to be thinking, next

:03:08. > :03:12.year, I need to be doing stuff, making sure I am riding in

:03:12. > :03:15.Greenwich? Having a World Cup in Great Britain, it is the pinnacle,

:03:15. > :03:19.the top end. If you are having problems today, that is the thing

:03:19. > :03:24.you have to work on for the Olympics, but it is not the end of

:03:24. > :03:27.the world because there are horses for courses. Nick's horse is better

:03:27. > :03:32.outdoors than indoors but Nick would have learnt something to do.

:03:32. > :03:36.That is the key thing, horses have had experience, good and bad, prior

:03:36. > :03:40.to an Olympic Games. Wonderful to have you with us, adding so much

:03:41. > :03:45.wisdom to our coverage, and we wish you the best in your recovery.