Werth Prevails In A Grand Prix Special Full Of Surprises

But she is always strong in the freestyle, which will be the second leg of the individual competition, on Tuesday night, and she hasn’t conceded the gold medal yet. “I have a good freestyle, and everyone knows I don’t give up until the end,” she said.

Heike Kemmer of Germany was thrilled with the test that put her third (72.96%) with Bonaparte. “His ears and neck were in front of him, his half passes were forward, and he was steady in his neck in the piaffe,” she said. “Bonaparte is soft-going and loose. If I put too much pressure on him, he won’t look like that. I can’t push him like other horses; it has to come from him.”

She shared her secret for getting that extra brilliance: “I talked a little in the stable about what I wanted tonight, and that helps because he understands my German words,” she said with a smile.

As Kemmer entered the arena, the time clock on the scoreboard read -1, signifying that she was a second over the 45 seconds allotted after the judge rings the bell. The penalty, said FEI delegate Mariette Withages, would be 2 points per judge for the first movement, but she wasn’t sure whether they had been deducted or not.

Kemmer’s teammate Nadine Capellmann said she had the worst ride of Elvis’ career tonight, scoring 67.24 percent to stand 17th. “I have no idea why. He’s used to the atmosphere, and it’s not the climate. That would be too easy [an excuse],” she said.

Peters Stands A Close Fourth