Lisa Wilcox and Guenter Seidel didn’t score nearly as well as they’d hoped on a sunburned, sweltering day in Athens, although it was enough to put the U.S. dressage team into second place.  But to have any hope of beating the German juggernaut for the first time ever, at least one of them needed to outscore one of the Germans today, and that didn’t happen.

 

          Wilcox and Relevant, the first pair in the ring at 8:30 a.m., earned what she described as a “disappointing” 68.92 percent, while Seidel and Aragon scored almost 1 point higher (69.50%). But Heike Kemmer, on Bonaparte, and Hubertus Schmidt, on Wansuela Suerte, scored 71.29 and 72.33 percent.

 

          They’re standing second and third individually, so Germany leads with an average score of 71.81 percent. The U.S. team has 69.14 percent, followed by Great Britain (69.08%), Spain (68.77%), Denmark (68.20%), the Netherlands (67.16%), and Sweden (66.14%). Canada is ninth (65.37%).

 

          Relevant’s test could best be described as correct (except for one mistake) but cautious. He should have received high marks on the all-important canter pirouettes (which have a co-efficient of 2) and the half-passes at trot and canter, but his extensions lacked their usual scope and his one-tempi changes could have used more expression. The mistake came when he missed one of the two-tempi changes, where Wilcox said, “I got a little bit too noisy with my seat. I tried to help him too much.”

 

          But she said she was pleased with Reelvant’s attitude and attention since he’d only shown once since February. Wilcox said she stopped showing him during the indoor season because Relevant was getting anxious, and then he suffered a slight injury to his right front tendon sheath in May. They’re placed eighth right now but probably won’t make it into the Grand Prix Special since only three horses per nation van go forward to the individual final.

 

          The highlight of Aragon’s test, as expected, was the three piaffes, which were absolutely classic. And his changes should have earned high marks. His extensions also looked a bit cautious, and he momentary switched leads in front at the end of the extended canter. Seidel also lost him at the start of the first canter pirouette and got a spin instead of a pirouette. Finally, the passage to the last halt became slightly irregular because “he had just a little too much push from behind,” said Seidel.

 

          Three judges scored Aragon above 70 percent (Dieter Schuele at E, Stephen Clarke at C, and Francis Verbeek van Rooy at B). But Mariette Whithages, at M, gave him only 67.29 percent, placing him 13^th of the 26 who went today. Overall, Aragon is standing seventh.

 

          “I’m not sure what Mariette was looking at,” said Seidel right after his ride. “I didn’t have a mistake-free ride, so I didn’t expect a supper, super score. But I thought it was very good considering that a year ago I would have been afraid he wouldn’t have stayed in a ring like this.”

 

          The Germans were no doubt relieved that their U.S. rivals didn’t achieve the scores they’d hoped for because Kemmer and Schmidt–each riding in their first Olympics–didn’t exactly bring down the house.

 

          Bonaparte displayed his tremendously elastic half-passes and floating extended and medium trots, but the chestnut gelding missed the 12^th one-tempi change, made slightly large canter pirouettes, and stalled coming out of the final piaffe. Whithages placed him first, but van Rooy placed him seventh.

 

          Wansuela Suerte looked a bit stiff and short on her medium and extended trots but made no mistakes, with highlights in the passage and piaffe. Schuele and Vincenzo Truppa (at H) each put Schmidt and Wansuela Suerte first.

 

          But Clarke, Whithages and van Rooy all placed Rafael Soto and Invasor first, and those marks have the Spanish pair in first place individually. Invasor, a 15-year-old Andalusian in his third Olympics, as always showed his affinity for passage and piaffe, but he should also have gotten high marks for his trot half-passes, canter zigzag and tempi changes. Soto was ecstatic after his final salute, and Invasor walked out of the stadium with the reins draped around his neck as Soto acknowledged the horse’s fans with both arms in the air. But he didn’t do the Spanish walk, as he did at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in his hometown of Jerez de la Frontera.

 

          “Because some people were saying that my horse was too old, I’m very proud that he proved today that he can still stay with the best,” said Soto, who’s ridden the gray stallion since he was 6. “This was the best Grand Prix I have ever felt with him, so I am very proud.”

 

          The Dutch, expected to be the U.S. team’s chief rival for the silver medal, are going to have to come from behind tomorrow Their two least experienced riders–Imke Bartels on Lancet and Marlies van Baalen on Idocus–scored 69.75 and 64.58 percent.

 

          Britain is in a surprising third on the strength of Carl Hester’s 70.66 percent on Escapado. Hester rode an extremely steady test that got steady marks that have put him fourth.

 

Canadian Leslie Read was harshly marked for a test whose only mistake was at the first two piaffes, which were irregular and earthbound. The third was better, but the piaffe and passage carry a lot of marks. They’re in 15^th place (66.08 %) and in danger of not making the 25-horse cut-off for the Special.

 

Ashley Holzer and Imperioso scored 64.667 percent for a test that lacked oomph. Imperioso was also wide behind in all three piaffes and stands 20^th.