Thrills and spills from the Olympic team qualifier in Versailles, part two

As the only country on a score of zero, Germany topped Thursday’s Olympic team qualifier in Versailles where the ten best nations secured themselves a spot in Friday’s final. USA followed in second on six penalties, and Great Britain in third on eight faults – the same score as Belgium and the Netherlands in fourth and fifth. On a day of mixed fortunes, Ireland, France, Sweden, Israel and Mexico were the last five countries to make it into Friday's team final, where all nations start with a clean slate.

With this photo special, we look back at the Olympic team qualifier – here home hero Julien Epaillard celebrates a clear round with the wonderful Dubai du Cedre with the French crowds going wild.

“I’m super happy, my mare was amazing, I had a little bit pressure because the first two French had two and one down, so I knew maybe one done can be ok but not more,” Epaillard said. “The ideal was to be clear. I'm really happy and really proud of her, she's fantastic. I think now I know her very well – after the Europeans and the World Cup Final – we know exactly how she can arrive at the top for championships today. She looks super, I hope tomorrow she's like today, we cross the fingers and will try to do our best. It’s a positive vibration, it's a really nice atmosphere when we go in the ring, it's amazing and I think the horses feel that.”

All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping. No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.

French celebrations...

...for Julien Epaillard...

...and Dubai du Cedre.

It was not Switzerland's day. Steve Guerdat and Dynamix de Belheme had an uncharacteristic eight faults added to their score. "The round did not feel good at all, and that is very rare with her, I think this was the worst round we have had in our career," Guerdat said.

Swedish team veteran Rolf-Göran Bengtsson delivered with a clear round aboard Zuccero HV. "I cannot ask more of my horse. He really showed the quality he has. He was brave, he was careful, he let me ride him exactly like I wanted to have the course going," Bengtsson said.

Olivier Perreau and Dorai d'Aiguilly were originally reserves for the French team but were called in as Kevin Staut's Viking d'la Rousserie failed to pass the first horse inspection in Versailles. The two finished the course with only a rail down on 5b. "It is a bonus for me to be jumping on home soil, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I will try to make the most of it," Perreau said.

Daniel Coyle and Legacy posted the only clear for Ireland, helping them qualify for Friday's team final. "Everything she has done for me already, she does not owe me anything," Coyle said about Legacy.

Harry Charles sustained two fractures in his wrist and arm when competing at CHIO Aachen one month ago, but has made it back to the saddle just in time for the Olympics and helped Britain qualify for the team final after a single rail down in the triple combination aboard Romeo 88.

"Since I got the ride on him, the goal was always Paris," Philipp Weishaupt said about the incredible Zineday who jumped clear to help Germany finish on top in the qualifier.

USA's Karl Cook was called in early on Thursday morning to replace Kent Farrington, and made the most out of his Olympic debut with the wonderful Caracole de La Roque with a clear round.

Kim Emmen was also called into duty from her reserve position, replacing Willem Greve on the Dutch team, and delivered a strong clear aboard Imagine.

The wall that had seemed so innocent to begin with, caught out a few towards the end of the competition, including UAE's Ali Hamad Al Kirbi and Jarlin de Torres who finished on a score of 44 faults.

Also Khaled Almotby's Jaguar King WD decided to take a different route on the wall.

Canada's Erynn Ballard was delighted with Nikka vd Bisschop after only having a rail down on the oxer at 10. "There are so many emotions, for sure," Ballard said. "I walk in and on all of my horses, I always stop to pet them and it's like a moment where I say ‘thank you ‘and and ‘good luck’. And I also took a moment for myself, and I stood there – they hadn't given me the bell – and I just looked around and I was like, ‘holy cow, this is amazing’. This is what we've been waiting for our whole lives."

That feeling when the back pole on the last oxer hits the ground... Belgium's Wilm Vermeir and IQ van het Steentje were clear all the way to the last fence.

The oldest horse to compete in Versailles is Eduardo Alvarez Aznar's wonderful Rokfeller de Pleville who at 19 years of age is at his very best.

A full house and 30 degrees in Versailles.

Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei only picked up four faults for the Swiss team, but that did not help much. With a total score of 24, the Swiss boys will not return for today's final. "Definitely not the day we wished for, I actually was very confident going in, believing that with a clear round, we would qualified for the final. So I was highly motivated and Leone Jei felt great throughout the course," Fuchs said.

Peder Fredricson's Catch Me Not S threw in a surprising refusal on the wall. "Maybe I turned a little bit tight to it, and he stopped," Fredricson analysed. "That really surprised me, because I had a very good feeling until then, and with this format, when every result counts, I had pressure on me to make sure that it did not happen again. We were lucky; we made it to the final and we start on zero – so for the sake of the result today, it does not really matter. However, of course I would have been happier with a clear round."

On the second attempt, they cleared it and despite their 17 faults, Sweden qualified for the final.

Ireland's Cian O'Connor celebrating a round of four faults, as so many others on 13b, with Maurice.

Great Britain's Scott Brash delivered a beautiful four-fault round with Jefferson. Also for Brash, it was the triple combination that stood in his way of a clear round. "I’m delighted with Jefferson," Brash said. "I thought it was amazing. I thought he coped really well with everything, all the atmosphere and the heat and everything. Maybe I was a bit too deep on the combination, he just touched it on the way up, maybe my fault a bit. I think it was quite an unlucky fault really."

"United Touch was amazing, I have to give him a huge, huge credit," Richard Vogel said after the pair's clear round for Germany.

Israel's Daniel Bluman and Ladriano Z celebrating their clear round, to secure a place in the team final.

"I knew going in that we had a pretty big margin of error, so I made a plan of being a little bit conservative and make sure there wasn’t' a big blow-up,” Ward said after his round of six faults aboard Ilex. “I mean, when I saw Peder's horse stop at the wall, and what age is he...You notice it. It was a very light rub, but not a big deal, and I think all in the team performed brilliantly and I feel very good going in tomorrow. It is a whole new competition and I purposely made sure Richie has to go in last and get all the pressure, so I think that was a plan well executed," Ward joked. "The horses feel great, we have to re-focus. It is an important job to qualify, and you never want to take that for granted."