October 19, 2010 – LEXINGTON, KY – In addition to an incredible host city and state, the world’s best athletes, and the friendliest volunteer workforce in the world, it took a lot to stage the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Here’s a look at the 16 days of September 25 through October 10, by the numbers:
507,022 attendees
16,800 feet of bike barricade
8 miles of linear fencing
396 temporary structures
70 temporary power generators
59 miles of electrical cable
20,000 temporary seats
more than 11,000 signs placed around the park
500 flags
30,000 feet of extension cord
632 athletes
752 horses
58 countries › Continue reading
October 10, 2010 – LEXINGTON, KY – Day 16 – By the closing day of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, total attendance topped half a million. Sunday’s attendance came in at 38,682, bringing the total for the event to 507,022.
“We are incredibly pleased with the number of spectators who have joined us at the Games over these 16 days,” said World Games 2010 Foundation CEO Jamie Link. “We are overwhelmed with the positive comments and remarks we have received about their experiences on the park, viewing competition, and with our volunteers. By their measure, these Games have been a great success.”
Daily attendance totals averaged from 25,000 to 35,000 throughout the event. The biggest days on the park occurred on October 1, when 46,496 attendees packed the park on a day that concluded in a fantastic Dressage Freestyle competition under the lights of Rolex Stadium; as well as October 2, when Eventing Cross Country brought 50,818 attendees to the grounds.
October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Riders from Great Britain and Germany dominated the freestyle in all five grades of the Para Dressage World Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Today’s competition decided the grade IV champion, and it was Great Britain’s Sophie Wells on Pinocchio (78.50%).
Gold-medal winners over the last few days include Germany’s Hannelore Brenner on Women Of The World (79.20%) in grade III, Germany’s Dr. Angelika Trabert on Ariva-Avanti (75.90%) in grade II, Great Britain’s Lee Pearson on Gentleman (82.50%) in grade Ib, and Great Britain’s Emma Sheardown on Purdy’s Dream (78.55%) in grade Ia.
“He was a little bit more energetic than normal, so I decided not to go in with a whip, and that was very abnormal, so I was taking a risk from the beginning, really,” said Wells. “When I picked up the walk he came against me and he stopped and then I thought ‘Oh my gosh I need to find somewhere else in my plan where I can put in another simple change’. So all the time when I was going through my next movements I was trying to think where I could put it in.” Pearson created his top-scoring freestyle just for this competition.
October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – If you asked the Team USA vaulters how they were feeling this afternoon, they’d answer with a chorus of screams. They feel that good, because they pulled out a come-from-behind win to earn the team gold medal at the Vaulting World Championships, held as part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
“We really connected today — we looked each other in the eye,” said team member and coach Devon Maitozo. “Our horse was just beautiful, and we had the love of the audience with us, which helped. We just were in our bodies today.”
Today was a contrast from the previous team freestyle competition on Friday, when two team members fell from their horse, because, said Maitozo, the team horse, Palatine, was spooky in the arena. The U.S. team had led after the compulsory exercises, but then dropped to third place after the fall, behind Germany and Austria.
To prepare for Sunday’s round, Maitozo said, “We made a different plan for the horse and for ourselves. We took a step back from the intensity of the energy before. We really calmed ourselves down, collected ourselves, and the horse had a longer warm-up but a much more calm warm-up.”
October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Boyd Exell accomplished something today that no other Australian has ever done at a previous Driving World Championships — he won the individual gold medal, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
With one ball down in the obstacles phase, held in front of a packed Driving Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, Exell (134.04) edged IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands (135.24) and Tucker Johnson of the United States (150.06).
Johnson is the second four-in-hand driving medalist in the history of the U.S. team, and he led teammates Chester Weber (who was the first U.S. individual medalist, winning individual silver in 2008) and James Fairclough to the team silver medal (330.92). This is the second team silver medal this trio has won at the World Equestrian Games. (The first was in 2002.)
Chardon, a four-time individual world champion, led the Netherlands to the team gold medal (279.77), the third time they’ve won the team gold medal in the World Equestrian Games. Germany moved up to the bronze medal (322.20) when Tomas Eriksson of Sweden was eliminated for going off course and took his third-placed team with him.
October 9, 2010 – Lexington, KY – After five days of competition, six different courses, and a total of 115 jumps, Belgium’s Philippe Le Jeune took home the gold medal in the Show Jumping World Championships, presented by Rolex, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Aboard all four horses, including with his Vigo D’Arsouilles, Le Jeune was the only rider to finish with 0 faults over tonight’s four rounds.
Abdullah Al Sharbatly of Saudi Arabia took the silver medal with 8 faults this evening, and Canada’s Eric Lamaze took home bronze with 9 faults. Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, the 1998 world champion, was a close fourth with 12 faults.
“I had no difficult moments,” said Le Jeune, 50. “I was very concentrated. When I sat on every horse, I had decided to go their way and not that they had to go to my way. I wasn’t going to try to ride like Eric or Rodrigo. I have my own way of riding, but the other three were blood horses, more blood horses than Vigo. I had decided to feel how they were going to go, and it paid off.”
October 9, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Joanne Eccles gave Great Britain its first-ever World Equestrian Games medal in vaulting, as she won gold in the female individual division of the Vaulting World Championships, held as part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Patric Looser of Switzerland bested his friend and teacher, Kai Vorberg of Germany, to win the gold medal in the male individual division.
“I think I’m a little bit stunned,” said Eccles, the 2009 European champion. “I was really pleased with my performance today, but the other girls are so strong, and they all went so well. I think it’s going to take a while for it to sink in.”
Eccles’ composite score over four days of competition was 8.413.
Eccles, 21, has her father, John, as her longeur, and her sister, Hannah, as a coach. Their mother, Jane, also supports the family effort. Eccles vaulted on W.H. Bentley, a 16-year-old French warmblood-Dale pony cross, whom the Eccles family has owned for the past 11 years.
October 9. 2010 – Lexington, KY – Australia’s Boyd Exell drove the day’s third-fastest marathon to maintain the lead he took in the first phase of Driving World Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Second-placed IJsbrand Chardon has put the Dutch team in front (273.77), while third-placed Tucker Johnson is leading the U.S. team’s charge for second place (300.92). Sweden is third (311.24).
“Normally on most marathons you’ll have one little something somewhere, but today seemed almost perfect. Even going safe we were still fast, “said Exell, 38. “I wanted to go fast enough to put pressure on Chardon, but not make mistakes. The horses were machines out there; they just really did it on their own.”
Exell, along with teammate Gavin Robson, has put Australia in the team medal hunt too. They’re in fourth, with 311.99 penalties, just behind Sweden. Australia has never won a team medal at the Driving World Championships.
October 8, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Ties almost never happen in four-in-hand driving, but they’re the rule of the day at the Driving World Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The United States and the Netherlands are tied for first in the race for the team medals, at 76.16 penalties, with their top two drivers tied for second and fourth.
The only clear leader is Boyd Exell of Australia, who drove his team to a five-point lead in dressage, scoring 30.08 penalties, the best dressage score ever recorded in a World Championship. Chester Weber of the USA and IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands are tied for second (35.97), and Tucker Johnson of the USA and Theo Timmerman of the Netherlands are tied for fourth (40.19).
“I think I’ve seen maybe two ties in 20 years, so to have the teams and the four of us tied is amazing,” said Johnson.
October 5, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Great Britain, the team expected to win the gold medal at the Para Dressage World Championships, has taken the lead halfway through the team competition. Germany stands second, with the Netherlands third and Denmark fourth.
The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games mark the first time that para dressage has been part of the World Games.
“[The British team hasn’t] lost a gold medal at a major championship since the sport started, so there is a lot pressure,” said Sophie Christiansen of the British team, whose score of 69.41 percent in grade Ia team test on Rivaldo Of Berkeley aided the British effort. “I went to [the 2004 Athens Paralympics] at 16, so I know how to deal with the pressure. We have so much support, and that gives us Brits the upper hand.”
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