Britain’s third team riders, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, have edged into the lead at the halfway stage of dressage day two at the Agria FEI European Eventing Championships.
The pair had a blip on the centre and ‘Dubs’ slipped on a corner, but they recovered well enough to score 26.2 and go ahead of Germany’s Malin Malin Hansen-Hotopp, who still lies second at the moment with Carlos Quidditch K on 27.8.
Another German pair, Libussa Lubbeke, who is making her senior debut this week, and her homebred mare Caramia 34, remain in third.
“He [Dubs] loves the dressage, so it’s just up to me to make sure we get everything polished,” said Tom.
“The trot work was brilliant. It’s hard work, especially for these big moving horses, it’s all so packed and collected and as it’s a D test, which is meant to be a bit quicker, everything’s quick and efficient.
“In some of the five-star tests, if you make a little mistake you have time to make it back up a little bit later, whereas this is bang, bang, bang.
“It was a shame to have the obvious mistake on the centre line. We were just trying to get a bit straighter. I could see Sandy [Phillips] judging every bit of it, so I was like, ‘ooh, straight’, and then made a little mistake.
“To have that mistake and then get back and get his [flying] change in, I’m really pleased with him and he finished brilliantly.”
‘He doesn’t come out often’
JL Dublin’s last run was at Burgham in July, where he won the CCI4*S.
“He doesn’t come out and run too often. I’m really pleased with the prep. We’ve been hitting the gallops at [champion National Hunt trainer] Nicky Henderson’s and now we’re able to get on the grass gallops at home, so preparation has been good,” added Tom.
“It’s awesome to be here at a home championship. To be part of the team and to be on someone as special as Dublin, it’s a pretty special feeling.”
