Emily King and Valmy Biats are bidding for their first five-star victory as they sit at the top of the leaderboard following the conclusion of the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage.
Emily and the 17-year-old Selle Francais gelding, who she owns with her father David, scored 27 to put them ahead of yesterday’s leaders Hallie Coon and Kapriccio, by 0.8 of a penalty.
“I feel very lucky. He’s such a sweetheart of a horse, I’ve had him for years now. I know him so well and he knows me so well,” said Emily.
“It’s a bit of a hindrance at times because he’s so finely tuned to me, he’s so rideable that he sometimes guesses what’s going to happen.”
Emily said Valmy Biats “felt super” in the arena.
“I’m so pleased we didn’t drop any marks. He’s a very hot, sensitive horse, and sometimes when I really go for it we have a few little mistakes,” she said.
“I maybe went a notch down with really showing off as I really wanted to have a clean test. I’m so glad that he stayed with me and I didn’t mess it up. When I went in the crowd gave an awesome cheer to welcome you, but with ones like Val who is a bit sensitive, I had to say ‘Good boy’, and gave him a bit longer before he went in.”
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Emily King said she approached her Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage warm-up differently owing to the warm weather in Germany.
“At about 7am this morning I gave him a good stretch, and I only gave him about 20 minutes [in the warm-up before the test] just to try and not do too much with him,” she said.
“It felt like the perfect balance. He felt the best he’s felt, so it was nice to be rewarded.”
New Zealand’s James Avery is third overnight on five-star first-timer Dallas 13. James has produced David and Karie Thomson’s 12-year-old Dimaggio gelding up the levels from a six-year-old. The pair come to Luhmühlen following a good run at Royal Jump, where they were 11th in the CCI4*-S.
“It’s his first five-star; he’s done three four-star longs now so he’s ready,” James told H&H.
“We had a fairly quiet last year due to me, not him, so we didn’t get much mileage in. He was pretty green off the back of last season, and as much as Badminton would have been awesome, we were a bit behind, so we chose to come here.”
James and Dallas scored 29.6 in the dressage.
“He’s dressage-bred so it’s about time I learn how to do dressage on him. What we’ve practised is now starting to come through to the ring, which is really rewarding,” said James.
“I’m really pleased and looking forward to tomorrow. It’s a good course and he should settle in well to it. There’s loads of questions; it’s combination after combination after combination – which is the difference between five- and four-star, so we’ll see how he gets on.”
Brit Caroline Harris “thrilled” after dressage
There are 20 combinations in this CCI5*, seven of which are British. Pau 2024 winners Caroline Harris and D. Day, owned by Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier, Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle, are fourth after the dressage on 31.1. World number one Tim Price makes up the top five with Susan Lamb, Therese Miller and his own Happy Boy, on 31.7.
Caroline told H&H she was “thrilled” with D.Day.
“Dressage wouldn’t be his forte, he’s not a big moving horse but he was a really good boy and tried super hard,” she said.
“I made a couple of little mistakes but there were bits that were some of his best work. He loves being at a big party, it’s his favourite thing.”
Caroline said cross-country course-designer Mike Etherington-Smith’s track looks “very technical”.
“It’s intense. From about fence 10 all the way home you don’t really get a breather,” she said. “It’s very twisty and turny, so there’s a lot to do and I think the time is going to be very tight as well.”
Caroline said her Luhmühlen preparations have gone to plan.
“He’s felt brilliant this spring, probably the best he’s ever felt,” said Caroline.
“He had a super run at Belsay where he came second in the four-star to London 52, so we were really thrilled with that. He had a good run at Kronenberg four-star, he’s just felt really confident and happy, and just a lot stronger than he was last year.
“It’s great to be back at a big three-day with him. We’ll go out tomorrow and try to do our best.”
British five-star first-timer Harry Horton
British five-star first-timers Harry Horton and Cooley With Ambition, owned by Harry and the Ambition Syndicate, were first down the centre line in this afternoon’s CCI5* session. They scored a respectable 33.5, for eighth place ahead of the second phase.
Harry told H&H he was “delighted”.
“It went better than I expected, he’s been a little bit on edge since the start of the week. He’s very capable of doing a good test, but we’ve never really been able to put everything together on the same day, but I feel like we managed today,” he said.
“I got to go in there and enjoy it, which isn’t a feeling that I often get in the dressage. I enjoyed it, there was a good atmosphere and it felt very special.”
Harry joked that the good test has left him “feeling more nervous about tomorrow”.
“There’s plenty to jump, but he’s a good cross-country horse. We’ve just got to be able to cope with the heat and intensity,” he said.
Harry bought Cooley With Ambition as a four-year-old from Richard Sheen at Cooley Farm.
“It’s a total privilege to have a horse at this level. We’ve done everything together; my first four-star, now my first five-star,” said Harry.
“He’s a very special horse. He’s been a joy to produce, and he’s definitely my favourite.”
The other Brit in the top 10 is Stephen Heal and Hagonda, who are ninth with 33.6. Sam Ecroyd and Mister Big Ears is =11th with Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley, Emma Thomas and The Buzz Factor are 16th on 38; all three of these horses are making their five-star debut. Sam Gillespie and But Not Till Now are 17th overnight on 38.4.
Cross-country day
Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera will set off as cross-country pathfinders tomorrow at 9am UK time (10am local). Emma and The Buzz Factor will be first out for the Brits at 9.10am UK time (9.10am local) and Luhmühlen Horse Trials dressage leaders Emily King and Valmy Biats are third last to go at 10.30am (11.30am local).
The CCI4*-S cross-country begins at 1.26pm UK time (2.26pm local) with Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp due out first with Callfield. 2025 Luhmühlen CCI4*-S winners Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel hold the overnight lead.
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
