For many drivers, this was not the easiest marathon due to the rain over the last few days. Hazards were a bit deep which tended to tire out the horses quicker. Arnold was the first U.S. driver to tackle the marathon course. He and Marco Freund’s Janni 12 and Belle Grey Farm, LLC’s Twilight went in to the first obstacle strong and continued to take on the hazards with speed and agility through the fourth obstacle. The team had the fifth best time in the fourth obstacle, with a time of 1:08.42. They finished the course in 8:28.01. Arnold moves to 39th, overall, with a two-day score of 193.49.
Jacob Arnold with Janni 12 and Twilight (Krisztina Horváth)
“I knew I had to drive super aggressive today to make up some points from my dressage test. I was happy with the first four hazards. However, with speed came some mistakes. I made a wrong turn in five and missed a turn in six. It wasn’t the results I was looking for, but for my first pairs championship, I’m good with the results. It has been a tough season, but I’m so appreciative to Heather Briggs and Michael Freund for sticking behind me and helping me get here,” said Arnold.
Kathrin Dancer and her own and Scott Dancer’s Wimbledon and Redford got out to a slow start as the first obstacle took more time than anticipated. Opposite of Arnold, the first four obstacles did not go as smoothly for the team. They finished with a time of 8:40.63 for a score of 130.16, which put them in 38th place. A good dressage test on Friday helped her two-day score of 190.21, and overall, she leads the U.S. team in 29th place.
Scott Dancer did not drive his best marathon today. He and Jan Greve’s Dapper and his own Deniro, struggled from the onset and picked up two penalty points for a knock down in the fifth obstacle. He finished the course in 8:45.53 for a score of 133.38 and 45th place. After two days of competition, he is in 40th place with a score of 195.62.
The 2013 World Driving for Pairs Champion Vilmos Lázár from Hungary won the marathon with a score of 113.76. He now leads the field with the two-day score of 157.12. His brother Zoltán Lázár is in second place, overall, with a two-day score of 163.15. Claudio Fumagalli from Italy drops to third place, overall, with a two-day score of 164.43. After two days of competition, Hungary leads in the team standings with a score of 316.4, Italy is in second place with a score of 330.4, and Germany remains in third place with a score of 342.5.
The 2015 FEI World Driving Championships for Pairs concludes tomorrow with the cones competition beginning at 4:00 am ET, and it will be live streamed. For complete results, and to watch the live stream, go to Fogatverseny.hu.
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