I really love John Kyle’s commentary. He does a good job of mixing his commentary and analysis of what’s happening mixed with horse and rider background info and some fun anecdotes about the people he seems to know personally.
8 Likes
Wow. What a course. I have to give major props to Derek di Grazia – that course was incredibly trying without being dangerous (imo).
17 Likes
I agree - sounds like the riders agree as well.
And always glad no one got hurt! (Although that was little scary watching Kyle’s horse get caught up, but yay for frangibles!)
6 Likes
That was an incredible show. Some sad days for some big riders and great day for others.
Not a single horse fall. Let’s celebrate that. That’s such a huge accomplishment over such a hard course.
15 Likes
Dana Cooke is in 5th! How exciting
2 Likes
So friends of Dan - you need new Tshirts that say 'WHO’S DAN KREITL? ’ 
8 Likes
Indeed! I follow Dana because she’s riding and training a horse belonging to a dear friend that she has qualified for the Pan Ams. Lovely rider and person.
2 Likes
I loved watching Daniela Moguel from Mexico and her mare Cecelia. Cute mare! A real tryer.
3 Likes
WOW.
The course certainly shook up the leaderboard, and yikes!!! Gutted for SO many of the riders. 
A HUGELY influential and tricky/hard question that damn Hollow/Coffin - it caught out both the “green” and the experienced horses! Ugh. Carnage. All day.
My very observant DH - watching with me - had the following observations: first, he said “this reminds me of the coffin question that horses had big issues with at another 4/5*” (it was at Badminton), and continued: “it seemed like the horses didn’t read it correctly since the ditch was down a steep hill, they lost momentum there, then the steeply angled brushes right afterward were confusing and the horses didn’t put their eye on them in time.” A few minutes later (while Tony was downstairs letting the dogs out) Sinead (commentating with John Kyle), said: “this question is very similar to the one at Badminton a few years ago: jump to a downhill ditch, uphill to angled brushes; a LOT of horses had problems there because they couldn’t ‘read’ it” !
(I too thought about the similarity, but Mr. Dr. D observed it out loud. He has watched most of the 5* events with me - at least the x-country!)
And THEN!, as we watched a few people opt to take the long route and pondered the decision by most of the riders to take the short, much tougher route, Mr. Dr. D said: “I guess they want to give the horses the experience and see how they handle it - if you don’t expose them to the harder question, they won’t know how to deal with it later.” A few minutes go by, then John Kyle says: “the reason the riders are trying the short route is because they need to give the horses the challenge of the tougher question to educate them - you can’t always take the long route in competition.” 
THIS time, he was watching - and was justifiably pleased with himself. (“See?”, he said: “I agree with the experts!!”)
I have trained him well…
31 Likes
Update: Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Be Cool have had their 20 taken away, and they move into eleventh place (Source, EN)
8 Likes
Great setup!
Really kind of surprised. Screenshot below… Seemed like a drive by but idk. Officials were obviously convinced otherwise.
Super!
She was interviewed after and say she had no plans of jumping it.
Right I saw that interview—and I love Liz— but it still LOOKED like a technical runout from the video. Even the commentators noted her body language suggested she intended to jump the fence. But those situations are super tricky and o guess deserve the benefit of the doubt.
By the leaderboard, looks like it’s actually 10th, bumping Danny and Cecelia out.
1 Like
yep! EN is not the most accurate 
So thrilled for Dan! Go Dan Go!
