Andrea Fappani made a big splash at the Exhibition Center. The US rider, who is originally from Italy, put his adopted land in a strong position in the team competition with a top preliminary score of 224 points. Riding Custom Cash Advance, the Californian by adoption finished ahead of Belgium's Ann Poels on Nic Ricochet, who performed an excellent pattern that scored 222.5 points. Suffice it to say that the Belgian-American duel is well underway.
The results were not as good for the first French rider in today's competition, the experienced Gregory Legrand. Despite the enthusiastic crowd support, the reiner had to settle for a score of 189 points. He and his horse made several mistakes while performing the circles and the sliding stop. "Given the level of competition, I fear the competition is over for me. We're going to support Anne-Sophie Guerreiro, who is competing this afternoon", Legrand said.
Top 3 (provisional):
Andrea Fappani (USA) & Custom Cash Advance - 224 pts
Ann Poels (BEL) & Nic Ricochet - 222 pts
Gilson Vieira Diniz Filho (BRA) & Steppin Off Sparks - 218,5 pts
Team competition
Belgium 439 pts (2 out of 4 riders)
Mexico 417 pts (2 out of 4 riders)
United States 224 pts (1 out of 4 riders)