‘I won’t ride another like him’
YOU could say that there were two winners on the night of the individual final: Ben Maher, the new Olympic champion, and Santiago Varela, who designed a course that left no rider in doubt that this was the sport’s biggest stage.
In both the individual qualifier and final, Santiago’s huge tracks tested – but never tricked – horse and riders to the max, and ensured that all those who prospered truly deserved it.
Only 30 combinations would qualify for the final, and remarkably, exactly 30 combinations jumped clear. Japan’s Daisuke Fukushima and Chanyon blazed the trail on home soil, becoming the first pair to leave all the fences standing within the time allowed of 89 seconds.
All three Irish riders – Darragh Kenny, Cian O’Connor and Bertram Allen – also came home cleanly after jumping among the first group, providing a beacon of hope among the many early upsets in the class.
Faults were coming thick and fast, with floodlights glinting off the bright, colourful course, brimming with beautiful things to look at. In particular, the turn-back to the sizable upright, flanked by faux fluttering cherry blossom and – only in Japan – a sumo wrestler, was responsible for several refusals and run-outs early on.
“It’s difficult to go early in the class, not knowing really what to do,” said Darragh, after a fast trip round the track on Cartello. “It’s tough for day one, with big jumps, and the oxers are wide and spooky under the lights.”
As the second batch of riders got underway, though, the clears started to come,
