Touchdown! World Cup champion scores carrots – and spot in the Olympic individual dressage final

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Touchdown have continued their World Cup form to earn a place in the Olympic dressage individual medal final at Paris 2024.

Patrik and the 12-year-old Quaterback gelding scored 74.32% in this afternoon’s (30 July) group C session, to sit just behind Britain’s Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, who topped the section on 74.94%. The top two from each group in the grand prix, along with the next six highest overall ranked pairs, advance to the freestyle to compete for the individual medals.

Patrik and Touchdown’s scores mostly varied between 7s and 8s, but a costly step back in the first piaffe resulted in one judge marking them a 5.5. They improved in their second piaffe, received four 8s for the two-time changes, while both pirouettes – which have coefficients and so score double – earned a handful of 8s and an 8.5.

Patrik was “super happy” with Touchdown, especially given the testing temperatures in Paris today, which reached 35 degrees.

“Touchdown handled it super well,” said Patrik. “Sadly it felt a little bit like he needed to go to the bathroom, and I tried to get him to go in the warm-up but he didn’t – and then in the last extended trot he finally went. The last centre line is normally his weak point, but that was actually his best, he was a bit lighter!

“But for me that was really positive that he did the beautiful ending, and qualified for the final, which is amazing. It’s not easy in there, there’s a lot of good riders and top riding – and to get to the final is an honour.”

Patrik’s teammate Juliette Ramel was fifth in the group B session, scoring 71.55% with Buriel K H. This puts Sweden third at the end of the first day of Olympic dressage, behind Great Britain, and the current top team, Denmark. The top 10-ranked teams once all the scores have been combined at the end of the grand prix will move on to the special, including those tied for 10th place, where the team medals will be decided. The final Swedish rider, Therese Nilshagen is in tomorrow’s group F at 1.16pm local time (12.16pm UK time).

“Hopefully tomorrow we can maybe be top five, which is our goal so we can start in the special. It’s very exciting and amazing here,” said Patrik.

“I don’t think I’ll ever see something like this again, just to be here is a pure pleasure. Everyone has been very careful with the horses, the looking after of the riders and horses with the heat and everything has been incredible.”

Patrick Kittel explained why he chose to take Touchdown into the Olympic dressage over his other qualified ride, Jovian, who is younger and less experienced.

“For me, Touchdown’s been so good this year – he won the World Cup. I just felt with Jovian, he’s such an amazing horse but we’re not quite there yet and to put a horse through an Olympics, it’s a big thing,” he said.

“Our time will come. Touchdown is secure, he’s confident, and that’s what it’s all about – you have to make your horse feel at ease. With Jovian in the future I think I will have the utmost best horse but we just need time, and I don’t want to push him to do something that I feel we are not ready to do together.

“Touchdown has the best mentality; he is such a cutie, and has a really good character. I owe him so much and this year we have just done amazing things, and now we have qualified for the Olympic finals, so that will do. Not too shabby!”

And when asked after his test if he was now going to go and cool down from the heat, Patrik said: “Now I want to go and give my horse a carrot… and then take a cold shower.”

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