Oatley and her 11-year-old stallion Quando-Quando scored 68.96 per cent, just missing the top-15 cut for the final Dressage individual medal round at the WEG under way in Aachen, Germany.
NSW rider Matthew Dowsley and his 10-year-old mare Cinderella held their own in the Special in front of a 48,000-strong crowd, placing 29th on 65.24 per cent.
Australia had never before had a rider qualify for the Grand Prix Special at a WEG. Its previous best individual WEG placing was 36th for Rozzie Ryan at Stockholm in 1990. The team finished 9th overall, improving on its previous-best 12th placing at the 2002 WEG in Spain.
Oatley, who has been based in Germany since 1991, said she had been hoping to better her mark from Wednesday’s Grand Prix. The pair was 15th in the Grand Prix on 70.083 per cent – the highest score awarded to an Australian at a world championship.
“It was not as good as the Grand Prix. But all in all, I’m really, really happy with him. I was just wanting to top a little bit [the result] of the day before,” said Oatley, the grand-daughter of Rosemount Estate winery founder Bob Oatley.
Dowsley said of his ride: “It was OK. She’s a young horse at this sort of level so I’m really happy with her.”
Germany’s Isabell Werth and Satchmo won individual gold in the Special with 79.48 per cent, ahead of the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven and Keltec Salinero on 77.8 per cent and 28-year-old Danish rider Andreas Helgstrand and his 9-year-old Blue Hors Matine on 76.56. The best 15 riders will ride off for the Grand Prix Freestyle individual medals tomorrow.
Taking advantage of her dual German citizenship, Oatley had three German and two European young rider titles under her belt by the age of 19. She represented Australia at the 1998 Rome WEG, finishing 39th on Rosemount Maurice. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she became the first Australian ever to make it through to the Grand Prix Freestyle round after scoring 70.23 per cent in the Special on Wallstreet. She finished 9th.
WEG is the biggest event on the equestrian calendar outside the Olympic Games. About 800 athletes are competing in Aachen for the world champion titles in Eventing, Dressage, Jumping, Four-in-Hand Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and reining. Australia is fielding 23 competitors across all disciplines except reining.
