2026 Aachen Diaries: Thursday - Standard Set & Stars Still to Come

The first day of eventing dressage is in the books at Aachen and we have our first World Championship scores on the board.

Nicole catches up with European Champion and Olympic medallist Tina Cook after a full day watching from the stands. They break down the tests that caught their eye, a strong start for the Kiwis and what we might see when some of the biggest names in the field head down the centre line on Friday.

We also hear the story behind Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley from his owner Pru Dawes. Twenty years after watching the 2006 Aachen World Championships on repeat as an 11-year-old, Pru is back with her own horse representing Great Britain. She talks about the journey that brought them here, her friendship with Gemma and what it means to see a horse she has loved since he was four on this stage.

Plus, Annie heads into the mix zone for immediate post-test reaction from riders including Sophia Hill, Phillip Dutton, Sam Lissington, Ian Cassells and Jessica Phoenix, before joining Nicole to look ahead to a huge Friday of dressage.

With JL Dublin setting the early standard and fischerChipmunk, London 52 and Lordships Graffalo still to come, just how low could those scores go?

Highlights
• Tina Cook's take on day one of dressage
• A strong opening day for New Zealand
• The tests and horses that caught the eye
• Pru Dawes on the story behind Flash Cooley
• Rider reaction straight from the mix zone
• The new championship dressage test and the challenges it created
• How low could the scores go on Friday?
• fischerChipmunk, London 52 and Lordships Graffalo still to come

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