2026 Aachen Diaries: Friday - The Top Takes Shape & Saturday Awaits

Dressage is done in Aachen, and after 87 combinations, the World Championship could hardly be better poised heading into cross country.

Nicole, Annie and Brayden look back on a brilliant two days of sport, with Julia Krajewski and Uelzener's Nickel taking everyone by surprise to lead on 22.0 ahead of Laura Collett and London 52. There are standout performances from Austin O'Connor and Colorado Blue, Tamie Smith and Lillet 3, and Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos, while the team competition could not be tighter. Great Britain lead Germany by just 0.8 penalties, with France and New Zealand separated by only 0.3 behind them.

Then it's all eyes on Saturday.

Course designer Giuseppe della Chiesa joins Nicole to take us inside a championship track with almost 80 fences on the ground, multiple routes and very different ways of getting home. He explains where the intensity builds, why riders will need to know every option and why he thinks only around five combinations could make the optimum time.

Plus, Annie brings us reaction straight from the mixed zone as the riders reflect on their tests and turn their attention to a course being described as big, technical and seriously influential.

Highlights
• Julia Krajewski and Uelzener's Nickel take the lead on 22.0
• Laura Collett and London 52 deliver under pressure
• Austin O'Connor and Colorado Blue produce their best championship test
• Tamie Smith and Lillet 3 impress on their championship debut
• Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos put themselves right in contention
• Less than a second separates Great Britain and Germany
• Giuseppe della Chiesa takes us inside his Aachen cross country course
• Why Saturday could turn the leaderboard upside down
• Rider reaction ahead of cross country

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