Great Britainâs Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro swept to victory with the greatest of ease at the sixth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup⢠Dressage 2014/2015 Western European League series in Amsterdam, The Netherlands today. The 29-year-old rider only returned from New Zealand a few days ago after presenting Masterclasses in Hamilton and Christchurch, and admitted to feeling âseriously jet-laggedâ. But such is the exceptional relationship she has with the 13-year-old Valegro that she only fell 0.4 points short of the world-record Freestyle score the pair set at Olympia, London in December when coming out on top by a considerable margin again this afternoon.
Todayâs result sheet reflected that of yesterdayâs Grand Prix, with exactly the same horse-and-rider combinations filling the top five places. The Netherlandsâ Danielle Heijkoop (Siro NOP) filled runner-up spot ahead of Germanyâs Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (Unee BB) in third, and Dutch riders Diederik van Silfhout (Arlando) and Hans Peter Minderhoud (Glockâs Flirt) claimed fourth and fifth places. However, despite the quality of the field, Dujardinâs absolute supremacy was unmistakable as her nearest rival finished more than 11 marks behind her winning score of 93.900.
Great day of sport
The Amsterdam crowd were treated to a great day of sport, with Germanyâs Isabell Werth and El Santo NRW lighting up the arena with a powerful and expressive test that just oozed with fun. When you have a trophy cabinet filled to the brim with Olympic and World Championship gold medals you are entitled to have as much fun as you like, and with her 14-year-old gelding grooving to the sound of David Bowie, the 45-year-old veteran swept into the lead on a mark of 76.775 just before the judging break.
The Amsterdam crowd were treated to a great day of sport, with Germanyâs Isabell Werth and El Santo NRW lighting up the arena with a powerful and expressive test that just oozed with fun. When you have a trophy cabinet filled to the brim with Olympic and World Championship gold medals you are entitled to have as much fun as you like, and with her 14-year-old gelding grooving to the sound of David Bowie, the 45-year-old veteran swept into the lead on a mark of 76.775 just before the judging break.
Confident performance
Heijkoop wasnât intimidated however, following with a smooth, confident performance that highlighted her black geldingâs exceptional piaffe for a mark of 82.375. And Germanyâs Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who continues to lead the Western European League standings after todayâs leg, once again presented her courageous floorplan that embraces difficult transitions including canter to piaffe/pirouette to walk, for a strong score of 80.900.
Penultimate performer, Diederik van Silfhout with Arlando NH, posted 79.950 for fourth place while fellow-Dutchman, Hans Peter Minderhoud, brought the competition to a close with a calm and elegant test from Glockâs Flirt for fifth spot.
Winning result
Dujardin was quick to thank her trainer, friend and mentor, Carl Hester, after todayâs winning result. “Carl kept Blueberry (Valegro) ticking over while I was away in New Zealand, Iâm always so grateful to himâ she said. She wasnât too pleased with her ride in yesterdayâs Grand Prix however, even though she won that by more than a seven-point margin. âI was really jet-lagged and I was terrible, I was so angry with myself for the way I rode!â she insisted this afternoon.
Dujardin was quick to thank her trainer, friend and mentor, Carl Hester, after todayâs winning result. “Carl kept Blueberry (Valegro) ticking over while I was away in New Zealand, Iâm always so grateful to himâ she said. She wasnât too pleased with her ride in yesterdayâs Grand Prix however, even though she won that by more than a seven-point margin. âI was really jet-lagged and I was terrible, I was so angry with myself for the way I rode!â she insisted this afternoon.
She talked about what Valegro has been doing since re-setting the Grand Prix and Freestyle world records at Olympia last month. âHe had a couple of weeks off over Christmas and then I started riding him for a couple of days before heading off (to New Zealand). But I only had three days to ride after I got back this week, so heâs a pretty amazing horse!â And looking ahead to the Reem Acra FEI World Cup⢠Dressage 2014/2015 Final where they will be defending their title she said, âhe wonât be doing anything until then. He isnât the kind of horse that needs competition all the time, so our next outing will be Las Vegas, and after that weâll be concentrating on getting ready for the European Championshipsâ.
Result:
1, Valegro (Charlotte Dujardin) GBR 93.900
2, Siro NOP (Danielle Heijkoop) NED 82.375
3, Unee BB (Jessica von Bredow-Werndl) GER 80.900
4, Arlando NH NOP (Diederik van Silfhout) NED 79.950
5, Glock’s Flirt (Hans Peter Minderhoud) NED 79.250
2, Siro NOP (Danielle Heijkoop) NED 82.375
3, Unee BB (Jessica von Bredow-Werndl) GER 80.900
4, Arlando NH NOP (Diederik van Silfhout) NED 79.950
5, Glock’s Flirt (Hans Peter Minderhoud) NED 79.250
Source: FEI
Photo: Arnd Bronkhorst
Photo: Arnd Bronkhorst
