The winner of the Subli Cup 2024-2025 for four-year-old dressage horses is Port-Au-Prince. The Desperado son, who already impressed last year in the Pavo Cup with Emmelie Scholtens, claimed victory tonight in Amsterdam, surpassing competitors like Hexagon’s Power Dutch, the winner of the semi-finals, who finished fourth this time. Among the five-year-olds, the final rankings mirrored the top standings from the semi-finals, with Secret Lover and Charlotte Fry narrowly outperforming Obsession Taonga and Lara van Nek.

Extremely high level

The margin was only 0.6%. With the lowest score being an 8 for the walk, ballet-like Secret Lover (Secret x Fürstenball) soared to 87.6% and the Subli title in the five-year-old division at Jumping Amsterdam. The exceptionally talented Obsession Taonga (Vitalis x All At Once) also received 8 as the lowest score, in this case for submission. Both horses excelled across all criteria and demonstrated an exceptionally high level of performance.

Last year’s winner

Last year’s Subli Cup champion had to settle for third place this time. Oromance (For Romance I x Rousseau) scored especially high in the trot (9) with Femke de Laat, achieving a total of 80.2%.

Redemption in the four-year-old class

In the four-year-old division, it was Port-Au-Prince’s turn for redemption. The Desperado son, hailing from the famous Unette lineage of René Franssen, was second in the semi-finals but surpassed the approved KWPN stallion Hexagon’s Power Dutch (Glock’s Toto Jr x Hexagon’s Double Dutch) in the finals. The pride of the late Leunus van Lieren, ridden by Anke van Moer, ended up in fourth place.

Second place went to Roman Empire (by Romanov), followed by the Secret son Succession, ridden by Dinja van Liere.

“He wasn’t nervous at all”

Emmelie Scholtens was naturally thrilled with her Subli Cup victory in the four-year-old class. “It went really well, and I was super happy with Port-Au-Prince. This is a great start to the new year. The ambiance here is amazing, and these are still very young horses. I thought he might find it a bit overwhelming, but he wasn’t nervous at all. I made two small mistakes, which I found a bit disappointing afterward, but it’s no big deal. I really enjoyed riding him again.”

Son of her Grand Prix star Desperado

Port-Au-Prince is a son of Emmelie’s own Grand Prix star, Desperado. “It felt like I was riding a younger version of him. He has everything—an amazing character, great abilities, and a fantastic appearance. He’s such a positive and cheerful horse.”

Emmelie already has big plans for Port-Au-Prince. “I think he’s a great candidate for the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in the five-year-old division. The Pavo Cup is also on my list again.”

From Grand Prix to Subli Cup

“It’s so much fun to ride at Jumping Amsterdam. It’s a bit unfortunate that I can’t compete in the Grand Prix now that Indian Rock has been sold. So, I’ve gone from the Grand Prix to the Subli Cup. But I’ve always enjoyed training young horses, and it’s great that there’s an opportunity for that here in Amsterdam.”

“Secret Lover excels in everything”

“Secret Lover was amazing tonight,” said Charlotte Fry after winning the Subli Cup. “The atmosphere is, of course, quite impressive for a five-year-old, but he was so focused and really enjoyed himself. I’m incredibly proud of him. He has fantastic gaits and a wonderful character—he excels in everything!”

Heading to the KWPN Stallion Show

“I’ll be taking Secret to the KWPN Stallion Show in Den Bosch next week. I’ll be competing with him in the M-level class. He has so much potential—he’s truly an incredible stallion.”

Back in the arena with Glamourdale

Charlotte Fry will return to the arena tomorrow and Saturday for the Grand Prix with her world champion Glamourdale. “I’ve been riding at Jumping Amsterdam for many years, and the atmosphere is always incredible. I absolutely love competing in this arena.”

Written by Eline Korving

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