After the pleasant season start in Odense in Denmark one month ago, now in the Globe in Stockholm the second World Cup™ Qualifier Dressage was held. Scandinavia is extremely enthusiastically welcoming equestrian sports.
Dutch Adelinde Cornelissen entered her very first World Cup™ Qualifier and she surprised the crowd with two wonderful tests. To her own surprise she did not only win the WC™ qualifier but also won her very first car! “I don’t know what is coming over me. Everybody is greatly admiring me, I drove my lap of honour in my very first car and had to hurry for radio, the press conference and telephonic interviews. And remember I am a very ‘new professional!”, the 29 year old Dutch said who only made the decision to leave her job as a teacher at high school last March.
All interested dressage enthusiasts have the development of Dutch reserve for the OG in Hong Kong in mind, being the promising runner up in Aachen last summer after Isabell Werth. One week ago at the CDI3* Maastricht, Adelinde Cornelissen entered competition to win two tests as well. Than Grand Prix German judge Katrina Wüst said: “This pair is a seldom seen mixture of very high quality and what we say in Germany ‘Losgelassenheit’, looseness and relaxation.”
The piaffe and passage of Parzival are amazing and he has highlights in his extensions and half passes.
In the Freestyle chairman Katrina Wüst made her choice for Anky van Grunsven. “The technical thrings of Adelinde were the best, however I like the artistic quality of the Tango Freestyle of Anky van Grunsven more. It all fits like a T”, Katrina Wüst commented, who as a judge is also a member if the Dressage Task Force to come up with new plans and ideas for dressage. Katrina Wüst prefers not to say much about this challenge as the Task Force will only come together for the first time in January.
Adelinde herself also agrees on improving her Freestyle. She said: “I am so happy with the constant and steady performances of Parzival. I am happy Parzival likes to cooperate with me so well and to show himself at his best. However I do know I have to work on a more difficult freestyle now. But I will not complain. In Stockholm Parzival surprised me as he frightened a bit after I had raised my hand to have the music started. This gave me a tough job in the start but I have simply tried to make the best of it, also in the end when the audience accompanied my passage clapping to the final halt and I had to participate on fleeing reactions of Parzival. A stunning 80%, I would not have dreamed of this score!”
Anky van Grunsven and her stallion IPS Painted Black became the runner up. The stallion is easily distracted and gives his reader not always an easy ride. In the Freestyle he did a good job, although mistakes in both the one tempi changes and two tempi changes did take some points.
The Stockholm audience was offered a very high quality by not only the Dutch but also their own star Jan Brink. Emotions rose high when all understood that this would be the very last time that the Swedish powerhouse the stallion Briar together with his rider Jan Brink entered to compete. It went very well and the emotional Swedes cheered for the third placed pair. Brink plans a farewell trip with next year’s 18 year old Briar and an emotional goodbye to the world at the World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas 2009. Swedish judge Gustav Svalling complimented the pair: “To be still this good at this age is exceptional. He still can compete with the best.”
Another pair that rose to the expectations was the Olympic bronze medallist Heike Kemmer showing the very well moving Royal Rubin. She rode the Freestyle of Bonaparte which fitted Royal Rubin very well. He showed exceptional good extensions in both trot and canter, however could use some improvements in the piaffe. “I am sure he will learn this when he can better dose his energy”, judge Svalling commented.
Anky van Grunsven also added to the Stockholm Horseshow with a clinic, which was very well received.
RESULTS
1. PARCIVAL Adelinde CORNELISSEN (NED) 80,30
2. IPS Painted Black Anky VAN GRUNSVEN (NED) 77,150%
3. BRIAR Jan BRINK (SWE) 75,850%
4. ROYAL RUBIN 5 Heike KEMMER (GER) 75,650%
5. DON CHARLY Minna TELDE 75,150%
6. WHISPER Monica THEODORESCU (GER) 74,450%
7. EXQUIS ESCAPADO Hans Peter MINDERHOUD 73.900%
8. WITHNEY VAN T GENTHOF Stefan van INGELGEM (BEL) 72,650%
9. EXQUIS CLEARWATER Anne VAN OLST (DEN) 71,150%
10. VIVO Maria VON ESSEN (SWE) 70,850%
11. ON TOP Leida COLLINS-STRIJK (NED) 70,40%
12. MAXIMUS JSS Catherine HADDAD (USA) 70,050%
13. QUANTUM TYME Evi STRASSER (CAN) 69,550%
14. ALBERT Joan K JENSEN (DEN) 68,100%
15. FEISAL Michael Sögaard (DEN) 66,650%
The next qualifier in the league will be the London Olympia Horseshow, with the Freestyle taking place December 17th. Press officer is Kelly Smith. For all media enquiries please contact the PR Manager Kelly Smith on 01753 847900 or email kellys@hpower.co.uk
Western European League
Standings following two competitions in WEL + six CEL
1 Christa LAARAKKERS NED 42
2 Heike KEMMER GER 31
3 Anke TER BEEK NED 30
4 Evi STRASSER * CAN 28
4. Hans Peter MINDERHOUD NED 28
6 G. CAPELLMANN - LÜTKEMEIER GER 27
6 Jan BRINK SWE 27
8 Monica THEODORESCU GER 25
9 Camilla TOLL SWE 22
10 Joan K. JENSEN DEN 21
11 Isabell WERTH GER 20
11 Adelinde CORNELISSEN NED 20
11 Anne v Olst SWE 20
Central European League:
A Lipica (SLO) 05-08 June
B Brno (CZE) 20-22 June
C Mierzecin n. Szczecin (POL) 27-29 June
D Marianske Lazne (CZE) 29-31 August
E Wroclaw (Partynice) (POL) 12-14 September
F Kaposvar (HUN) 10-12 October
Western European League:
1 Odense (DEN) 15-18 October
2 Stockholm (SWE) 28-30 November
3 London Olympia (GBR) 16-22 December
4 Frankfurt (GER) 18-21 December
5 Mechelen (BEL) 26-30 December
6 Amsterdam (NED) 20-25 January
7 Neumünster (GER) 11-15 February
8 Göteborg (SWE) 19-22 February
9 's-Hertogenbosch (NED) 19-22 March
Note: The FEI World Cup Dressage™ Champion does not earn points in his/her starts but is automatically
qualified to the next Final with 2 FEI World Cup™ Dressage starts completed.
Riders not belonging to the WEL or CEL cannot earn points in the WEL unless they have declared to compete in the WEL 2008/2009. These riders may however transfer the results in WEL qualifiers to their own League.
Points earned by CEL riders will be transferred to the CEL points Standings list.
* Declared for WEL 2008/2009
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE RULES FOR FEI WORLD CUP™ DRESSAGE RIDERS FROM FEI WEBSITE www.feiworldcup.org
FEI World Cup™ Dressage has entered its 24th season. The FEI World Cup™ Dressage is the only worldwide series in this discipline. The series, created in 1985, today comprises 4 leagues encompassing Western Europe, Central Europe, North America (including Canada) and the Pacific League (Australia, New Zealand, Asia). Each FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifier comprises a Grand Prix test, which in turn is a qualification for the Freestyle to music competitions, where league points are accumulated towards places in the Final. Judged on both technical and artistic merit, the FEI World Cup™ Dressage combines art, sport and partnership between horse and rider at the highest level and consistently proves a winning formula with audiences all over the world.
For further information on the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) http://www.fei.org
For further information and all FEI World Cup ™ news: www.feiworldcup.org
The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), founded in 1921, is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 133 National Federations.
Equestrian sport has been on the Olympic programme since 1912 with three disciplines - Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. It is one of the very few sports in which men and women compete on equal terms. It is also the only sport which involves two athletes - horse and rider. The FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse, which is paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences.