The Dutch Dressage team won the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ on hometurf today in Rotterdam after a strong start earlier in the week.
The Dutch riders fought off tough competition from Sweden, who placed second, with the Swedish team ensuring a thrilling contest by competing head-to-head with the Dutch right until their final rider Tinne Vilhelmson’s performance.
The American team came in third place.
Edward Gal and Glock’s Zonik N.O.P. were the stars of the Dutch team by taking the win in the Grand Prix Freestyle in striking fashion.
Swedish rider Therese Nilshagen and Dante Weltino Old were victorious in the Grand Prix Special.
Dutch team captain Rien van der Schaft said: ’There were so many highlights in Edward’s test. That’s fantastic to see, and I’d almost consider it his trademark.
“Hans Peter performed very well too. These guys prove that they can bring their best when the moment demands it. They really give it their all. As team captain, that makes me very happy. It feels really good when your riders are able to deliver something extra, like they have done tonight.”
Van der Schaft added: ‘'This Nations Cup concept is a good thing for dressage as a sport. It ensures that you don’t just win if one rider has a score over 80%. You really need the whole team to do well. That ensures excitement in the competition right until the last moment.’'
The FEI Nations Cup rankings are calculated with place points. In Thursday’s Grand Prix, the three best results per country counted towards the end result. The same applied tonight for the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle combined. Tonight, The Netherlands beat Swedes by one point.
Edward Gal and his beautiful horse Glock’s Zonik N.O.P. already won Thursday’s Grand Prix and tonight did the same in the Freestyle.
“Zonik felt really good. In the warm-up area he reacted very strongly to Patrik Kittel’s mare and in the ring he was a bit nervous, but he carried on wonderfully. I was glad we got to ride in this stadium today, because he has to get used to an atmosphere like this," Gal said.
“We made an error in the pirouette that cost us, but I’m very pleased. There were some really good parts’’, says Gal, who received a score of 80.075%.
With this victory, Gal finishes a fantastic week at CHIO Rotterdam. He won all four categories he competed in, two with Glock’s Zonik N.O.P. and two with Glock’s Voice.
Don’t miss the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2018 Dressage in Strzegom, Poland next Friday on June 29. Follow all the action on FEI TV.
Images by Arnd Bronkhorst
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