The competition was tight, as some of the world’s best Dressage riders gathered to vie for qualifying points. After the first half of the event, Madeleine Witte-Vrees of the Netherlands was in first place on a score of 76.870 percent.
Up third in the second half of the programme, Maria Caetano turned in a new personal best, scoring 80.160 and showing off gorgeous transitions and impulsion with her cresty Lusitano stallion performing to dramatic music from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.
Helen Langehanenberg was next in the arena, and her sleek, meticulous, fast-moving test won a score of 82.880 percent from the international panel of judges, enough to pass Caetano, who had momentarily taken the lead.
Whilst Judy Reynolds of Ireland, happily back on the World Cup circuit, and Therese Nilshagen of Sweden put forth valiant efforts, their performances weren’t enough to overtake Langehanenberg at 78.570 and 80.090.
Minderhoud was last to ride and knew what he had to do for a victory. Laying down a programme that highlighted both artistic subtlety and precise equitation with tremendous fluency, he garnered an 83.665 from the judges to move into first place and bring home his first World Cup gold.
Speaking about Glock’s Dream Boy, Minderhoud said: “He only did a few Grand Prix competitions before qualifying for Tryon (FEI World Equestrian Games) this year - it was a bit early for him in his career, so after that I gave him a long rest and then restarted at Olympia.
"That wasn’t the most easy show for him to come back to, and I was not so happy with how he felt…he had been going so well at home. But then I bring him to another show here in Mechelen ten days later and he is super - I mean super!
"Here he was much more focused, not like at Olympia where I had to survive it a little! Today I could ride to the point, and he was really trying for me!"
Nilshagen ended the day in fourth place, followed by Reynolds in fifth and Witte-Vrees in sixth.
