World Cup Dressage
Monday, November 28, 2005
In a Class of their Own - Standing Ovation for Brink and Briar
Laying the groundwork with a personal best in the grand prix, it was no surprise that Jan Brink and Bjorsells Briar went on to an overwhelming triumph in the FEI World Cup Freestyle, bringing the ecstatic crowd of over eight thousand in Stockholm's Globen arena to their feet.
Brink commented: " I am really critical so in a few places I thought I could have ridden better. It is only the third time I have ridden this freestyle and I am now working towards perfection."
It has been a phenomenal year for Brink who won two European medals then capped that to become the first Swede ever to win the Aachen championship. "It has been really great, and such fun", he said. The main aim is to return to Aachen next year for glory at the World Equestrian Games, so apart from CDI-W Neumuenster, he is thinking of the long-term this winter. " I like the World Cup a lot", he explained, "Briar is now 14 and really strong physically but I don't want to overdo it. I want him to be as motivated as he is now as he gets older and for that I will give him breaks before he needs them". Brink also has Briar's seven-year-old son to bring on to grand prix level.
Ellen Schulten-Baumer was thrilled with Donatha S, and second place put her at the top of the FEI World Cup standings. "Donatha was fantastic, I had a wonderful ride", said Ellen of the mare bought as a four-year-old at the Verden auction. "On the one hand she is really powerful yet she is also really elegant, and she is so uncomplicated for a mare". Ellen is planning next to take Donatha to Frankfurt, and with her Aachen Nations Cup team ride Lesotho also on form, she has two horses to campaign for the FEI World Cup season. With a total of nine horses, she has put studying aside to concentrate on riding. "I know I can't do everything, and I'm lucky to have lovely horses who are fun to ride, so I want to give them 100 per cent."
Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff gained two perfect tens for Wahajama UNICEF's extended trot, one from Gustav Svalling at C. He commented: " Wahajama produced a marvellous extended trot. Unfortunately she made a big mistake in the one-tempis, but they should not worry - the rest is so good. Ellen did a good job, her mare has no weak points and I gave high artistic marks as the music really fits. Jan Brink and Briar's passage was a highlight although, for me, they were possibly even better in the grand prix."
Overall, Svalling commended the quality of the first five or six riders, and also remarked on the improvements shown this season by Louise Nathhorst. "Guinness is much lighter in his body", he said.
The next two rounds of the FEI World Cup take place in an intense week in December, with Anky van Grunsven leading the star-studded line up for the second Olympia qualifier, which will be followed closely by the first ever qualifier at Frankfurt.
CDI-W Stockholm result
FEI World Cup Qualifier Freestyle to Music 1, Bjorsells Briar (Jan Brink SWE) 78.825 2, Donatha S (Ellen Schulten-Baumer GER) 75.800 3, Wahajama UNICEF (Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff GER) 75.450 4, Guinness (Louise Nathhorst SWE) 74.725 5, Piccolino (Klaus Husenbeth GER) 72.975 6, Wilson (Kristian von Krusenstierna SWE) 71.975 7, Solo Carex (Tinne Vilhelmson SWE) 70.650 8, Galliano (Maria Eriksson SWE0 69.722 9, Memphis (Per Sandgaard SWE) 68.200 10, Hexagon's Kyrain (Thamar Zweistra NED) 67.825
FEI World Cup Standings (after 8 competitions, including 5 Central European League) 1, Ellen Schulten-Baumer (GER) 32 2, Laura Bechtolsheimer (GBR) 31 3, Lone Joergensen (DEN) 29 4= Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff (GER) and Laurens van Lieren (NED 27 6, Louise Nathhorst (SWE) 26 7= Fiona Bigwood (GBR) and Klaus Husenbeth (GER) 22 9= Anky van Grunsven (NED), Andreas Helgstrand (DEN), Jan Brink (SWE) and Kristian von Krusenstierna (SWE) 20
Salinero stands firm for Maastricht victory
Anky van Grunsven and Keltec Salinero won the FEI World Cup Qualifier on home ground in Maastricht this afternoon in fine style with an 82 per cent score. The reigning world cup champions had been working on improvements and fine-tuning since Aachen, and reaped the benefits here.
Anky's husband and trainer Sjef Janssen explained: " We have been doing a lot of work on relaxation and we saw that here especially in the walk and the changes. You expect Salinero to be a 'live bomb' at these shows but he did his halts without hesitation and even after the very last passage he managed to stand still. He deserved the score, I'm happy." As an experiment the team substituted the normal passage entry for a long rein walk and it worked beautifully proving that even though multiple champions don't rest on their laurels, being able to stand to attention can count for a lot.
Edward Gal and Geldnet Lingh also surmounted the 80 per barrier for second place and in third Isabell Werth was just a whisker away on 79.025 with the Hanoverian Warum Nicht FRH.
Gal was delighted. " Lingh has done a lot of breeding this year and it was a bit much for him, so we have been concentrating on the basic work in training. He felt very good today, although the extended walk was a bit tense. He's quick off my leg again and the work felt easy."
Isabell Werth's nine-year-old Warum Nicht FRH was much complimented after this, only his fourth ever freestyle, ridden to Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. She commented: "I'm so happy, Warum Nicht was so good today. I'm really surprised as how quickly he has developed in his first grand prix season. Even in a week he is less spooky and more concentrated. He is such a big horse - 1.84 - but he has a small heart and can be afraid of his own shadow, yet he is a real athlete who likes to move and is very elastic. I don't like to compare my horses but in some ways he is the same type as Gigolo."
Like Anky and Edward, Isabell's next FEI World Cup show will be London's Olympia next month.
Jan Peeters at C reflected in the class: " In my opinion this was the first show where Salinero made really good halts! He was on the best form, although Edward Gal and Geldnet Lingh were also very good, and Isabell did a very good job." And has Gal's unusual music perhaps taken some getting used to for the judges? "With the music I look for the rhythm and the fit to the horse's movement and in that respect Edward's music is exact. The style is very Edward!"
Although it was not a full house, the Maastricht crowd certainly made the atmosphere feel as if it was. And while the applause dies down in Holland, tomorrow afternoon in Stockholm, the next FEI World Cup qualifier begins at 12.55.
Result
FEI World Cup Qualifier, Freestyle to Music Presented by NASHUATEC
1, Keltec Salinero (Anky van Grunsven NED) 82.375 2, Geldnet Lingh (Edward Gal NED) 80.875 3, Warum Nicht FRH (Isabell Werth GER) 79.025 4, Salieri CH (Silvia Ikle SUI) 76.550 5, Sunrise (Imke Schellekens-Bartels NED) 76.375 6, Forest Gump NRW (Hubertus Schmidt GER) 74.60 7, Hexagon's Ollright (Laurens van Lieren NED) 73.475 8, Hardthof's Ludewig G (Lone Joergensen DEN) 73.00 9, Paganini (Jeroen Devroe BEL) 69.475 10, Amando (Gina Capellmann-Luetkemeier GER) 69.350
Versatile Ryan books berth from Australia while Western League goes into overdrive this weekend
Australia's Heath Ryan became the second rider this season (after Canada's Cindy Ishoy) to secure a place at the 2006 FEI World Cup Dressage Final when he won the Pacific League Final last weekend in Werribee, Victoria.
Ryan (47) rode Clive Wunderwald's 10-year-old Greenoaks Dundee to triumph in both the grand prix and freestyle. Ryan has the distinction of having represented Australia on both the Eventing and Dressage teams and just five months ago placed second, at this very venue, in the FEI World Cup Eventing qualifier.
This weekend is a busy one for the FEI Western European League with qualifiers taking place in Stockholm and Maastricht.
Reigning Champions Anky van Grunsven and Keltec Salinero head the entries for Maastricht. Together with team mates Edward Gal, who rides his superstar Geldnet Lingh and the Dutch team's new shining light Laurens van Lieren on Hexagon's Ollright, they'll be facing opposition from Germany's Hubertus Schmidt (Wansuela Suerte) and Isabell Werth with Warum Nicht FRH amid a strong field.
Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer, who became her country's youngest ever National Champion in September aboard Douglas Dorsey, who she'll be riding in Maastricht, is the current standings leader.
In Stockholm, Jan Brink and Bjorsells Briar will be greeted with excitement, although Brink has indicated that, with next year's World Equestrian Games in mind, this will be their sole FEI World Cup foray this season. German riders Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, Ellen Schulten-Baumer and Klaus Husenbeth are among the challengers.
