Anky van Grunsven of The Netherlands riding Keltec Salinero scored 87.75% in the FEI World Cup Dressage Final Grand Prix Freestyle to Music yesterday, clinching her victory in the 21st annual FEI Dressage World Cup Final.
The win in the Europahal at the RAI Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, marks the eighth time van Grunsven has won the World Cup and the third time she has won it with Gestion Salinero. The packed house of 7400 spectators stood appreciatively as van Grunsven re-entered the brilliantly lit ring for the awards ceremony and after she lofted the glittering silver trophy, she announced to the crowd (in Dutch) that she wanted them to cheer and applaud only for the horse because he had once again amazed her.
“To be honest, I liked the whole test,” said van Grunsven. “So far it's the best test he's done since I've had him. He was very, very relaxed and still going wherever he had to go. I felt like it was very easy today and that's what you want in a test, so I was very, very happy.”
Isabell Werth of Germany and the Hannoverian gelding Warum Nicht FRH scored 81.15% to earn second place. Jan Brink of Sweden aboard the Swedish warmblood stallion Bjorsells Briar 899 notched 79.32% for third.
Only the top 12 riders from the 18 who competed in the Grand Prix on Thursday qualified for today's FEI World Cup Dressage A-Final Grand Prix Freestyle Kur to Music to determine the title. The other six competed in the B-Final this morning with Laura Bechtolsheimer of Great Britain aboard Douglas Dorsey topping that class.
All of the judges placed van Grunsven first in the kur and were tightly in unison in their scoring for both the technical and artistic elements of the ride. Officiating were Mr. W. Ernes (NED) at E; Mr. G. Rockwell (USA) at H; Mr. V. Truppa (ITA) at C; Mrs. K. Wust (GER) at M; and Mrs. B. Buchler-Keller (SUI) at B.
Truppa noted that during van Grunsven's performance, “I got really moved and I gave her a 10 for the music.” Van Grunsven's orchestral soundtrack included versions of some contemporary easy listening tunes and was also soft and spare in some segments.
Van Grunsven, who has competed in 12 FEI Dressage World Cup Finals, won aboard Salinero (first called Gestion Salinero and now Keltec Salinero) previously in 2004 and 2005. (She also won with Bonfire in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000 ? known as Gestion Bonfire for the last two wins.)
Keltec Salinero's transitions appeared flawless throughout and Van Grunsven acknowledged they were nearly seamless and certainly a strong point in his score. “I must say that I have this wonderful horse that is just a great talent for all these things. He's amazing for me as well. This morning he was nervous in the warm-up ring because the crowd was there but when I rode him for the test he immediately felt really good. I couldn't be happier and I don't know what could have been a weak point.”
Second placed Werth has been riding Warum Nicht FRH for three years, but only for a year at the Grand Prix level. She created her own choreography and described it as “very difficult.” Werth explained, “There are a lot of extensions and collections back-to-back and that's very difficult and that makes all the difference.” Her soundtrack included Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Pomp and Circumstance, which she feels is music her horse “wears” well. Commenting on the challenge to catch van Grunsven's score, Werth said. “I try my best. He's only 10 and he grew up in such a good way. He's getting more and more steady and relaxed. There's no question that the horse is a world-class horse. He has to become more experienced, but the quality and potential is great and so we'll see what happens.”
Brink and his 15-year-old Grand Prix veteran Bjorsells Briar 899 placed second over Werth in the Grand Prix, but the two reversed positions in the freestyle. “My feeling in the Grand Prix was that I had my horse a little bit more in front of me and my leg,” Brink explained. “He was okay today as well, but I had some small mistakes because of that. That has nothing to do with him; it has to do with how I warmed him up. Maybe I should make him a little bit more [forward] in the beginning, otherwise I was really in tune with the music.”
Edward Gal of The Netherlands, who is van Grunsven's student, entered the World Cup Final ranked second in the Western European League and second in the FEI/BCM Dressage Riders' World Ranking List (van Grunsven was first in both) with the Dutch stallion Group 4 Lingh Securior, but he finished a mistake-ridden Grand Prix on Thursday, scoring 71.917% for sixth place. Last night the pair rode to fourth place with a score of 79.07%.
The disappointing performances were due to a slight injury that went undiscovered until after the Grand Prix. “When I went into the Grand Prix there was nothing, then suddenly I felt in the first half-pass that he was responding weird on my leg on my right side,” Gal explained, “but I didn't know what it was and I couldn't do anything and that's why he cantered in the piaffe and there were mistakes in the ones and the twos.” After the test, Gal discovered there was a large swelling under the girth that had been visibly swelling during the test he was told. A veterinarian informed Gal that it was likely a “popped vein.” The injury was iced for the next two days and the swelling began to go down.
Another rider who had a bit of bad luck in the World Cup was 24-year-old Laurens van Lieren of the Netherlands riding Hexagon's Ollright. The pair placed fifth in the Grand Prix, but ended up seventh. Starting off with a lovely test, the pair incurred a big mistake in a transition early in the test that was compounded when a loud crash emitted from one of the VIP area balconies shortly after. The duo was attempting a segment that included extended trot, to piaffe, a pirouette and then extended trot back across the arena but the horse stopped in the pirouette to gasps from the crowd.
“I started my canter pirouette. He was really good and balanced and I perhaps wanted too much, but he did it because of the flashbulbs, that was the direct cause,” explained van Lieren. “Normally that is like a piece of cake. His extensions are mega! His piaffe is really good.” Van Lieren said he quickly got himself back together again and started the extended trot back when the crash resounded. “I was even more shocked than my horse. I lost every kind of feeling, contact, I was paralyzed and it took me too long to get that back,” he noted. The rest of the test went as planned and the judges rewarded it with a score of 75.30%. “I must say I really, really owe it to my horse. I love him for it. He has such a good mind,” enthused van Lieren.
Results (23.04.06)
FEI Word Cup – Amsterdam – Holanda
Grand Prix Freestyle
1º Anky van Grunsven (Hol) / Salinero / 87,75
2º Isabell Werth (Ale) / Warum Nicht Frh / 81,15
3º Jan Brink (Sue) / Björsells Briar 899 / 79,325
4º Edward Gal (Hol) / Group 4 Securicor Lingh / 79,075
5º Imke Schellekens-Bartels (Hol) / Sunrise / 76,925
6º Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff (Ale) / Wahajama-Unicef / 76,75
7º Laurens van Lieren (Hol) / Hexagon's Ollright / 75,3
8º Louise Nathhorst (Sue) / Guinness 888 / 73,8
9º Löne Jorgensen (Din) / Hardhof's Ludewig G / 72,7
10º Jeroen Devroe (Bel) / Paganini / 71,05
11º Ellen Schulten-Baumer (Ale) / Donatha S / 70,375
12º Arlene Page (USA) / Wild One / 69,65