On another record-breaking day of dressage, the Dutch secured their second successive team title and their final rider, Edward Gal, set a new world record in the Grand Prix at the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships at Windsor, Great Britain today.
Already leading after the first two team members completed their tests yesterday, gold was secured when third-line rider, Olympic champion Anky Van Grunsven, added a score of 73.872% to the Dutch tally this morning. And Gal then put the icing on the cake when wowing the crowd with another sensational performance from the fabulous stallion Moorlands Totilas who is taking this sport by storm.
The home crowd had plenty to celebrate when Great Britain claimed silver ahead of Germany – Laura Bechtolsheimer's excellent score of 76.638% opening the door and Emma Hindle sealing it when last in for the host country. Germany had to settle for bronze, but it was a significant achievement for the once-dominant nation that struggled so hard during the selection process due to absence and injuries.
NERVOUS
Van Grunsven said that Salinero was nervous going into the ring “and he doesn't like the weather, he likes it hot but it's cold and windy here!” she added. She admitted they made “too many mistakes” – the 15 year old gelding breaking during the second canter changes and unwilling to halt properly on either entry or completion of the test. “I'm not depressed” she said however, “I hope now he will settle down and tomorrow we will be much better”.
Bechtsolheimer's personal-best result seriously strengthened Britain's chances, her 14 year old chestnut gelding, Mistral Hojris, earning consistently good marks in passage and awarded three 9's for his final piaffe. “This has been his best-ever season” said the 24 year old from Gloucestershire who graduated from Bristol University two years ago with degrees in Philosophy and Politics and whose father, Wilfried, was also a British dressage team member. “This is the most honest horse I've ever ridden and I've worked hard with our Sports Psychologist, Joss Brooks, since returning from Hong Kong last year. I've learned that there is only so much you can do and after that its up to your horse and yourself to do your very best on the day – don't get hung up on the mistakes” she pointed out. And she is really looking forward to tomorrow's Grand Prix Special and Saturday's Freestyle –
“I've done my bit for the team, so now I can take all the risks I want and really go for it!” she pointed out.
CLOSING STAGES
When Hindle came into the ring in the closing stages it was clear that a score of over 70.512% would clinch silver for the home team. Matthias -Alexander Rath and Stertaler-Unicef had kept the pressure on when returning a mark of 75.617%, but it was not quite enough to tilt the balance when the final German representatives, Monika Theodorescu and Whisper, registered 72.340%. Hindle kept a clear head and with strong scores for passage and pirouette she exceeeded the percentage required when registering 72.936% with Lancet.
So the British edged the Germans into bronze by a margin of just 2.425% to take their second-ever team silver finishing spot, the last recorded in 1993 when Emile Faurie also claimed individual bronze.
Gal brought the afternoon to the perfect conclusion with another breath-taking test from Moorlands Totilas. The black stallion moves so freely he almost tips his nose with his knees as he fires his forelegs into action in extended trot and lifts them high in passage and piaffe. He is already creating an awestruck atmosphere every time he strides into the arena, and you could hear a pin drop, and sighs of delight from the crowd, as he executed so many of his rider's instructions to near-perfection. The judges clearly loved him, and the crowd gave this exciting partnership a rousing reception as they took their bow after picking up 9's and 10's all over the place to shoot to the top of the individual scoreboard with 84.085% – a new record-breaking Grand Prix dressage score. He pushed his team-mate, first-day leader Adelinde Cornelissen, into individual second spot with Parzival while Bechtolsheimer claimed third.
FEELS SO GOOD
Asked how it feels to ride a horse with such exquisite movement Gal said afterwards “it feels so good, but you have to be careful how much pressure you put on him because when it goes wrong it goes REALLY wrong!”. And he believes that despite his already exceptional talent Totilas has even more to give “there is still some room for improvement” he said. He recalled the first time he sat on the stallion because it was a bit scarey. “I didn't
like him at all, he had so much power and I wasn't convinced I could control it” so the next time he went back to try him he took a friend who sat up on the horse first. Of course it's a different story now and he wouldn't part with him for the world. “We've had lots of offers for him but he's not for sale – as long as I want to ride him he will not be sold and I want to ride him until we score 100%!” he added. Somehow with Totilas, that doesn't seem altogether impossible….
Sweden finished fourth, just over four percentage points behind the Germans in bronze medal position and just over one percentage point ahead of Denmark in fifth place. Tomorrow the top-30 go into the Grand Prix Special and the best 15 then go forward to Saturday's Freestyle.
QUOTES
Monica Theordorescu, German team member “it's been a great week for us so far, we've pulled together very well as a team. Before we came people said we had a weak team but we are very happy with our bronze medals. And this is only the first international competition ever for Mathias his very best score”.
David Holmes, FEI Executive Sports Director when asked about the absence of horses from the medal ceremony – “the decision to have only the riders in the ring was taken following concerns expressed about the welfare of some horses before the prize-giving. The most important thing is the welfare of the horse”.
Edward Gal, Dutch team member “my horse doesn't know he's a star – he doesn't feel arrogant or anything, he just does what he does because he can”.
Edward Gal, Dutch team member “if Totilas has a weakness then the only thing is his age”
Anky Van Grunsven, talking about entering the ring with Salinero while the crowd were cheering Laura Bechtolsheimer's performance “I did it on purpose, it's good for him to hear that, Salinero should be old enough to do that now”.
Russian rider, Alexandra Korelova, who was a little disappointed when finishing individually 22nd with Balagur “If he wants he can do anything – today he wanted it too much I think. He was in a bit of a hurry!”.
FACTS AND FIGURES
12 teams started the competition but only 11 completed when Marc Boblet and Whitni Star had to withdraw when the horse was unsound in the warm-up ring.
The judges were:
At E: Katrina Wuest (Ger), At H: Francis Verbeek-Van Rooy (Ned), At C: Eric Lette (Swe), At M: Dr Wojetc Markowski (Pol), At B: Stephen Clarke (GBR).
RESULT:
1 – GOLD : The Netherlands – Hunter Douglas Sunrise (Imke Schellekens-Bartels) 73.149%, Parzival (Adelinde Cornelissen) 80.638%, Salinero (Anky Van Grunsven) 73.872%, Moorlands Totilas (Edward Gal) 84.085%.
2 – SILVER : Great Britain – Two Sox (Maria Eilberg) 67.915%, Liebling 11 (Carl Hester) 72.085%, Mistral Hojris (Laura Bechtolsheimer) 76.638%, Lancet (Emma Hindle) 72.936%.
3 – BRONZE : Germany – Potomac (Susanne Lebek) 71.277%, Donatha S (Ellen Schulten-Baumer) 70.638%, Sterntaler-Unicef (Matthias-Alexander Rath) 75.617%, Whisper (Monica Theodorescu) 72.340%.
4 – Sweden – Galliano (Maria Eriksson) 66.936%, Don Charly (Minna Telde) 69.957%, Watermill Scandic HBC (Patrick Kittel) 72.255%, Favourit (Tinne
Vilhelmson-Silfven) 72.340%.
5 – Denmark – Gredstedgards Casmir (Sune Hansen) 68.043%, Exquis Clearwater (Anne Van Olst) 69.404%, Tannenhof's Carabas (Andreas Helgstrand)
70.809%, Digby (Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) 72.894%.