Anky van Grunsven headed the field a full three per cent in command to win today’s qualifying Grand Prix, the first stage of the 2006 FEI World Cup Dressage Final. The reigning champions were given a hushed atmosphere in Amsterdam’s Europahal for their test, many elements of which pleased van Grunsven. She said: “Keltec Salinero felt good. He was a little bit tense in his extended walk and for myself, the zig zag could have been better but he even stood for his last halt which was pretty spectacular!”
Bjorsells Briar and Warum Nicht FRH were close together in second and third places for Jan Brink and Isabell Werth respectively. Judge at C, Britain’s Jennie Loriston-Clarke, commented: “It was a good class with some nice performances. The piaffe and passage were highlights for Anky. Jan had a mistake in the two-time changes but the rest was steady throught and Isabell’s Warum Nicht, in an otherwise lovely test, just lost his balance in the final extended trot which was a shame as it had been worth a ‘nine’ until that point.”
Mrs Loriston-Clarke also picked out Imke Schellekens-Bartels’ fourth placed test with Sunrise which showed “some very nice work” and US rider Arlene Page’s seventh placed test with Wild One, a great start in the pair’s debut representing their country.
Unfortunately not all the riders had the easiest time. Edward Gal’s Lingh made a lot of mistakes and Wahajama UNICEF ‘blew up’ in the first piaffe passage tour which was disappointing for Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff and while poor Cindy Ishoy got little co-operation from Proton.
But all who qualified for the Final on Saturday have it all to play for. The playing field is level with just the freestyle scores to count, and with a sell-out crowd the atmosphere should be hot for the 2006 FEI World Cup Dressage Final.
Result
FEI World Cup Dressage Final Grand Prix
Presented by Kampmann
1, Keltec Salinero (A van Grunsven NED) 78.250
2, Bjorsells Briar (J Brink SWE) 75.416
3, Warum Nicht FRH (I Werth GER) 75.208
4, Sunrise (I Schellekens-Bartels NED) 72.791
5, Hexagon’s Ollright (L van Lieren NED) 72.416
6, Group 4 Securicor Lingh (E Gal NED) 71.916
7, Wild One (A Page USA) 71.00
8, Guinness (L Nathhorst SWE) 69.416
9, Donatha S (E Schulten-Baumer GER) 68.916
10, Wahajama UNICEF (A K Linsenhoff GER) 68.75
11, Hardthof’s Ludewig (L Joergensen DEN) 68.00
12, Paganini (J Devroe BEL) 67.625
13, Royal Black Label (E Kalinina RUS) 67.00
14, Tip Top (L Morse USA) 66.958
15, Douglas Dorsey (L Bechtolsheimer GBR) 66.541
16, Wilson (K von Krusenstierna SWE) 65.541
17, Zorro (I Porturaeva RUS) 63.458
18, Proton (C Ishoy CAN) 61.291
TIMETABLE
Saturday April 22nd
11.15
FEI World Cup ‘B’ Final (for riders placed 13-18)
13.30
FEI World Cup Final 2006 (for riders placed 1-12)
Website: www.jumping-amsterdam.nl
For further information on the FEI World Cup www.feiworldcup.org
For rider bios and further information on the FEI www.horsesport.org
The FEI World Cup Dressage, initiated in 1985, is the only worldwide series in this discipline. It comprises qualifying leagues encompassing Western and Central Europe, North America, Canada and Australia. Each FEI World Cup Dressage qualifier comprises a Grand Prix test, which in turn is a qualification for the Freestyle to Music competition, where league points are accumulated towards places in the Final. Judged on both technical and artistic merit, the FEI World Cup Dressage combines art, sport and partnership between horse and rider at the highest level and consistently proves a winning formula with audiences all over the world.
www.horsesport.org
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