Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas. Photo: Kit Houghton
’s-HERTOGENBOSCH, The Netherlands, Mar. 27–Edward Gal rode Moorlands Totilas to their first World Cup championship Saturday, with a score for their musical freestyle that was near 90 per cent.
Edward and the 10-year-old black stallion scored 89.800 per cent that confirmed them as being in a league of their own, with Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival in second place on 82.850 per cent and Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Hunter Douglas Sunrise third on 82.150 per cent.
“When I came into the arena I thought it could be better – and it was!” said the 40-year-old Edward who led the trio of Dutch riders filling the top three places in the only annual worldwide championship. And they were also the only riders to score above 80 per cent. Germany’s Isabell Werth and Warum Nicht FRH came fourth with 79.750 per cent.
Gal admitted that when he and Totilas set off as the last combination he was concerned that his horse would again become over-excited as he passed the crowd on his way into the arena as had happened two days earlier.
But Totilas was much more concentrated and began with extended trot that displayed all of his trademark extravagance.
“I could feel it was going to be better, and in the middle of the test I started to breathe again and it was much more relaxed,” he said.
He sets such high standards for himself and the horse that nothing less than excellence will do.
“That’s part of the pressure of riding him.” he explained.
“I know he’s special and he deserves to win,” he said, “and on Thursday I was so upset for him and so surprised when he was tense because he’s not usually like that. The thing about him is that he has so much power, and sometimes he can use it against you.
“Today he worked with me instead and I am very, very happy!”
Edward and Totilas set the world record for the freestyle of 92.300 per cent at London’s Olympia International Horse Show last December. By winning this World Cup Final on its 25th anniversary, Edward became only the second Dutch rider to hold the title. Compatriot Anky van Grunsven was the only previous Dutch winner, but she won the championship nine times on two different horses, one of them being Salinero on whom she won the Grand Prix Special earlier in the day but was not a World Cup class.
Now, Edward will focus completely on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in September, championships held only once every four years and, within the horse world, as prestigious as the Olympics.
Their finish Saturday in the only class that counted for the title, reversed the upset by Adelinde and Parzival winning the opening Grand Prix Thursday night. Plus, they took home €56,000 (US$75,000) in first place prize money plus €7,000 (US$9,380) for second place in the Grand Prix. Adelinde’s runnerup purse was €42,000 (US$56,000) plus €9,000 (US$12,000) for the Grand Prix victory.
Parzival’s easy elevation, natural rhythm and powerful movement was complemented by a creative new routine that highlighted the chestnut gelding’s athleticism in pirouette. However, Adelinde admitted afterward that she had only practised the routine once before, and that a mistake in the one-tempi changes when Parzival simply stopped executing them, was entirely her own.
“It was quite a risk,” she said. “I kept thinking about where I was in the test and I stopped asking him to do the changes so he stopped doing them, but then I remembered again and he continued. It wasn’t his fault, it was completely mine!”
Her new musical score, a medley of Tchaikovsky, was created by Pyntago.
“I left it to them to decide what music to use because I like every style of music from rock and roll to classical to country music,” she said. “They have done a great job because I felt Parzival needed lighter and happier music to match his personality and this is great!”
Imke Schellekens-Bartels whose elegant mare, Hunter Douglas Sunrise, has been performing at her best this season, said: “She was so good and so loose, she has never felt better and I am so happy. She has been in the best form life this year.”
Isabell Werth acknowledged how high the bar has been raised in the sport over the past 12 months. The sport, up to then, had been dominated for well over a decade by Anky and Isabell.
“The Dutch riders are strong, but we don’t give up,” she said. “We will just fight to get closer and closer to them.”
Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival. Photo: Kit Houghton
In the 25 years of the World Cup, four German riders have won the title–Isabell on two different horses–one Swiss, one French, one Swede, One Finn, one Dane, two Americans and, now, two Dutch.
Grand Prix Musical Freestyle results:
| RK | HORSE | RIDER | CHF | E | H | C | M | B | Total | Perc. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MOORLANDS TOTILAS – KWPN Stallion\Black\2000\Gribaldi x Glendale\ |
Edward GAL (NED) | 80,000.00 | 85.00 95.00 |
85.00 92.00 |
87.50 96.00 |
84.50 95.00 |
86.00 92.00 |
898.00 | 89.800 | ||
| 2 | JERICH PARZIVAL – KWPN Gelding\Chestnut\1997\Jazz x Ulft\ |
Adelinde CORNELISSEN (NED) | 60,000.00 | 82.50 90.00 |
77.50 83.00 |
80.50 92.00 |
77.00 86.00 |
76.00 84.00 |
828.50 | 82.850 | ||
| 3 | HUNTER DOUGLAS SUNRISE – HANN Mare\DarkBay\1994\Singular Joter x Werther\ |
Imke SCHELLEKENS-BARTELS (NED) | 40,000.00 | 78.00 89.00 |
77.50 87.00 |
80.50 93.00 |
73.50 85.00 |
75.00 83.00 |
821.50 | 82.150 | ||
| 4 | WARUM NICHT FRH – HANN Gelding\Chestnut\1996\Weltmeyer x Wenzel I\ |
Isabell WERTH (GER) | 22,000.00 | 75.00 84.00 |
74.50 81.00 |
77.50 91.00 |
73.50 85.00 |
73.00 83.00 |
797.50 | 79.750 | ||
| 5 | WATERMILL SCANDIC H.B.C – KWPN Stallion\Chestnut\1999\Solos carex DVH x Amiral ZW.P.S.\ |
Patrik KITTEL (SWE) | 12,000.00 | 73.00 83.00 |
72.50 78.00 |
75.50 87.00 |
70.50 80.00 |
70.00 76.00 |
765.50 | 76.550 | ||
| 6 | DIGBY – DWB Gelding\DarkBay\1997\Donnerhall x Sandro\ |
Nathalie zu SAYN-WITTGENSTEIN (DEN) | 7,000.00 | 73.50 78.00 |
73.50 76.00 |
73.00 82.00 |
71.00 79.00 |
71.50 74.00 |
751.50 | 75.150 | ||
| 7 | LE BO – HANN Gelding\Chestnut\1993\Lauries Crusador xx x Eisenherz I\ |
Carola KOPPELMANN (GER) | 5,000.00 | 71.00 78.00 |
70.00 72.00 |
72.50 81.00 |
66.50 73.00 |
72.50 76.00 |
732.50 | 73.250 | ||
| 8 | TRIVIANT-UNICEF – KWPN Gelding\Bay\2000\Olivi x Saluut\ |
Matthias Alexander RATH (GER) | 3,000.00 | 67.50 80.00 |
65.00 76.00 |
66.00 76.00 |
68.00 77.00 |
69.00 76.00 |
720.50 | 72.050 | ||
| 9 | APOLLO VAN HET VIJVERHOF – BWP Gelding\Bay\2000\Welt Hit II x Ritmeister\ |
Jeroen DEVROE (BEL) | 3,000.00 | 67.50 76.00 |
71.00 76.00 |
67.00 77.00 |
68.00 76.00 |
68.00 72.00 |
718.50 | 71.850 | ||
| 10 | VICTORY SALUTE Gelding\Bay\1996\\ |
Brett PARBERY (AUS) | 3,000.00 | 68.00 73.00 |
69.00 74.00 |
67.00 75.00 |
69.50 72.00 |
67.00 71.00 |
705.50 | 70.550 | ||
| 11 | EKWADOR – PHBA Stallion\Grey\2000\Heraldik xx x Corofino holst\ |
Katarzyna MILCZAREK (POL) | 3,000.00 | 62.00 65.00 |
67.00 70.00 |
69.00 77.00 |
67.50 73.00 |
68.50 70.00 |
689.00 | 68.900 | ||
| 12 | FAVOURIT – RHEIN Gelding\Chestnut\1999\Fidermark x Worldchamp\ |
Tinne VILHELMSON-SILFVEN (SWE) | 3,000.00 | 64.50 71.00 |
65.50 71.00 |
64.50 74.00 |
66.00 69.00 |
66.00 71.00 |
682.50 | 68.250 | ||
| 13 | RANDON – PHBA Gelding\Bay\1997\Czuwaj x Famino\ |
Michal RAPCEWICZ (POL) | 3,000.00 | 67.00 72.00 |
65.00 71.00 |
62.00 69.00 |
63.50 69.00 |
64.50 68.00 |
671.00 | 67.100 | ||
| 14 | COINTREAU – OLDBG Stallion\DarkBay\1996\Canaster 1 x Figaro\ |
Peter GMOSER (AUT) | 3,000.00 | 64.50 68.00 |
64.00 69.00 |
63.50 70.00 |
65.00 70.00 |
64.50 66.00 |
664.50 | 66.450 | ||
| 15 | SAMBA – LUS Stallion\\1999\Inca\ |
Luiza ALMEIDA (BRA) | 3,000.00 | 59.50 65.00 |
59.00 64.00 |
61.00 61.00 |
60.50 66.00 |
59.50 60.00 |
615.50 | 61.550 |
| Judge E: | Dr D. Schüle GER |
| Judge H: | Mr L. Törnblad DEN |
| Judge C: | Mrs F. Verbeek NED |
| Judge M: | Mr G. Rockwell USA |
| Judge B: | Dr V. Truppa ITA |
- Anky van Grunsven and Salinero. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Earlier, Anky claimed a consolation victory aboard her Olympic mount, Salinero, in the Grand Prix Special.
Anky and the 16-year-old gelding recovered from their fifth place finish in the qualifying Grand Prix to score 74.208 per cent, slightly ahead of Germany’s Isabell Werth and Satchmo on 74.041 per cent with Grand Prix winner Matthias Alexander Rath of Germany on Sterntaler-UNICEF placing third with 72.625 per cent.
Three of the five judges placed Isabell first while two placed Anky at the top and one, Gary Rockwell of the USA, slotted Anky into third place.
| RK | HORSE | RIDER | EUR | E | H | C | M | B | Total | Perc. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SALINERO – HANN Gelding\Bay\1994\Salieri x Lungau\ |
Anky VAN GRUNSVEN (NED) | 5,000.00 | 75.416 (1) |
71.875 (2) |
72.500 (3) |
75.625 (1) |
75.625 (2) |
1781.00 | 74.208 | ||
| 2 | SATCHMO – HANN Gelding\DarkBay\1994\Sao Paulo x Legat\ |
Isabell WERTH (GER) | 3,500.00 | 74.583 (2) |
72.916 (1) |
73.333 (1) |
73.541 (2) |
75.833 (1) |
1777.00 | 74.041 | ||
| 3 | STERNTALER-UNICEF – OLDBG Gelding\DarkBay\1995\Sion x Manstein\ |
Matthias Alexander RATH (GER) | 2,500.00 | 74.375 (3) |
71.250 (4) |
72.708 (2) |
70.208 (4) |
74.583 (3) |
1743.00 | 72.625 | ||
| 4 | SISTHER DE JEU – KWPN Mare\Bay\1999\Gribaldi x Amor\ |
Edward GAL (NED) | 1,500.00 | 71.458 (4) |
71.666 (3) |
70.625 (4) |
73.541 (2) |
73.958 (4) |
1734.00 | 72.250 | ||
| 5 | BMC O’JAY DVB – KWPN Gelding\DarkBay\1996\Jazz x Formateur\ |
Marlies VAN BAALEN (NED) | 1,000.00 | 66.041 (6) |
66.666 (5) |
66.041 (5) |
65.625 (5) |
68.125 (6) |
1596.00 | 66.500 | ||
| 6 | ROM – HANN Mare\Bay\2000\Rotspon x Wolkenstein II\ |
Carola KOPPELMANN (GER) | 500.00 | 67.083 (5) |
65.416 (7) |
65.625 (6) |
65.416 (6) |
68.541 (5) |
1594.00 | 66.416 | ||
| 7 | NARTAN – KWPN Gelding\Bay\1995\Jazz x Le Faquin\ |
Jeannette HAAZEN (NED) | 500.00 | 64.583 (7) |
65.833 (6) |
64.375 (7) |
65.208 (7) |
66.458 (7) |
1567.00 | 65.291 | ||
| 8 | DIVOZA HORSEWORLD OVATION – KWPN Gelding\Bay\1996\Cabochon x Apollonius XX\ |
Christa LAARAKKERS (NED) | 500.00 | 63.333 (9) |
64.375 (8) |
64.166 (8) |
64.375 (8) |
65.208 (8) |
1543.00 | 64.291 | ||
| 9 | RIVER OF JOY – HANN Gelding\Bay\1999\Ravallo x Cavalier\ |
Ellen SCHULTEN-BAUMER (GER) | 64.583 (7) |
63.958 (9) |
63.958 (9) |
63.541 (9) |
63.958 (9) |
1536.00 | 64.000 |
| Judge E: | Dr V. Truppa ITA |
| Judge H: | Dr D. Schüle GER |
| Judge C: | Mr G. Rockwell USA |
| Judge M: | Mrs F. Verbeek NED |
| Judge B: | Mr L. Törnblad DEN |
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