Dressage-News

Monica Theodorescu and Whisper in the Aachen CDI4* Grand Prix. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

AACHEN, Germany, July 4–Monica Theodorescu rode Whisper to victory in the World Equestrian Festival CDI4* Grand Prix Wednesday, while a third place finish for Isabell Werth and Don Johnson may have put paid to her hopes of competing at her fifth Olympic Games.

Monica and the 14-year-old Württemberger gelding (Welt Hit 1 x Widney x Wellstar) were scored at 74.319 per cent, the best result for the pair in more than 3 1/2 years. The German rider and Whisper began their international Grand Prix career five years ago.

Austria’s Victoria Max-Theurer and Eichendorff were second with a score of 73.830 per cent, a personal best at Grand Prix for Vici and the 14-year-old Westfalen stallion (Ehrentusch x Florence x Ferragamo) in the five years of their Grand Prix partnership. Vici is heading to her third Olympics in London later this month, on her top mount, Augustin OLD.

The score of 73.404 per cent to give Isabell and Don Johnson third place most likely has ended her chances of adding to her tally of  four team and one individual gold medals, a record in dressage.

The 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Don Frederico x Werona x Warkant) appeared tense at the beginnig of the ride and led to mistakes.

El Santo NRW, her other Grand Prix horse, has also disappointed this year.

Isabell was not selected for the German team for the Nations Cup on Thursday, one of the hghlights of this show that attracts the largest number of spectators, well over a half-million, for dressage,driving, eventing, jumping and vaulting that offers €330,000 (US$414,400) in prize money for dressage alone.

Germany’s Olympic team will be announced this weekend, as will the Danish team.

Some of the loudest applause went to Hiroshi Hoketsu, most likely will be the oldest athlete at the age of 71 in the London Olympics, who ride his horse, also named Whisper, for a score of 65.149 per cent. At one point, his score was 71 per cent, the same as his age. The pair competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and Hiroshi, a former business executive, rode as a jumper in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

Luíza  Tavares de Almeida of Brazil, whose federation joined with the International Equestrian Federation in fighting a challenge to her Olympic selection from South America, rode Pastor to a score of 64.340 per cent and 21st place. She rode Pastor and her 2008 Olympic horse, Samba, in Olympic qualifying competitions in Brazil, most with three Brazilian judges under an excepion granted by the FEI to countries outside Europe.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland, heard the appeal filed by Yvonne Losos de Muniz of the Dominican Republic. Yvonne competed in CDIs in the United States all with three foreign judges, the same standard as Europe. She came second in the qualifying.

The court, the legal end of the road for the challenge, indicated it will announce its decision this week in time to meet the July 9 deadline for Olympic entries.

Australia’s Hayley Beresford who is riding on her country’s team in the Nations Cup Thursday has also filed an appeal with CAS over Australian selection procedures whch she describes as biased and display favoritism.

Hayley, who rode in the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Equestrian Games, was not selected for the Australian team although her results in the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Secial that will determine the Olympic team medals aboard the stallion Belissimo NRW at two European selection trials placed her second behind the overall winner, Lyndal Oatley and Sandro Boy. Lyndal’s results automatically elevated her to the team.

The selectors chose veterans Mary Hanna and Sancette and Kristy Oatley, a cousin of Lyndal, and Clive as the other two members of the three-member team.

Kristy will ride Clive in the Nations Cup Thursday, but in the CDI4* Grand Prix Wednesday she and Ronan 2 scored 66.532 per cent.

Earlier, Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Uno Donna Unique won the Prix St. Georges.

Results of the Grand Prix:

Judge E : Leif Törnblad (DEN) – Judge H : Stephen Clarke (GBR) – Judge C : Ghislain Fouarge (NED) – Judge M : Evi Eisenhardt (GER) –