Exquis World Dressage Masters 2nd Event Held in Munich This Week
16 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Exquis World Dressage Masters 2nd Event Held in Munich This Week
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
MUNICH, Germany, May. 18–The Exquis World Dressage Masters with its €100,000 (US$135,550) of prize money for each of four events moves to Munich this week with the hottest competition expected from Germans Isabell Werth and Ulla Salzgeber.
Twenty of the top dressage riders from at least six countries will be seeking a slice of the purse at the CDI5*. All will ride in the Grand Prix with prize money of €10,000 (US$13,555) on Friday, 12 will move on to the Grand Prix Special and its €30,000 (US$40,665) purse on Saturday and eight compete in the Grand Prix for a piece of the biggest prize, €60,000 (US$81,333) on Sunday.
Riders who have entered include Isabell Werth, Nadine Capellmann, Hubertus Schmidt, Ulla Salzgeber and Dieter Laugks of Germany, Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Sander Marijnissen of The Netherlands, Anne van Olst and Nathaly zu Sayn Wittgenstein of Denmark, Victoria Max-Theurer of Austria, Kyra Kyrklund of Finland and Catherine Haddad of the United States.
The competition between Werth and Salzgeber is expected to be an exciting highlight.
Werth’s position at the top of world dressage along with The Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven is being challenged more today for many years by former Olympic and World Cup champion Salzgeber on her spectacular horses, Herzruf’s Erbe, a 10-year-old Rhineland gelding on which she has won the last three Grand Prix she has entered, and the nine-year-old Thuringian mare, Wakana.
The Pferde (Horse) International, München in the 1972 Olympic Equestrian Stadium is the second in the 2009 series that began in Palm Beach, Florida in January. New footing has been installed in both the warm up and competition arenas. The event is known for its entertainment, demonstrations, shows, clinics and one of the biggest outdoor exhibitions in Europe.
All of three World Dressage Masters classes will be broadcast live on the Internet on www.clipmyhorse.de and www.worlddressagemasters.com.
At the Palm Beach World Dressage Masters, the winner of the Grand Prix was the USA’s Steffen Peters and Ravel who later went on to take the Rolex FEI World Cup. The Grand Prix Special was won by Michael Barisone and Neruda of the USA who gave up their place in the Grand Prix Kür to Anky van Grunsven and IPS Painted Black who had not qualified in the top eight.
