Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

FALSTERBO, Sweden, July 8–Anky van Grunsven, the most successful rider in the Exquis World Dressage Masters, on Thursday rode a newly recovered IPS Painted Black to victory in the Grand Prix of the first €100,000 CDI5* competitions staged by the Falsterbo Horse Show.

Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven, one of Sweden’s most popular dressage stars, gave the big crowd that turned out to support the event good cause to applaud even more enthusiastically than they did for all the riders when she and the 11-year-old Favourit turned in a performance that placed them second.

Anky and the 13-year-old stallion Painted Black was the unanimous choice by the judges for first place in the Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe Grand Prix presented by Agria with a score of 75.234 per cent with Tinne and Favourit posting marks of 71.957 per cent. Germany’s Anja Plönzke and Le Mont d’Or, competing in their fourth WDM CDI5* event so far this year–Palm Beach in the USA, Munich, Germany and Cannes, France in addition to Falsterbo–was third on 68.723 per cent.

Fourteen combinations from six nations started in the €10,000 Grand Prix. The €30,000 Grand Prix Special will be held Friday and the €60,000 Grand Prix Freestyle Saturday, that brings to €525,000 the total prize money offered at the five WDM events this year.

After the Falsterbo Horse Show which is also hosting a Meydan FEI Nations Cup, the final WDM even of the year will be at Hickstead, England, which will feature the world’s top horse and rider combinations — Moorlands Totilas ridden by Edward Gal and Jerich Parzival ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen. Hickstead will be the final selection event for the Dutch team for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

Anky said after the victory in Thursday’s Grand Prix that she was happy with the ride as Painted Black was “very focused on me” in his first competition since a small injury sidelined the stallion. Salinero, her 2008 Olympic gold medal mount, is also recovering from an injury to his withers that she thinks may have occurred by Salinero rolling in his stall.

Being able to train in the competition arena on Wednesday night before a big crowd helped Painted Black become used to the stadium, she said.

Tinne’s mount, Favourit, is owned by Antonia Ax:son Johnson whose Axel Johnson Gruppen is the main sponsor that worked to bring WDM to Sweden.

“WDM is a brilliant idea,” said the five-time Olympian who has been working with Antonia Ax:son Johnson on her equestrian program for the past 10 years.

“”It’s very important for the sport and really good for the riders.”

Complete results of the Grand Prix:

Place			Rider	Horse/Sire/Damsire/Owner	E	H	C	M	B
1			Anky van Grunsven	IPS Painted BlackGribaldi – Ferro Equestrian International BV	75.3191	74.4681	76.1701	75.1061	75.1061	75.2341
2			Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven	FavouritFidermark – Worldchamp Schulte-Böcker, Eberhard	72.1282	72.5532	70.6382	71.4892	72.9792	71.9572
3		5	Anja Plönzke	Le Mont d’OrLandjuwel Gold – Wie Weltmeyer Braul, Heinz	70.0003	68.5113	68.0854	68.9364	68.0855	68.7233
4			Ulla Salzgeber	WakanaWolkentanz II – Wanderbursch II AP Niederzimmern GmbH & Co.KG	68.9364	65.9578	65.9578	70.2133	67.2347	67.6604
5			Jonny Hilberath	AmüsantAlabaster – Absatz	67.2345	68.2984	68.9363	66.3836	67.2347	67.6175
6			Charlotte Haid Bondergaard	LydianusLorentin ! – Caribo G Petersen	66.8096	66.5966	67.8725	65.10611	68.7233	67.0216
7			Aat van Essen	PremierJazz – Ulft	66.1708	65.53210	65.9578	67.0215	68.5114	66.6387
8			Patrik KittelTranås Ridklubb	Kohlpharmas Florett AsFlorestan I – Urofino Günter Stegemann	66.5967	65.53210	65.53212	66.3836	66.17011	66.0438
8			Minna TeldeSvedens PK	Larina HömSolos Landtinus – Carano Tage Jepsen	65.31911	64.46812	67.0217	65.31910	68.0855	66.0438
10			Christa Laarakkers	Divoza Horseworld OvationCabochon – Apollonios XXG. Pelgrum	65.10613	66.1707	65.74511	66.3836	66.3839	65.95710
11			Catherine Haddad	WinyamaroWalt Disney – Trapper	65.53210	67.2345	67.6606	64.89412	64.04313	65.87211
12			Michal Rapcewicz	RandonCzuwaj – Famino	65.7459	65.9578	65.9578	63.40414	65.10612	65.23412
13			Katarzyna Milczarek	EkwadorHeraldik xx – Corofino holst	65.31911	64.04313	63.40413	65.7459	66.3839	64.97913
14			Evi Strasser	Quantum TymeQuattro – Argentinius	63.40414	64.04313	63.19114	63.61713	63.83014	63.61714