Charlotte Dujardin & Valegro Set Grand Prix Special World Record at Hagen CDI4*
13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Charlotte Dujardin & Valegro Set Grand Prix Special World Record at Hagen CDI4*
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
HAGEN, Germany, April 29–Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro set the standard for the Olympics by shattering the record with an epic performance to score 88.022 per cent in the Olympic Grand Prix Special at the aptly named Horses & Dreams meets Great Britain CDI4* just 90 days before the Games in London.
The 27-year-old Briton and the 10-year-old KWPN gelding brought the crowd of 5,500 spectators to their feet in an emotional display of support for the partnership that topped the previous record of 86.46 per cent set by the former world No. 1 partnerhip of Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas at Aachen, Germany, in July, 2010.
The crowd at this premier horse show that kicks off the outdoor season for top riders from around the world were awed into total silence by the power and apparent ease of Valegro mastering the test that was created specially for the Olympics but failed to achieve the goal of what was meant to be a shortened version of the standard Grand Prix Special.
The weather that turned from an unusually hot summer-like Saturday to a chilly overcast Sunday did nothing to dampen the enthusism of the crowd for the British couple whose coach and mentor is Carl Hester, also certain to be on the team for Great Britain with Uthopia along with triple silver medalists from the 2010 World Equestrian Games, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris.
So overpowering was the ride by Charlotte on Valegro that the second placed Anna Kasprzak on Donnperignon with a score of 79.844 per cent was almost a footnote Sunday, though the emergence of several young and talented combinations along with championship veterans such as Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Andreas Helgstrand and Anne van Olst has made Denmark a possible contender for a medal in London.
Germany’s Anabel Balkenhol and Dablino were third on 78.244 per cent.
“It was unbelievable,” she said later. “I didn’t look at the scoreboard so I didn’t know what the score was. Then Carl told me and I said, “Oh, my God. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without Carl, the opportunity to ride the best horse, the training, the help.
“I’m one of the luckiest girls in the world.”
Can they score even higher?
“Yeah,” Charlotte said.
“The horse has got the power. I’m still holding back a bit. I can’t let go completely yet, especially as this was the first time we rode the Olympic Special.
“The power is beyond belief. I keep pressing him and he gives more and more.”
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| # | rider | nation | no | horse | E | H | C | M | B | Total | ||||||||||
| 1 | Charlotte Dujardin GREAT BRITAIN |  | 538 | Valegro G / KWPN / B / 2002 / / 102UB51 / B: Hester,Carl | 88,778% 399.500 (1) | 86,444% 389 (1) | 89,111% 401 (1) | 87,667% 394.500 (1) | 88,111% 396.500 (1) | 88.022% 1980.5 3.600,00 EUR |  | |||||||||
| 2 | Anna Kasprzak DENMARK |  | 217 | Donnperignon G / Fin.WB. / Df / 1999 / Donnerhall / Mozart II 79 / GER25410 / B: Hof Beckerode GmbH, / Z: Rasanen,Pekka | 80,222% 361 (2) | 78,556% 353.500 (2) | 81,111% 365 (2) | 79,556% 358 (2) | 79,778% 359 (2) | 79.844% 1796.5 2.000,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 3 | Anabel Balkenhol RV St.Georg Münster e.V. |  | 185 | Dablino G / Hann / Df / 2000 / De Niro / Wanderbursch II / GER41335 / B: Balkenhol,Klaus / Z: Sweers,Weert-Arnold | 78,333% 352.500 (3) | 77,889% 350.500 (3) | 77,889% 350.500 (3) | 78,667% 354 (4) | 78,444% 353 (3) | 78.244% 1760.5 1.300,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 4 | Isabell Werth RFV Graf v.Schmettow Eversael e.V. | | 211 | Don Johnson 14 G / Hann / B / 2002 / Don Frederico / Warkant / 102MB43 / B: Winter-Schulze,Madeleine / Z: Meyer,Ulrike | 75,000% 337.500 (4) | 77,333% 348 (4) | 75,444% 339.500 (4) | 79,444% 357.500 (3) | 75,667% 340.500 (4) | 76.578% 1723 1.000,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 5 | Monica Theodorescu RFV Warendorf e.V. | | 566 | Whisper 128 G / Württ / F / 1998 / Welt Hit I O / Weltstar / GER26878 / B: Linsenhoff,Ann Kathrin / Z: Wanner,Lothar | 73,111% 329 (5) | 73,222% 329.500 (5) | 73,889% 332.500 (5) | 74,222% 334 (5) | 72,556% 326.500 (6) | 73.400% 1651.5 800,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 6 | Laura Bechtolsheimer GREAT BRITAIN | | 805 | Andretti H G / HANN / B / 1995 / Aarking xx / Cavalier / ITA08433 / B: Bechtolsheimer, Mr. & Mrs. / Z: Hinrichs-Heinemann,Gunda | 72,889% 328 (6) | 72,000% 324 (7) | 73,556% 331 (6) | 72,556% 326.500 (6) | 73,444% 330.500 (5) | 72.889% 1640 600,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 7 | Emile Faurie GREAT BRITAIN | | 230 | Elemegardens Marquis G / DK / B / 1999 / Michellino / Lucky Light / EST40062 / B: Vaughan,Joanne | 71,778% 323 (8) | 72,222% 325 (6) | 72,444% 326 (7) | 71,667% 322.500 (7) | 72,333% 325.500 (7) | 72.089% 1622 500,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 8 | Cathrine Rasmussen NORWAY |  | 248 | Fernandez 12 G / Westf / F / 2000 / Florestan I / Weinberg / 103CD53 / B: Grewe,Stephan / Z: Hobitz,Sandra | 70,889% 319 (9) | 71,778% 323 (8) | 71,667% 322.500 (9) | 71,222% 320.500 (9) | 71,556% 322 (9) | 71.422% 1607 500,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 9 | Hubertus Schmidt Reiterverein Altenautal e.V. | | 895 | Lento 5 S / HANN / B / 2000 / Lorentin I / Caletto II / GER42971 / B: Nagel-Thornau,Peter / Z: Petersen,Uwe | 71,889% 323.500 (7) | 69,778% 314 (11) | 70,778% 318.500 (11) | 71,556% 322 (8) | 71,778% 323 (8) | 71.156% 1601 300,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 10 | Marcela Krinke-Susmelj SWITZERLAND |  | 031 | smeyers Molberg M / DK / B / 2001 / Michellino / Rambo / DEN40115 / B: Munkedal,Klaus / Z: Atterupgaard, | 70,889% 319 (9) | 70,000% 315 (10) | 71,444% 321.500 (10) | 71,222% 320.500 (9) | 70,778% 318.500 (10) | 70.867% 1594.5 300,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 11 | Siril Helljesen NORWAY | | 221 | Dorina 953 M / DK / B / 2002 / / 102QL22 / B: Helljesen,Siril | 70,889% 319 (9) | 70,111% 315.500 (9) | 72,111% 324.500 (8) | 71,000% 319.500 (11) | 69,889% 314.500 (11) | 70.800% 1593 200,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 12 | Simon Missiaen BELGIUM |  | 550 | Vradin M / KWPN / B / 2002 / / 102YA81 / B: Missiaen,Roland | 66,556% 299.500 (14) | 66,000% 297 (14) | 69,111% 311 (13) | 68,000% 306 (12) | 68,444% 308 (12) | 67.622% 1521.5 200,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 13 | Dorothee Schneider Frankf.Turnierst.Schw.Gelb e.V | | 267 | Forward Looking M / Westf / B / 2001 / Fidermark I / Dinard L / 102UG96 / B: Kippert,Gabriele / Z: Heitmann Dr.,Jan | 67,222% 302.500 (12) | 67,222% 302.500 (13) | 69,222% 311.500 (12) | 65,556% 295 (14) | 68,222% 307 (13) | 67.489% 1518.5 100,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 14 | Sabine Becker RG Ober-Castrop e.V. | | 325 | Lamarc WRT G / Old / Db / 1996 / Leggiero / Kronprinz xx / GER41542 / B: Becker,Sabine / Z: Torhorst,Gerold | 66,667% 300 (13) | 68,222% 307 (12) | 66,667% 300 (14) | 67,556% 304 (13) | 65,889% 296.500 (14) | 67.000% 1507.5 100,00 EUR | | |||||||||
| 15 | Cecilia Dorselius SWEDEN |  | 339 | Lennox 320 G / Westf / Db / 1999 / Laurentianer / Florestan I / 102SA31 / B: Svedala Ridcenter HB, / Z: Thiemann,Christoph | 61,333% 276 (15) | 60,778% 273.500 (15) | 61,667% 277.500 (15) | 60,222% 271 (15) | 62,111% 279.500 (15) | 61.222% 1377.5 100,00 EUR | | |||||||||
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