Peter Gmoser & Cointreau Score One for Home Side with Victory in Vienna CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

VIENNA, Nov. 11–Peter Gmoser’s Cointreau showed that despite his age of 17 years he is fully recovered from an injury that kept the Austrian combination from seeking a start at the summer Olympics in London by winning the Vienna Dressage CDI4* Grand Prix musical freestyle Sunday with their best score in more than three years.

The victory by Peter and the Oldenburg gelding on a score of 73.025 per cent was the best result for the pair after riding on their nation’s team at the 2009 European Championships to end up a year later as the only representatives from Austria at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

After WEG, Peter competed Cointreau (Canaster I x Friederike x Figaro) in only a a half-dozen shows over the next year to maintain the horse’s fitness but not to push after an international Grand Prix career that began in March, 2008 so as to have the horse fresh for a campaign for a start in London.

Following a break for the winter of 2012, Cointreau came up lame, dashing Olympic dreams.

Now, riding to the music from “Fiddler on the Roof,” Cointreau showed the home crowd at the Wiener Pferdefest Sunday he is fit and willing.

Russia’s Elena Sidneva on Romeo-Star took the runnerup spot with 70.875 per cent and fellow Austrian Christian Schumach on Auheim’s Picardo was third on 70.700 per cent.

Peter and Cointreau placed third in the Grand Prix, the highest finishing Austrian pair while Karin Kosak on Lucy’s Day were third for the highest placing for Austria in the Special.

“I bought him to compete at the Olympics in London,” he said after the ride. “The Europeans in 2009 and Kentucky worked out.

“London did not work out. But life goes on. You get up again and go on fighting.”

The goal for 2013, he said, is to compete for Austria at the European Championships in Denmark.

He hopes to have both Cointreau and Two to Tango, the 12-year-old gelding born in the U.S. out of Idocus, competition fit so he can choose which would be the best prospect for the Europeans.

RESULTS:

Grand Prix Freestyle
1.		Cointreau	Gmoser, Peter	AUT		€3800.00	73.025 points
	B 16-j.H v.Canaster I/M.v.Figaro/OLDBG/GER24505/B: Peter Gmoser
2.		Romeo-Star	Sidneva, Elena	RUS		€2700.00	70.875 points
	B 11-j.H v.Romantic Star/M.v.Mister A/HANN/RUS40441/B: Mrs. Ludmila Dmitrieva
3.		Auheim’s Picardo	Schumach, Christian	AUT		€1700.00	70.700 points
	B 11-j.H v.Prince Thatch XX/M.v.World Cup I/HANN/103DP44/B: Mag. di Ägyd Pengg
4.		Don Androsso	Birkenholz, Katharina	GER		€1200.00	70.625 points
	F 13-j.W v.Donnerschlag/M.v.Akzent II/BAWÜ/GER42209/B: Birkenholz Katharina
5.		Sydney	Rawlins, Dane	IRL		€1000.00	67.225 points
	B 13-j.S v.Linaro/M.v.Calypso II/HOLST/GBR14528/B: Dame Pauline Harris & Dane Raw
6.		Waldano	Wergetis, Katrin	AUT		€800.00	64.975 points
	F 13-j.W v.Walt Disney I/M.v.Lemon XX/HANN/AUT40944/B: Kathrin Wergetis
7.		Daiquiri	Paprocka-Campanella, Anna	ITA		€700.00	64.775 points
	B 13-j.W v.Donnerbube I/M.v.Justinian XX/WESTF/GER45923/B: Boeckmann-Heinrich Cor
8.		Harmonia	Soldi, Ester	ITA		€500.00	63.800 points
	B 13-j.S v.Lord Alexander/M.v.Hars/PHBA/102QI19/B: Soldi Ester