Dressage-News

ZHASHKIV, Ukraine, Mar. 30– The Ukraine’s Inna Logutenkova and Vian Stallone won the Central European League World Cup Final Saturday night to earn a start at the final of the only annual global championship in dressage that will be held in Gothenberg, Sweden in late April.

Inna and the 14-year-old KWPN gelding (Lancet x Cera x Symfonie) came from seventh place in the rankings to capture top spot with a score of 71.750 per cent in the last of four league finals for the World Cup. The Western European, Pacific and North American leagues have already wrapped up their competitions for the 2012/2013 season.

Russia’s Tatiana Dorofeeva and Khorovod were second on 70.600 per cent and Katsiaryna Varchenia of Belarus and Redford 2 were third on 69.675 per cent.

Poland’s Michal Rapcewicz was eliminated when Randon, the horse he competed at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games, showed blood on both sides from what officiails determined was caused by spur marks and a yellow disciplinary card was issued to the rider.

The Polish SP gelding began his Grand Prix career in 2006 and was ridden at both World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany that year as well Lexington Kentucky in 2010 as well as Euopean Championships several World Cup Finals in both Europe and the United States.

Entering Saturday night’s Freestyle, Belarusians Sviatlana Loika and Katsiaryna Varchenia were joint leaders of the Central European League standings.

Eight qualifying legs took place in Central Europe, with riders also permitted to take points from the Western European legs at Stuttgart, Germany and Stockholm, Sweden last November. The series began in Zhashkiv last May, where Austria’s Stefan Peter won with Don Walesko ahead of the Inna Logutenkova who filled both second and third places partnering Vian Stallone and Don Gregorius, respectively. Sviatlana Loika and her top ride, Gulbis, managed a fifth-place finish behind Morocco’s Yassine Rahmouni on Floresco NRW.

However, Sviatlana Loika moved up to third place at the following event in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia last June where the host country’s Alexandra Korelova and Baikal stood atop the podium with Katsiaryna Varchenis and Redford 2 in runner-up spot.

The big guns came out for the third leg at Lipica, Slovenia where Switzerland’s Marcela Krinke Susmelj and Smeyers Molberg held sway over Italy’s Valentina Truppa who would go on to make a big impact later in the year in the Western European League series. Frenchman, Arnaud Serre and Helio took third at Lipica ahead of Germany’s Matthias Kempkes and Corado, but at Bmo-Panska Licha in the Czech Republic a few weeks later, Poland’s Katarzyna Milczarek and Ekwador headed Sebastien Duperdu from France with Passe Partout. Austria’s Karis Kosak and Lucy’s Day finished third while Germany’s Martina Hannover-Sternberg on Ratino H filled fourth spot.

Russian riders reigned supreme in Moscow in early September where Tatiana Dorofeeva on Khorovod beat countrywoman Alexandra Korelova on Baikal, but Sviatlana Loika’s points accumulation was steadily building with third spot ahead of Russia’s Ksenia Morozkina and Absolutely Fabulous while Balarusian Katsiaryna Varchenia finished fifth.

At Wroclaw, Poland later that month a number of the Western European League contenders lined up once again, and it was Switzerland’s Krinke Susmelj won ahead of Canada’s Pia Fortmuller on Orion while Katarzyn Milczarek settled for third with Florencia B. The Netherlands’ Marlies van Baalen and BMC Miciano were fourth with Sweden’s Roe Mathisen and Bocelli in fifth while the well-travelled Polish partnership of Michal Rapcewizz and Randon took sixth.

Just three lined out at Minsk in Belarus in late September where Katsiaryna Varchenia improved her position with the victory riding Redford ahead of Belarusia’s Sviatlana Loika and Gulbis while Russia’s Ksenia Morozkina and Absolutely Fabulous took third behind the Belarusian partnership who were already on equal top spot in the series.

RESULTS; Grand Prix Freestyle