Charlotte & Valegro Near World Record in Winning Amsterdam World Cup Freestyle
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![Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, strutted to victory at the sixth leg of the World Cup Western European League in Amsterdam. © 2015FEI/Arnd Bronkhorst](http://www.dressage-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Charlotte-Dujardin-Valegro.jpg)
AMSTERDAM, Jan. 31, 2015–Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro came close to their world record score in winning the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle at Jumping Amsterdam Saturday ahead of defending the duo’s title in Las Vegas in April.
Charlotte and the 13-year-old KWPN gelding scored 93.900 per cent, 4/10ths of one perentage point off the world record of 94.300 per cent the pair set at London Olympia last month.
The British Olympic and World Games individual championship pair were awarded 26 marks of 10 by the five judges, including 10s from the entire panel for the piaffe.
Danielle Heijkoop on Siro was second on 82.350 per cent while Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on Unee BB was third on 80.900 per cent that was good enough to keep her at the top of the World Cup Western European League standing along with another German and a Danish combination.
The 29-year-old Charlotte, who returned from three weeks in New Zealand right before this competition, and the horse she calls “Blueberry,” won the World Cup at Lyon, France in 2014 in their first outing in the annual global championship. Carl Hester, one of three owners of Valegro and coach and mentor of Charlotte prepared the horse for this competition.
“Carl kept Blueberry (Valegro) ticking over while I was away in New Zealand, I’m always so grateful to him” she said.
She was not too pleased with her ride in Friday’s Grand Prix even though she won that by more than seven percentage points. “I was really jet-lagged and I was terrible, I was so angry with myself for the way I rode!” she said.
She talked about what Valegro has been doing since re-setting the Grand Prix and Freestyle world records at Olympia last month. “He had a couple of weeks off over Christmas and then I started riding him for a couple of days before heading off (to New Zealand). But I only had three days to ride after I got back this week, so he’s a pretty amazing horse!”
Looking ahead to the Final in Las Vegas, she said: “He won’t be doing anything until then. He isn’t the kind of horse that needs competition all the time, so our next outing will be Las Vegas, and after that we’ll be concentrating on getting ready for the European Championships.” Those championshiops will be in Aachen, Germany in August.
The 27-year-old Danielle Heijkoop said that although she and Siro had a higher score at Mechelen, Belgium over the Christmas holidays “I’m very happy with how we went today.”
Talking about her trainer, Anky van Grunsven, the nine-time winner of the World Cup title, she said: “We think alike, our attitude is that things can always be better, but for me the most important thing right now is that you can see our score is getting a little higher everywhere from last year, it’s all improving”.
The European riders are thinking ahead to how their horses will respond to the bright lights and electric atmosphere of the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas in just over two months.
“I’m so excited about it,” said Charlotte. “I know the crowd starts clapping before the finish, and the place is buzzing all the time, but hopefully Blueberry will be OK with all that and will put on a great show”.
Danielle admitted Siro, can be “a little bit crazy” during the prize-giving ceremony and after he comes out of the arena, but that he is usually a thorough professional during his test.
“Actually I think he will love it in Las Vegas, when he’s doing a test he really enjoys the crowd, and I hope it won’t be a problem for him.”
This was the sixth of nine Western European League qualifiers with the next scheduled for Neumünster, Germany Feb. 15.
Results:
Grand Prix Freestyle
- Judge E: Stephen Clarke (GBR) Judge H: Isabelle Judet (FRA) Judge C: Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode (NED) Judge M: Adriaan F. Hamoen (NED) Judge B: Peter Engel (GER)
Rank HORSE – Breeding
sex\color\born\sire x siredam\€ Judge E Judge H Judge C Judge M Judge B % RIDER
ownertechnical
artistictechnical
artistictechnical
artistictechnical
artistictechnical
artistic1 Valegro – KWPN
G \ Bay \ 2002 \ Negro x GerschwinGBR11000 92.25 89.75 92.50 90.75 91.75 93.900 Charlotte Dujardin
Mr C Hester, R Luard, A Barrott98.00 96.00 98.00 97.00 93.00 2 Siro N.O.P. – KWPN
G \ Black \ 1999 \ Gribaldi x HemmingwayNED8000 80.75 81.00 81.25 80.00 77.75 82.375 Danielle Heijkoop
D.Heykoop & T.E.G.Van Grunsven & J.J.V.Verseveld89.00 84.00 84.00 83.00 83.00 3 Unee Bb – KWPN
S \ dark bay \ 2001 \ Gribaldi x DageraadGER6000 79.00 77.25 81.00 77.75 76.00 80.900 Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl
Bã¼rchler-Keller Beatrice88.00 83.00 84.00 83.00 80.00 4 Arlando NH N.O.P. – KWPN
S \ Darkbay \ 2005 \ Paddox x MytensNED4500 79.50 79.25 77.50 77.50 75.75 79.950 Diederik Van Silfhout
A.P. Both & S.J. Kat86.00 83.00 80.00 81.00 80.00 5 Glock´s Flirt – CH
G \ Chestnut \ 2001 \ Florestan x Gauguin De LullyNED2500 78.00 77.75 77.75 76.00 76.00 79.250 Hans Peter Minderhoud
Ing. Gaston Glock83.00 82.00 81.00 81.00 80.00 6 Jojo Az – HSH
G \ Darkbay \ 2003 \ Ginus x JustboyDEN2000 78.25 75.00 73.25 75.50 74.50 78.050 Agnete Kirk Thinggaard
Julianelyst Aps84.00 83.00 79.00 80.00 78.00 7 Favourit – RHEIN
G \ Dark chestnut \ 1999 \ Fidermark x WorldchampGER1500 77.75 76.75 75.50 74.50 74.75 77.325 Sönke Rothenberger
Rothenberger Im Gestã¼t Erlenhof Ohg81.00 80.00 78.00 78.00 77.00 8 El Santo NRW – RHEIN
G \ Bay \ 2001 \ Ehrentusch x RythmusGER1000 75.50 73.50 73.75 73.75 74.25 76.775 Isabell Werth
Madeleine Winter-Schulze + Isabell Werth79.00 81.00 81.00 77.00 79.00 9 Uzzo – KWPN
G \ Bay \ 2001 \ Lancet x IndoctroNED500 75.75 75.50 74.25 71.50 71.25 75.725 Patrick van der Meer
Trainingsstal De Hoeve79.00 80.00 78.00 77.00 75.00 10 Axis TSF – TRAK
S \ Black \ 1999 \ Sixtus x AngardFIN500 75.50 71.75 74.00 72.50 74.00 75.675 Terhi Stegars
Stegars Terhi + A Bis Grand Prix80.00 78.00 78.00 76.00 77.00 11 Ulysses la Haya – KWPN
G \ dark bay \ 2001 \ Gribaldi x UlftNED500 72.25 70.50 73.25 71.00 72.50 73.950 Laurens van Lieren
O.M.Boucher & J.H. Alberts76.00 75.00 77.00 76.00 76.00 12 Biggles 1015 – SWB
S \ Bay \ 1998 \ Briar x KrevadSWE500 73.25 72.25 71.50 71.75 73.00 73.775 Kristian Von Krusenstierna
Fam. Ingrid Lundbergpersson76.00 75.00 74.00 75.00 76.00 13 Eres Dl – BWP
G \ Bay \ 2004 \ Sir Lui x BalzflugBEL500 73.25 74.75 70.50 70.50 69.75 73.275 Jeroen Devroe
Lousberg Daniel77.00 79.00 71.00 74.00 73.00 14 Sunny Boy
S \ Bay \ 2004 \ StedingerESP500 73.25 70.00 70.50 70.00 71.00 73.175 Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo
Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo78.00 76.00 74.00 74.00 75.00 15 Thriller – KWPN
G \ Blackbay \ 2000 \ Gribaldi x AmorNED500 71.50 73.00 71.50 70.25 70.25 72.050 Katja Gevers
R. Grevers73.00 74.00 72.00 72.00 73.00