Britain’s Fiona Bigwood & Orthilia Capture Roosendaal CDI4* Special, USA’s Steffen Peters & Legolas 2nd

8 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Britain’s Fiona Bigwood & Orthilia Capture Roosendaal CDI4* Special, USA’s Steffen Peters & Legolas 2nd
Fiona Bigwood on Orthilia on their way to victory at Den Goubergh CDI4* Grand Prix Special. © 2016 DigiShots
Fiona Bigwood on Orthilia on their way to victory at Den Goubergh CDI4* Grand Prix Special. © 2016 DigiShots

ROOSENDAAL, Netherlands, June 4, 2016–Fiona Bigwood and her British team horse Orthilia won the Den Goubergh CDI4* Grand Prix Special Saturday with the USA’s Steffen Peters and Legolas runner-up and Laura Graves and Verdades fourth.

Fiona and the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare scored 77.059 per cent, the second best result in the Special in less than 15 months at Big Tour for the pair that appear headed to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in two months. The duo were on Britain’s silver medal team at the 2015 European Championships.

Steffen of San Diego, California and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding ranked No. 7 in the world, was awarded 75.863 per cent with one judge scoring the ride at 78.529 per cent and another at 72.549 per cent.

Even so, the result was the third best Special for the American pair in a test that Steffen admits is a challenge for the horse that he began competing at Grand Prix in February 2012 as a successor to Ravel.

Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 in the Roosendaal CDI4*. © 2016 DigiShots
Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 in the Roosendaal CDI4*. © 2016 DigiShots

Steffen said he was “very happy” with the ride.

“Legolas did a very nice test” he told dressage-news.com. “Very solid piaffe and passage work, good pirouettes and clean changes on both digonals.

“This was a great show for Legolas.

“From here on it is all about the consistency. This is what Legolas and I have to prove in Rotterdam.”

Sweden’s Juliette Ramel on Buriel K.H. placed third on 74.373 per cent.

Laura of Plymouth, Florida and her Verdades, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding ranked 13th in the world, scored 74.255 per cent for fourth place.

Günter Seidel of Cardiff, California on Zero Gravity, one of the nine combinations on the American squad in Europe, placed 10th on 69.686 per cent.

Earlier Saturday, Steffen and Rosamunde were third in the Grand Prix to qualify for the Freestyle that is scheduled for Sunday.

After this competition, the American squad of seven riders and nine horses will prepare for the CDIO5* Nations Cup and companion CDI3* at Rotterdam June 22-26 that will decide the team of four combinations for the Rio Games.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix Special

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