Aachen Nations Cup, Last Big Time Show Before Olympics, To Decide Remaining Top Teams for Rio

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

AACHEN, Germany, July 13, 2016–Ten countries will compete in the World Equestrian Festival CDIO5* Nations Cup that kicks off Thursday that will decide the team for powerhouse Germany for the Olympics as well as for Denmark and Spain.

At the same time, the Netherlands national championships are being staged just 150 miles (240km) away in Ermelo where another medal contending team will be decided.

Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden and the United States also have teams in the Nations Cup, but their riders for the Olympics have already been decided.

Competition began Wednesday in the Deutsche Bank stadium at the CHIO, as the Aachen show is designated with Nations Cups in multiple sports, with a world class Prix St. Georges won by Woodlander Farouche and Michael Eilberg, the British partnership that were world champions at both five and six years of age.

The British-bred Hanoverian mare, owned by Michael’s parents and Anne Walton who has several horses competing in eventing and Farouche is her one venture into dressage, wowed the mostly German crowd with a score of 76.368 per cent with the top German riders Dorothee Schneider on Santiago second on 75.263 per cent Isabell Werth on the seven-year-old DSP Belantis third on 73.895 per cent.

Hubertus Schmidt on Imperio with 76.403 per cent led a German sweep of the top three places in the CDI4* Grand Prix.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on her 2015 World Cup bronze medal mount Unee BB was second on 74.900 per cent and Annabel Balkenhol on her 2012 Olympic and 2010 World Games mount Dablino was third on  74.486 per cent.

A highlight of the Big Tour was the return to competition of Jose Martin Dockx on the American-owned Grandioso that was out of the show ring for almost four months with an injury that threatened the pair’s chances of making their second Olympic team.

Jose and the 17-year-old stallion scored 71.500 per cent in an outing that the rider described as a superb return as he did not know what to expect after so long away from competition and the first time back in in arena that to the dressage world is the equivalent of Wimbledon’s Center Court with the accompanying crowd and electricity.

Chris von Martels on Divertimento, the duo that were contenders for one of Canada’s two starting places at the Rio Olympics, scored 69.114 per cent in the first competition for the pair outside North America since their partnership began in Florida at the start of the year.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix

Judges: K: Thomas Lang E: Susanne Baarup H: Maribel Alonso C: Gary Rockwel M: Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode B: Peter Holler F: Stephen Clarke

Prix St. Georges

Judges: E: Maribel Alonso H: Maja Stukelj C: Annette Fransén-Iacobaeus M: Ulrike Nivelle B: Thomas Lang