Dressage-News

LIPICA, Slovenia, May 28, 2017–Marcela Krinke Susmelj rode Smeyers Molberg to victory in the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday seeking to earn a start in the fourth Final for the Swiss rider and her 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding.

Marcela and Smeyers Molberg competing for the first time since the Omaha World Cup Final two months ago scored 75.875 per cent to give her 20 points to take back to the Western European League and tie Spain’s Morgan Barbançon Mestre at the top of those standings.

Austria’s Belinda Weinbaur on Söhnlein Brilliant MJ placed second on 75.075 per cent while Valentina Truppa of Italy on Ranieri posted a personal best score to place third on 72.425 per cent, for 17 and 15 points, respectively.

This was the third of 10 events in the Central European League but the riders from Western Europe that included the top three get to take their points back to the WEL although the first event in that league is not until October.

Hungary’s Róbert Ács placed sixth on Rasputin with a score of 68.600 per cent to boost the rider to the top of the Central European standings with a total of 22 points, moving ahead of Russia’s Elena Zhaivoronskaya with 20 points in the campaign for one of two starting places from that geographic area.

The Big Tour partnership of Marcela and Smeyers Molberg is in its seventh year and has taken the pair to the 2016 Olympics, 2014 World Games, European Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015 as well as three World Cup Finals so far.

Marcela, looking to compete Smeyers Molberg at the 2018 World Cup Final in Paris next April, has dominated this event with victories in both the World Cup Grand Prix and Freestyle and in the CDI3* Grand Prix and Special on Smeyer Sopran.