Laura Graves On 30th Birthday Rides Verdades to Win Aachen Nations Cup Grand Prix Special
5 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Laura Graves On 30th Birthday Rides Verdades to Win Aachen Nations Cup Grand Prix Special

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
AACHEN, Germany, Jul22, 2017–Laura Graves celebrated her 30th birthday rode Verdades to win the World Equestrian Festival Nations Cup Grand Prix Special Saturday, beating German superstar Isabell Werth on her Olympic team gold medal mount Weihegold OLD for the first time.
Laura of Geneva, Florida and her 15-year-old KWPN gelding scored 81.824 per cent for the victory while Isabell and Weihegold, the world’s No. 1 combination, were on 81.059 per cent. The score for Laura and Verdades, ranked fourth in the world, was a personal best in the Special.
In an emotional tribute, the Deutsche Bank stadium that seats 6,500 spectators and hosts dressage at this show grounds sang “Happy Birthday,” to Laura. (Report on Team USA and rendition of Happy Birthday coming up.)
German power in dressage was on display, though, a month before the European Championships with Isabell and Weihegold placing second, and her Rio Olympic team mate Sönke Rothenberger on Cosmo third on 78.314 per cent. Dorothee Schneider who rode Sammy Davis Jr. to sixth place on 75.216 per cent was thrilled with the performance by the horse that she said was “an international nobody” just four months ago.

Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour on Cassidy, the horse she has competed through the levels from juniors, to young riders, Under-25 and the Olympics last year, were fourth on 78.118 per cent while Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K, Olympians for Ireland as well as in the Omaha World Cup Final, fifth on 75.784 per cent.
Germany, as expected, won the Nations Cup with the United States taking silver and Sweden the bronze.
The rare moment of the Stars & Stripes being raised and American national anthem played in the dressage arena was not lost on the predominantly German crowd that embraced Laura and Verdades as the best of the contest at the world’s premier horse show.

Laura and “Diddy,” as she calls the horse she has partnered since a foal bought from a video sent from the Netherlands, were performing the Special for the first time since riding on the U.S. bronze medal team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last August.

Results:
CDIO5* Nations Cup Grand Prix Special
Judges–E: Isobel Wessels H: Evi Eisenhard C: Anne Gribbons M: Annette Fransén-Iacobaeus B: Hans-Christian Matthiesen
Pl. | NR. | RIDER
OWNER
|
E | H | C | M | B | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HORSE SEX \ COLOR \ BORN \ SIRE X SIREDAM
|
PERC. RANK |
PERC. RANK |
PERC. RANK |
PERC. RANK |
PERC. RANK |
|||
1 | 385 |
Laura Graves
USA
|
81.569 (1) |
80.000 (2) |
84.608 (2) |
79.510 (1) |
83.431 (1) |
81.824 |
Verdades – KWPN
Gelding \ Bay \ 2002 \ Florett As x Goya
|
||||||||
2 | 387 |
Isabell Werth
GER
|
77.451 (5) |
81.078 (1) |
85.588 (1) |
78.824 (2) |
82.353 (2) |
81.059 |
Weihegold OLD – OLDBG
Mare \ Black \ 2005 \ Don Schufro x Sandro Hit
|
||||||||
3 | 321 |
Sönke Rothenberger
GER
|
79.118 (3) |
77.843 (3) |
77.353 (3) |
78.529 (3) |
78.725 (4) |
78.314 |
Cosmo 59 – KWPN
Gelding \ Bay \ 2007 \ Van Gogh x Fruhling / Landjonker
|
||||||||
4 | 307 |
Cathrine Dufour
DEN
|
80.392 (2) |
76.373 (6) |
77.255 (4) |
77.157 (4) |
79.412 (3) |
78.118 |
Atterupgaards Cassidy – DWB
Gelding \ Chestnut \ 2003 \ Caprimond x Donnerhall
|
||||||||
5 | 384 |
Judy Reynolds
IRL
|
76.863 (7) |
76.863 (5) |
74.608 (5) |
75.490 (5) |
75.098 (6) |
75.784 |
Vancouver K – KWPN
Gelding \ Bay \ 2002 \ Jazz x Ferro
|
||||||||
6 | 374 |
Dorothee Schneider
GER
|
76.961 (6) |
77.059 (4) |
72.157 (12) |
73.725 (9) |
76.176 (5) |
75.216 |
Sammy Davis Jr.
\ Black \ 2006 \ San Remo x Wenckstern
|
||||||||
7 | 326 |
Therese Nilshagen
SWE
|
77.549 (4) |
72.059 (12) |
74.216 (7) |
75.294 (6) |
74.804 (7) |
74.784 |
Dante Weltino OLD – OLDBG
\ Black \ 2007 \ Danone x Welt Hit II
|
||||||||
8 | 330 |
Patrik Kittel
SWE
|
74.118 (10) |
73.529 (7) |
74.314 (6) |
74.314 (8) |
74.510 (8) |
74.157 |
Delaunay – OLDBG
\ Bay \ 2006 \ Dr.Doolittle x Feinbrand
|
||||||||
9 | 373 |
Adrienne Lyle
USA
|
74.706 (8) |
73.333 (9) |
73.137 (9) |
72.843 (10) |
74.020 (9) |
73.608 |
Salvino – HANN
\ Bay \ 2007 \ Sandro Hit x Donnerhall
|
||||||||
10 | 301 |
Claudio Castilla Ruiz
ESP
|
73.235 (11) |
72.353 (10) |
73.235 (8) |
72.353 (11) |
71.765 (13) |
72.588 |
Alcaide
Stallion \ Chestnut \ 2005 \
|
||||||||
11 | 311 |
Malin Nilsson
SWE
|
72.059 (13) |
71.471 (15) |
72.941 (10) |
74.706 (7) |
70.294 (19) |
72.294 |
Bon-Ami – KWPN
\ Black \ 2006 \
|
||||||||
12 | 361 |
Olivia Lagoy-Weltz
USA
|
72.549 (12) |
72.353 (10) |
70.980 (13) |
71.373 (13) |
73.333 (10) |
72.118 |
Lonoir – DWB
\ Bay \ 2004 \ de Noir x Loran
|
||||||||
13 | 353 |
Kasey Perry-Glass
USA
|
74.608 (9) |
70.588 (18) |
70.980 (13) |
69.706 (16) |
72.157 (12) |
71.608 |
Goerklintgaards Dublet – DWB
\ Bay \ 2003 \ Diamond Hit x Ferro
|
||||||||
14 | 329 |
Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez
ESP
|
70.686 (17) |
73.529 (7) |
72.451 (11) |
69.608 (17) |
71.569 (16) |
71.569 |
Deep Impact 3 – HANN
\ Black \ 2003 \ De Niro x Rubinstein I
|
||||||||
15 | 390 |
Patrick van der Meer
NED
|
71.275 (16) |
70.980 (17) |
70.098 (15) |
71.569 (12) |
72.647 (11) |
71.314 |
Zippo – KWPN
Gelding \ Chestnut \ 2004 \ Rousseau x Haarlem
|
||||||||
16 | 360 |
Emile Faurie
GBR
|
72.059 (13) |
70.098 (20) |
69.412 (16) |
70.980 (15) |
71.275 (17) |
70.765 |
Lollipop 126 – HANN
\ Bay \ 2004 \ Lord Sinclair I x Welt Hit I O
|
||||||||
17 | 378 |
Marcela Krinke Susmelj
SUI
|
70.294 (19) |
71.961 (13) |
69.020 (18) |
69.412 (18) |
71.078 (18) |
70.353 |
Smeyers Molberg – DWB
Gelding \ Bay \ 2001 \ Michellino x Rambo
|
||||||||
18 | 359 |
Agnete Kirk Thinggaard
DEN
|
70.098 (20) |
71.863 (14) |
69.216 (17) |
68.431 (20) |
71.667 (14) |
70.255 |
Jojo AZ – HSH
Gelding \ DarkBay \ 2003 \ Ginus x Justboy
|
||||||||
19 | 358 |
Hubertus Schmidt
GER
|
68.980 (25) |
70.353 (19) |
68.294 (19) |
71.235 (14) |
68.392 (23) |
69.451 |
Imperio 3 – TRAK
Stallion \ Bay \ 2003 \ Connery x Balfour xx
|
||||||||
20 | 372 |
Hayley Watson-Greaves
GBR
|
70.098 (20) |
69.510 (21) |
67.745 (21) |
67.941 (22) |
71.667 (14) |
69.392 |
Rubins Nite – HANN
\ Black \ 2004 \ Rubin-Royal x Limbo
|
||||||||
21 | 375 |
Anders Dahl
DEN
|
70.588 (18) |
71.078 (16) |
67.549 (24) |
67.745 (23) |
69.804 (22) |
69.353 |
Selten HW – HANN
Gelding \ Black \ 2004 \ Sandro Hit x Hohenstein
|
||||||||
22 | 348 |
Laurence Roos
BEL
|
69.216 (23) |
68.824 (22) |
68.039 (20) |
69.314 (19) |
70.000 (20) |
69.078 |
Fil Rouge – BWP
Gelding \ DarkBay \ 2005 \ Stedinger x Argentinus
|
||||||||
23 | 366 |
Inessa Merkulova
RUS
|
69.412 (22) |
68.235 (26) |
67.647 (23) |
68.431 (20) |
68.235 (24) |
68.392 |
Mister X – TRAK
Gelding \ Bay \ 2004 \
|
||||||||
24 | 310 |
Daniel Bachmann Andersen
DEN
|
69.020 (24) |
68.529 (24) |
66.373 (26) |
67.549 (24) |
69.902 (21) |
68.275 |
Blue Hors Don Olymbrio – KWPN
\ Chestnut \ 2008 \ Jazz x Olympic Ferro
|
||||||||
25 | 363 |
Jordi Domingo Coll
ESP
|
72.059 (13) |
68.627 (23) |
66.176 (27) |
65.882 (26) |
66.863 (26) |
67.922 |
Mango Statesman – HANN
\ Bay \ 2007 \
|
||||||||
26 | 381 |
Jorinde Verwimp
BEL
|
68.333 (26) |
68.333 (25) |
67.745 (21) |
64.902 (28) |
67.647 (25) |
67.392 |
Tiamo – KWPN
Gelding \ Bay \ 2000 \ Lester x Hemmingway
|
||||||||
27 | 336 |
Cristobal Belmonte Roldán
ESP
|
67.157 (27) |
67.255 (27) |
66.471 (25) |
65.000 (27) |
65.588 (27) |
66.294 |
Diavolo II de Laubry – BWP
\ DarkBay \ 2003 \
|
||||||||
28 | 302 |
Gillian Davison
GBR
|
67.157 (27) |
62.843 (29) |
62.451 (29) |
66.667 (25) |
65.196 (28) |
64.863 |
Alfranco – KWPN
\ Bay \ 2005 \ Negro x Donkerbruin
|
||||||||
29 | 323 |
Jeannette Haazen
NED
|
65.490 (29) |
63.235 (28) |
62.647 (28) |
64.314 (29) |
61.275 (29) |
63.392 |
Dabanos d´O4 – BWP
Gelding \ Bay \ 2003 \ Abanos x Donnerschlag
|
||||||||
30 | 356 |
Marieke van der Putten
NED
|
62.157 (30) |
59.608 (30) |
62.451 (29) |
59.314 (30) |
57.647 (30) |
60.235 |
Zingaro Apple – KWPN
\ Bay \ 2004 \ Painted Black x Renevo
|
Nations Cup Final Standings
RANK | TEAM | GRAND PRIX | GRAND PRIX SPECIAL | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
GER
|
236.457 | 234.589 | 471.046 |
2 |
USA
|
222.842 | 227.550 | 450.392 |
3 |
SWE
|
216.400 | 221.235 | 437.635 |
4 |
DEN
|
218.457 | 217.726 | 436.183 |
5 |
ESP
|
214.171 | 212.079 | 426.250 |
6 | 209.228 | 205.020 | 414.248 | |
7 |
NED
|
207.914 | 207.914 | |
8 |
BEL
|
206.072 | 206.072 |