Cathrine Dufour’s Attempt to Take Cassidy to Paris World Cup Final Rejected by FEI
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Mar. 5, 2018
An attempt by Cathrine Dufour to take Cassidy to the World Cup Final in Paris next month has been rejected by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) as not possible under the rules.
The decision was reported Monday by the Danish federation that had made the application to the FEI on behalf of the newly crowned world No. 3 combination.
Although the absence of Cathrine and Cassidy will disappoint dressage fans, the excitement level will be high with the return of Germany’s Isabell Werth on her 2017 championship mount Weihegold OLD to be challenged by American Laura Graves on Verdades, the reserve champion. Since then, Laura and Verdades have been the only pair in the world to beat the Olympic team gold and freestyle silver medalist partnership.
Cathrine had sought one of the so-called extra starting places at the Final which provides for a total of 18 horses and riders–from the established leagues, nine from Western Europe, two each from Central Europe and North America, one from the Pacific, plus one non-league and one from the home nation as well as the defending champion.
She made the request after the second of her two World Cup qualifying events where she beat defending champion Isabell Werth on Emilio, not the German’s world No. 1 mount, Weihegold OLD, on which she captured the title in Omaha last year.
Denmark will still be at the Final with Daniel Bachmann Andersen on Blue Hors Zack, coached by Lars Petersen, an Olympic and World Cup star for Denmark but who lives in Wellington, Florida and rides under the United States flag.
With only one qualifier remaining in the world, at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands this week, Cathrine and Cassidy are tied with Great Britain’s Hayley Watson-Greaves at 12th in Western Europe but are not scheduled to show.
Hayley, however, is in the lineup this week that should boost her ranking enough for an invitation to Paris along with fellow Briton Emile Faurie on Delatio.
