Stockholm Top 10 World’s Richest Dressage Competition
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STOCKHOLM, Nov. 26, 2018–The Saab Top 10 has received a big boost in total prizemoney to almost a quarter million Euros/US$275,000, making it the richest single dressage competition in the world and to be staged in Stockholm this week.
World No. 2 combination Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD headline the second year of the event–the German superstar won on Emilio her world No. 3 mount in the inaugural 2017 Top 10– at the Sweden International Horse Show.
Prize money this year is a total of €243,700/US$275,000, more than 50 per cent higher than the total of €158,000/US$178,300 for the Grand Prix and the Freestyle in 2017 at the Friends Stadium. The highest scoring rider also received a sport utility vehicle.
The winner gets €75,000/US$85,000 that Patrik Kittel, Sweden’s three-time Olympian and a creator of the Top 10, said was a goal of Saab that wants “to make the Saab Top 10 the most prestigious show in the world, not just for money but for the whole show.”
The CDIO5* Nations Cup in Aachen, Germany, considered the most prestigious dressage event in the world, had total prize money of €239,000/US$270,000 for the Grand Prix, Special, Freestyle, team and “dressage champion” award in 2018.
This year’s Top 10 is a mix of veterans and relative newcomer combinations.
Three riders this this year are among only five in the history of dressage to have achieved a score of at least 90 per cent in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Isabell did it with Weihegold, her mount for Germany’s gold medal team at the 2016 Olympics, the 2017 European Championships and defending World Cup titleholder; Edward Gal of the Netherlands on Totilas and Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg on Damon Hill NRW. Helen will ride Damsey FRH, No. 8 ranked in the world, and Edward will be on Glock’s Zonik, ranked ninth.
Patrik is tentatively scheduled to ride Delaunay that he partnered at the 2017 European Championship while team mate Therese Nilshagen is entered on Dante Weltino OLD.
Daniel Bachmann Andersen from neighboring Denmark who has been burning up the European circuit with a trio of Blue Hors mounts will compete Don Olymbrio, a 10-year-old KWPN stallion.
”I’m very happy to come back to Stockholm,” said Isabell. “Last year’s event was everything that riders and organizers have been talking about and dreaming of for years–a show that delivers top sport to the spectators in an entertaining way, without disregarding the seriousness and the focus on the competition.”
