Shelly Francis & Danilo Win Hagen CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle For American Rider’s Highest Ever Score in Europe

6 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Shelly Francis & Danilo Win Hagen CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle For American Rider’s Highest Ever Score in Europe
Shelly Francis and Danilo. File photo. © 2019 Ken Braddick/dressage=news.com

HAGEN, Germany, April 27, 2019–Shelly Francis and Danilo performed their crowd-wowing Grand Prix Freestyle Saturday night to win the Horses & Dreams CDI4* for the highest score ever in Europe for the American rider.

Shelly and the 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding that is one of the most popular musical combinations on both sides of the Atlantic scored 79.755% for the victory in the first competition this year in Europe following Florida’s winter-long Global Dressage Festival near their home in Loxahatchee.

Ingrid Klimke, Germany’s Olympic eventing gold medalist, and Franziskus were second on 78.595% with the Netherlands’ team rider Diederik van Silfhout on Expression third on 77.875%.

Spectators agreed with the placing, giving Shelly and Danilo top ranking with 80.004%, more than three percentage points above their second choice.

Shelly has competed in Europe for the United States with several horses for more than two decades, from the 1998 World Equestrian Games in Rome with Pikant to the World Cup Final in Paris in 2018 on Danilo.

She and Danilo for the first time scored above 80% in Wellington this year, while their previous best in Europe was 79.305% in winning the CDI4* Freestyle at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany last year.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle
Judges:Cesar TorrenteMarietta AlmasyDietrich PlewaSusanne BaarupIrina Maknami
PlaceScoreNationAthleteHorseEHCMBSpectators
1.79.755USAShelly FrancisDanilo – 69683.47578.72579.10076.12581.35080.004 (1)
2.78.595GERIngrid KlimkeFranziskus 15 – 25179.27579.62576.57578.82578.67576.729 (2)
3.77.875NEDDiederik van SilfhoutExpression N.O.P. – 70478.07577.12577.35075.85080.97575.938 (4)
4.77.720GERFrederic WandresDuke of Britain – 20576.30078.57579.17576.27578.27576.167 (3)
5.77.045SWEPatrik KittelWell Done de la Roche CMF – 72474.05076.00076.77576.52581.87574.438 (7)
6.76.825SWEAntonia RamelBrother de Jeu – 69377.67575.70077.52574.62578.60075.042 (6)
7.76.045NEDAnne MeulendijksMDH Avanti N.O.P. – 71277.37577.30075.05073.20077.30075.167 (5)
8.74.465GERFabienne Müller-LütkemeierFabregaz – 22473.77573.82575.25073.60075.87574.063 (8)
9.73.420GERJan-Dirk GießelmannReal Dancer FRH – 35975.72571.55072.00073.82574.00072.654 (12)
10.73.130DENAnders DahlSelten HW – 71972.65073.62571.02573.50074.85072.605 (13)
11.72.005ESPBorja CarrascosaEin Traum 2 – 70271.22572.07572.80069.82574.10073.857 (9)
12.71.810FINTerhi StegarsThai Pee – 72371.15069.70071.35071.37575.47573.397 (10)
13.70.900NEDDanielle HeijkoopBadari – 68873.52567.37569.25072.37571.97569.996 (15)
14.70.500GERAnja PlönzkeTannenhof’s Fahrenheit – 39869.62568.82572.15069.75072.15070.063 (14)
15.68.015AUSTristan TuckerZephir O – 72565.82572.07566.15065.72570.30072.811 (11)