Steffen Peters & Suppenkasper Win Wellington World Cup Freestyle With Personal Best Score

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Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper in the Global Dressage Festival World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle that earned the pair a start at the Final in Las Vegas. © 2020 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 7, 2020–Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper posted a personal best score to win the Adequan Global Dressage Festival World Cup Freestyle Friday night to earn an invitation to the Final in Las Vegas in mid-April.

Steffen and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding scored 83.495% to smash the pair’s previous best of 80.990% set in California almost two years ago.

Steffen wiped away tears as he left the arena on Suppenkasper, saying repeatedly to his mount: “Mopsie, looks like we’re going to Vegas.”

“The bottom line is that it’s a huge accomplishment and something we dreamed of every single day, not just here or there. It’s hard to describe what that feels like when you go through a difficult time and your horse is so therapeutic and it gets better and better and puts you into such a wonderful place.”

Steffen Peters wiping away tears as he rides Suppenkasper out of the arena after the Welington World Cup Freestyle that earned the pair an invtation to the Las Vegas Final. © 2020 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The victory for the four-time Olympian for the United States and the 2009 World Cup champion was the sixth in six starts so far this year at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center where he planned to compete until the CDI5* later this month but has decided to extend his schedule through the Nations Cup in March.

Olivia LaGoy-Weltz on Lonoir placed second on 79.365% for the second of three scores required in North America to get one of two invitations for the region to go to the Final.

Agnete Kirk Thinggaard, the Danish Olympic rider competing in Wellington for the first time and the first World Cup for the pair, placed third on Blue Hors Zatchmo on 77.635%.

Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and Lonoir in the Global Dressage Festival World Cup Freestyle. © 2020 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The performance on Suppenkasper, Steffen said, was “was  one of those freestyles that I’ve visualized for many days, many mornings, many nights, throughout dark times, and it worked out beautifully.”

Some of the music was borrowed from that of Ravel on which he became World Cup champion in Las Vegas in 2009.

“There are still a few improvements we can make for Vegas,” said Steffen of San Diego, California. “We have a few surprises in the music–and the most exciting part is that this was his third score, and we got a ticket to Vegas. That almost made me cry.

“It was a gigantic success. That gets really tricky with an extended canter to a piaffe to a super relaxed, extended walk afterwards. That made me cry a little. There were difficult movements, but the relaxation of this horse tonight was tremendous.”

Although Suppenkasper is the fourth horse he has competed in Wellington beginning with Ravel in 2010, then with Legolas and Rosamunde this was the first time Steffen has won a Freestyle here.

Olivia said she, too, is aiming for Las Vegas and will be able to earn her third required score the last week of Global at the end of March that will be the last World Cup qualifier.

Results:

CDI-W World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle

Clive Halsall Cesar Torrente Lee Tubman Christof Umbach Thomas Kessler
Place Score % Nation Athlete Horse E H C M B Spectators
1. 83.495 USA Steffen Peters Suppenkasper 84.875 82.125 83.700 82.625 84.150 81.840 (1)
2. , Agnete Kitk Thinggaardm, USA Olivia LaGoy-Weltz Lonoir 81.025 80.275 80.475 79.000 76.050 76.830 (2)
3. 77.635 DEN Agnete Kirk Thinggaard Blue Hors Zatchmo 78.400 78.525 74.575 79.525 77.150 75.259 (4)
4. 76.215 DOM Yvonne Losos De Muñiz Aquamarijn 75.125 75.700 78.500 75.500 76.250 75.363 (3)
5. 73.595 USA Heather Blitz Semper Fidelis 73.725 72.550 74.800 73.450 73.450 74.379 (5)
6. 73.385 USA Anna Marek Dee Clair 74.850 74.275 74.700 71.675 71.425 73.011 (6)
7. 72.380 MEX Martha Fernanda Del Valle Quirarte Beduino Lam 70.425 74.125 72.650 73.600 71.100 71.477 (12)
8. 72.250 CAN Naima Moreira Laliberte I Do Kiss 73.625 71.925 68.600 75.100 72.000 71.770 (9)
9. 72.160 USA James Koford Adiah HP 71.175 73.850 71.650 71.750 72.375 71.061 (13)
10. 71.685 USA Rebecca Waite Doktor 72.200 70.450 74.325 68.950 72.500 71.489 (11)
11. 71.555 JPN Kazuki Sado Barolo 73.650 67.975 72.300 69.625 74.225 72.472 (7)
12. 71.080 CAN Megan Lane Zodiac MW 70.925 71.150 71.075 71.475 70.775 70.034 (15)
13. 70.940 CAN Jaimey Irwin Donegal V 72.175 70.000 71.175 70.850 70.500 72.413 (8)
14. 69.810 CAN Jill Irving Arthur 70.225 69.325 71.500 69.525 68.475 70.915 (14)
15. 67.515 AUS Nicholas Fyffe Fiero HGF 68.525 65.350 69.975 67.275 66.450 71.622 (10)