Charlotte Dujardin & Gio Win Hagen Horses & Dreams CDI4* Grand Prix in Return of Top Dressage to Western Europe

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Charlotte Dujardin and Gio at Horses & Dreams CDI4* in Hagen, Germany. © 2021 Petra Kerschbaum/EQWO

HAGEN, Germany, April 22, 2021–Charlotte Dujardin rode Gio to victory in the Horses & Dreams CDI4* Grand Prix Thursday in only the second Big Tour start for the partnership and the staging of the first top dressage event in Western Europe this Olympic year of both Covid-19 and equine herpes viruses.

Great Britain’s gold medal rider on Valegro at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, scored 78.761% on Gio, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding. Charlotte discovered Gio at a master class in Los Angeles six years ago and owns the horse with a New Zealand supporter, Renai Hart, and her coach and mentor, Carl Hester. The only previous CDI for Charlotte and Gio was at Keysoe, England last October where the pair placed second in the Grand Prix behind Charlotte and Mount St. John Freestyle.

Germany’s Frederic Wandres on his German Olympic squad mount Duke of Britain placed second on 75.957%. Frederic competed throughout the winter at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida but Duke of Britain, a 14-year-old British-bred Hanoverian gelding, stayed at home at Hagen. Frederic is a stable rider for Hof Kasselmann that stages Horses & Dreams.

Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain at Horses & Dreams. © 2021 Petra Kerschbaum/EQWO

Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald on Blue Hors Zack was third on 75.739% in only their second Big Tour event, having competed the 17-year-old KWPN stallion in their first CDI in February. Nanna took over the ride on Zack from Daniel Bachmann Andersen who competed the horse at the 2017 World Cup Final, the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the 2019 European Championships.

Janet Foy, a 5* judge from the United States and on the panel at Hagen, reported that all people going on to the show grounds known for hosting Germany’s first premier outdoor event as well as youth Nations Cups, must show a negative Covid-19 test.

“Coming from Florida where everything is so open this is very different,” she said.

“The town of Hagen is still closed as well. So far we have been able to eat at the hotel with a limit of two people per table. Starting tonight we may only order our food and take it to our rooms. We can not sit in the lobby together only outside.”

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix

Judges: Marietta Almasy Magnus Ringmark Peter Holler Hans-Christian Matthiesen Henning Lehrmann
Place Score Nation Athlete Horse E H C M B Spectators
1. 78.761 GBR Charlotte Dujardin Gio 78.152 79.783 78.043 79.565 78.261 77.988 (1)
2. 75.957 GER Frederic Wandres Duke of Britain 75.87 75.761 76.196 75.652 76.304 75.350 (2)
3. 75.739 DEN Nanna Skodborg Merrald Blue Hors Zack 76.087 76.63 75.652 75.326 75 74.982 (3)
4. 74.935 FIN Henri Ruoste Kontestro DB 77.826 75.87 70.87 74.674 75.435 74.342 (4)
5. 73.804 GBR Charlotte Fry Everdale 72.826 75.652 74.674 73.804 72.065 72.462 (6)
6. 73.739 GER Carina Scholz Tarantino 5 76.413 74.022 71.304 72.826 74.13 72.882 (5)
7. 72.804 SWE Patrik Kittel Delaunay OLD 72.717 73.043 73.913 72.391 71.957 70.592 (8)
8. 71.587 RUS Inessa Merkulova Mister X 70.543 72.174 72.391 71.848 70.978 70.636 (7)
9. 71.369 DEN Daniel Bachmann Andersen Carso’Ni 69.783 70.543 70.652 73.152 72.717 70.547 (9)
10. 70.761 FIN Emma Kanerva Dambacu NL 71.196 71.196 69.13 70.761 71.522 70.387 (11)
11. 70.609 ESP Borja Carrascosa Laponia 4 71.413 69.13 70 70.87 71.63 70.477 (10)
12. 69.717 FRA Anne Sophie Serre Actuelle de Massa 70.761 68.913 71.739 69.348 67.826 70.126 (12)
13. 69.435 AUT Astrid Neumayer Zap Zap 71.304 68.37 68.913 67.935 70.652 69.090 (14)
14. 69.391 NED Dinja van Liere Hermès 70 68.587 71.304 68.261 68.804 68.884 (16)
15. 69.348 GBR Sonnar Murray Brown Erlentanz 72.065 68.913 68.043 69.348 68.37 68.099 (18)
16. 69.282 NED Marieke van der Putten Her Majesty TF RS2 68.478 71.63 68.804 68.478 69.022 69.776 (13)
17. 69.261 SWE Antonia Ramel Curiosity 68.37 69.891 70.87 69.783 67.391 68.745 (17)
18. 68.174 GER Elisa Prigge Dark Dancer 22 67.717 68.043 68.913 68.696 67.5 68.913 (15)
19. 67.370 JPN Hiroyuki Kitahara Huracan 10 68.587 67.5 67.935 64.891 67.935 67.230 (19)
20. 66.152 JPN Yoshie Ota Ribery 67.5 66.087 65 64.783 67.391 65.835 (21)
21. 65.065 JPN Kazuki Sado Ludwig Der Sonnenkoenig 2 64.348 65.543 66.63 64.022 64.783 66.198 (20)
22. 65.022 SUI Estelle Wettstein Quaterboy 66.739 63.37 67.717 62.826 64.457 64.743 (24)
23. 64.717 JPN Shingo Hayashi Scolari 4 67.609 63.696 64.348 62.717 65.217 65.384 (22)
24. 63.413 GER Sönke Rothenberger DSP Santiano R 59.457 65.109 66.413 62.065 64.022 65.065 (23)
25. 61.913 CYP Gabriele H.-Kiefer Cyprus Ophelia 59.783 60.761 62.5 63.043 63.478 62.085 (26)
26. 61.304 NED Robin van Lierop Cupido 61.957 62.826 59.783 62.717 59.239 62.784 (25)
27. 59.739 RUS Olga Ivanova Avans 60.109 59.457 60.87 59.348 58.913 61.913 (27)