Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 13, 2024–Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD claimed the Global Dressage Festival CDI5* Grand Prix Wednesday night for the third year in a row with fellow German Felicitas Hendricks on Drombusch runner-up and Kevin Kohmann on Dünensee the top placed American in third place.

Competing the 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding for the first time this year, Frederic and Blueooth were awarded 76.196% for the victory in the Winter Equestrian Festival’s main jumper arena under lights.

Felicitas Hendricks who came into the 5* with her 13-year-old gelding on which she had won all six of their six starts this winter circuit before Wednesday night, was second this time out on 71.283%.

USA’s Kevin Kohmann, based in Wellington, and the 15-year-old Dünensee owned by his mother-in-law, Terri Kane, placed third on 70.826% just weeks before heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the World Cup Final, his first major championship.

The Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle are scheduled for Friday night in the same WEF centerpiece arena.

Bluetooth was back in the arena after a break of more than four months following an intense 2023 that began with Florida’s Global winter circuit then on the German team at the Nations Cup in Aachen’s World Equestrian Festival and on the silver medal European Championship team as well as other CDIs.

The result Wednesday night would have been much higher with numerous marks of eight except for what he described as a “super expensive” mistake in the one-tempi changes.

“But the rest of the test felt pretty flawless and super nice,” said Frederic who said that Bluetooth came back super fresh that “allowed me to ride him in a super harmonious way.”

“I’m a little bit angry at myself, it was not his mistake,” he said, “it was mine.”

German team coach Monica Theodorescu was at the event to watch the competition.

Frederic returns to Germany at the end of the month with the German championships at Balve in June followed a month later by the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen where selection of the German team for the Paris Olympics will be made.

As much as loves the competition arena and support of spectators, he had one serious complaint: “it’s the stabling, which is not five-star worth. If I drive to Czech Republic, three-star, it will be better. And we are bringing the top, top, top horses here, and we are kind of always worried about our horses.”

This is also the final competition of the Florida season for Felicitas and Drombusch, the reigning European Under-25 champions.

She and her horse return to Germany next week.

She told dressage-news.com she also plans to enter the German championships.

For Kevin Kohmann the result on Dünensee caps a successful Florida season in which the pair earned a World Cup Final slot and three victories, three second places and two third places in nine starts so far.

Dünensee, who had been sent to Europe for sale but returned with no takers, has assured himself a home for the rest of his life at Terri Kane’s Diamante Farm in Wellington.

Results:

CDI5* Grand Prix (Qual. for GPS/GPFS)

Rank	Competitor	Score	E	H	C	M	B
1.	Frederic Wandres (GER) Bluetooth OLD	76.196%	75.870	76.522	76.413	75.217	76.957
2.	Felicitas Hendricks (GER) Drombusch OLD	71.283%	69.891	72.065	71.522	71.522	71.413
3.	Kevin Kohmann (USA) Dünensee	70.826%	71.957	71.196	70.109	70.761	70.109
4.	Anna Marek (USA) Fayvel	70.261%	70.870	71.087	69.891	68.043	71.413
5.	Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén (SWE) Devanto	70.218%	69.022	70.870	71.522	69.674	70.000
6.	Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) Ulises de Ymas	70.065%	70.109	70.761	71.087	69.783	68.587
7.	Jennifer Williams (USA) Joppe K	69.913%	71.739	69.239	69.022	69.783	69.783
8.	Jan Ebeling (USA) Jubi’s Tenacity	68.804%	69.565	67.283	70.326	67.717	69.130
9.	Anna-Christina Abbelen (GER) Sam Donnerhall	68.000%	68.913	68.804	67.826	66.413	68.043
10.	Naïma Moreira Laliberté (CAN) Statesman	67.565%	66.848	67.174	69.783	66.848	67.174
11.	Michael Klimke (GER) Domino 957	66.478%	66.304	67.500	65.109	66.739	66.739
12.	Maria Pais Do Amaral (POR) Hot Hit OLD Campline	65.696%	62.935	68.043	64.457	65.000	68.043
13.	Monica Burssens (MEX) Elfentanz	65.370%	66.957	65.326	65.543	64.239	64.783
14.	Ashley Holzer (USA) Hansel	64.783%	64.457	66.196	62.935	65.978	64.348
15.	Camille Carier Bergeron (CAN) Finnländerin	63.087%	61.196	64.130	62.065	64.891	63.152
16.	Erin Nichols (USA) Elian Royale	62.565%	63.261	63.587	63.478	61.413	61.087
Find details on Equestrian Hub