On her return to the show ring after winning double gold at the 2011 European Dressage Championships, Adelinde Cornelissen romped away with the victory in the Grand Prix at the 2011 CDI-W Mechelen in Belgium on Tuesday noon 27 December 2011. Aboard her 14-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Parzival (by Jazz x Ulft) Cornelissen scored a strong 78.851% to capture spot one.
The chestnut Parzival looked fit and shone like a sunbeam in his clipped coat. The extended trots were ground covering, the trot half pass right was smoother than the left one and the rein back was good. The first piaffe was rhythmical but in the passage before the transition to walk the hindlegs did not step enough under the body. The extended walk had two hooves overtrack but there could have been more reach in the front leg. The second piaffe was quite forward, which is atypical for Parzival. The two tempi's were huge and straight, but in the zig zag Cornelissen was struggling a bit and a mistake arose in the ones. Also in the passage on the A-C line Parzival became a bit long in the frame with the hindlegs out and in the piaffe at X he crossed over behind. The final centerline was pure in rhythm though.
The judges panel, consisting of Susanne Baarup (DEN), Isobel Wessels (GBR), Jacques van Daele (BEL), Wojtek Markoswki (POL) and Mariette Withages (BEL) were unanimous in placing Cornelissen first with 78.851%.
Cornelissen got the most competition from Swedish Patrik Kittel on his European championship kur bronze winning Dutch warmblood stallion Scandic (by Solos Carex x Amiral). The Swedish duo also made their come back to the show ring since the Euros in August and they already were on decent form. The halt at entry was a bit shaky but Kittel continued with stunning trot extensions. The half pass left could have had more consistent crossing over and the rein back was quick. All three piaffe-passage sections were outstanding in rhythm and bounce. The walk was the most problematic piece of the test. The extended lacked ground cover and the collected became so slow that the clarity of rhythm was compromised. Scandic visually struggled with the flying changes to the right. The first change to the right in the zig zag was not through behind and the same happened once in both the two and one tempi's. The final centerline was very solid, which pushed the overall score to 75.489%.
German Nadine Capellmann and her 15-year old Hanoverian gelding Elvis (by Espri x Garibaldi II) were on greatest form this year equalling their last peak performance seen at the CDI Hagen begin May 2011. The tall chestnut was much lighter in the bridle and Capellmann did not have to struggle her way through the Grand Prix work. It all looked much more effortless and was a pleasure to watch. The trot and passage has amazing spring and suspension. The pirouettes were small, the two tempi's were ground covering and the ones were good, considering that these are the horse's weakest point. The first piaffe was a bit crooked to the left, the second could have had more bounce on the diagonals. A mistake in the rhythm in the final passage tampered slightly with the score, which stuck at 72.936%, good for a third place.
Hans Peter Minderhoud and Bart van Malderen's 12-year old Belgian warmblood stallion Withney van 't Genthof (by Ferro x Balzflug) finished in fourth place with a personal best score of 71.936%. The black stallion has a funky twitch in his hindlegs in the extended trot, something which he has had his entire life, and he gets quite sour in his expression in the canter work, but Minderhoud has improved the horse a lot in one year time. The is much more quietness and harmony in his presentation. The tempi changes are straight as an arrow. A loss of rhythm in the piaffe at X and a mediocre extended walk limited the score to their highest mark so far: 71.957%.
German Helen Langehanenberg and her second Grand Prix horse Responsible OLD, a 12-year old black Oldenburg mare by Rohdiamant x Freudenprinz, completed the top five with 71.936%. The mare is extremely solid in her performance: rhytmical passage work that could have more bounce in order to score even higher, solid piaffe, clean tempi changes, nice sit in the pirouettes. In the rein back Responsible was more shuffling in reverse than picking up her feet and the first piaffe needed improvement.
Last year's winner of the Mechelen World Cup qualifier, Edward Gal and Sisther de Jeu, were entered to compete but scratched for the event.
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED
Related Links
Scores 2011 CDI-W Mechelen
Exciting List of Competitors Entered for 2011 CDI-W Mechelen