Dutch Edward Gal and Spanish Morgan Barbançon Mestre led the way to victory in the big tour classes at the 2012 CDI Drachten in The Netherlands on 6 - 8 January 2012. While Gal conquered the Grand Prix and the Kur to Music, Barbançon was on the World champion's heel in the Grand Prix and won the Olympic Grand Prix Special.
For the CDI Drachten Gal saddled the 17-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Next One (by Jazz x Le Mexico) which is owned by the title sponsor of the event, Lens Nekeman of the Interfloor carpet business. The sturdy bay has a brilliant piaffe and passage and scores well on those movements, but struggles with the overtrack in the extended walk.
In the Grand Prix, which finished at 11.30 PM on Friday evening, the combination scored 72.744% to leave 33 combinations behind him. The Drachten Grand Prix was a packed class with approximately 10 more combinations on the waiting list to compete. The event was the first of 2012 show season and one of the few CDI shows left for riders to obtain their MES Olympic scores and work on their FEI Riders' Ranking before the 1 March 2012 cut-off date.
Fourteen combinations chose to ride the Kur to Music and the winner's duo of the Grand Prix Gal were in control again. With a whopping 77.500% they outclassed the competition and received the trophy for the second time that weekend. Diederik van Silfhout and the 15-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Popeye (by Havel x Dillenburg) finished second in the Kur with 74.475%.
Spanish Morgan Barbançon Mestre leaves no doubt about it that the 2012 Olympic Games are her one and only focal point. Shifting aside all her young riders' horses, the 19-year old is concentrated on getting the best possible performance at Grand Prix level to secure a spot on the Spanish Olympic team. Her French/Spanish parents acquired Anky van Grunsven's Painted Black (by Gribaldi x Ferro) as a schoolmaster in August 2010 and Morgan made a strong appearance on the Under 25 show circuit in 2011.
In her first international Grand Prix test Barbançon made it look all so incredibly easy. The black stallion has lost some muscle bulk and appears less pressured by the Spanish than under his former owner. Obedience, smoothness and a happier looking athlete have now replaced power, sparkle and explosive expression. Barbancon scored 71.893% in the Grand Prix to finish second and won the Grand Prix Special (Olympic version) with 71.488%.
Hans Peter Minderhoud and the 13-year old Belgian warmblood stallion Withney van 't Genthof (by Ferro x Balzflug) finished third in the Grand Prix with 70.553%. The black stallion was visibly short-long in the trot extensions but this unevenness in steps behind, which the horse has had for years, didn't seem to bother the judges. The stallion gets sour in his expression in the canter work and the two tempi's could have been straighter, but this Ferro-offspring has much potential in piaffe and passage, which has a positive influence on his score level. Minderhoud withdrew Whitney for the rest of the competition because he also sensed a fitness issue.
One of the most promising Grand Prix horses in The Netherlands at the moment is Patrick van der Meer's world young horse champion Uzzo (by Lancet). The refined and long legged bay gelding has such great talent for piaffe and passage and is a horse with no weaknesses. He did appear very tense and was drenched in sweat in the Grand Prix. If the horse finds his stride more in the Grand Prix work and able to relax he will be a mid seventy percentage scorer without a doubt. In the Grand Prix he got 69.957% (4th) and in the Special the pair earned 69.155% (3rd).
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores 2012 CDI Drachten
Johnson, Tumbling Rocky, Karolus Win Small Tour Classes at 2012 CDI Drachten
Krooswijk and Kooijman Go Head to Head at 2012 CDI-YR Drachten
Vos and Peeters In the Limelight at 2012 CDI-P Drachten
Chiara Prijs Vitale Wins Big at 2012 CDI-J Drachten