Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin will be competing her boss Carl Hester's Olympic team gold medal winning horse Uthopia at the national 'High Profile' dressage show in Addington, Great Britain, on 19 - 21 January 2013.
The black KWPN licensed stallion Uthopia (by Metall x Inspekteur) has been Carl Hester's major claim to fame, earning the sympathetic Brit rider team gold and double individual silver at the 2011 European Championships and team gold at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Uthopia is no longer allowed to compete abroad as the bank has filed an injunction on the stallion. The black is owned by Sasha Stewart on paper, with Carl having a minor stake, but financial disputes about Stewart's bankruptcy unearthed that the black stallion sold to an anonymous investor a few years ago.
Dujardin is now taking over the competition ride on Uthopia in Great Britain, at least for once. Eurodressage asked Hester about the rider switch and Carl replied there was "No reason" behind it, "just a bit of fun while proceedings (are) still being sorted."
Hester has been working hard to establish a private syndicate which can put the money forward for a 49% ownership share into Valegro. The deadline is 31 January 2013. Hester is quite reserved on providing any more information on the syndicate. "The syndicate is slow moving, but some progress is being made," he told Eurodressage.
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Links
The Curtain Falls for Carl Hester and Uthopia: 2012 CDI-W London Kur Final Show
Hester Aims to Set Up Syndicate of Private Investors to Keep Valegro in the U.K.
Uthopia Approved for KWPN Breeding
Rumour Control: Valegro and Uthopia Not Sold to Saudi Arabia
Carl Hester and Uthopia 'Uphoria' at the 2012 Olympic Games