The Grand Prix for Special, sponsored company WIK Elektro-Haushaltsgeräte Vertriebs GmbH & Co. Prod. KG, at 2015 Horses & Dreams meets Australia, was a clear decision. Kristina Sprehe and her championship-experienced De Niro-son Desperados dominated the test with a final result of 80.78%.
The duo was favorite of the test on the one hand, but the 28-year-old rider was nevertheless very happy about her victory and admitted that winning the golden ribbon was not that self-evident for her.
“It was Desperado’s first outdoor tournament this season, which is the reason why he can be particularly powerful sometimes. As he is also breeding. But he was quite relaxed today, the zig-zag half-pass was my mistake, perhaps I wanted a bit too much,” the newly engaged dressage rider explained. The black stallion confirmed that he obviously enjoys the fresh air in Hagen with a few bucks during the victory lap in the Almased Dressage Stadium.
Second finished Anabel Balkenhol and her meanwhile 15-year-old De Niro-son Dablino. Balkenhol was also more than satisfied as the duo earned a fantastic score of 76%. And Balkenhol immediately commented this performance on Facebook where she posted: “In love with Dablino”. Third came in a regular visitor at Horses & Dreams, the Swedish rider Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven who rode her no. 1 horse Don Auriello.
The three lady riders will compete in the Grand Prix Special for the qualification for the dressage series Meggle Champions on Saturday evening, the first stage of this series in Hagen in the new season. The tournament schedule for Kristina Sprehe has already been fixed, leading to Munich and the German Championships in Balve before returning to the Hof Kasselmann in Hagen at the Teutoburg Forest for the CDIO***** (July 8 – 12, 2015), the official dressage Nations Cup. Balve and Hagen a.T.W. are also sighting stations for the European Championships in Aachen in August – a clear goal for the season for Kristina Sprehe and Desperados. And then she will marry.
Young horses to shine in the Almased Dressage Stadium
An 8-year-old horse and his only 20-year-old rider and trainer won the Hagen opening qualifier for the Louisdor-Prize, launched a couple of years ago for developing Grand Prix horses to close the gap between the Nurnberg Cup and international Grand Prix-sport: Cosmo and Sönke Rothenberger.
A truly interesting duo. Cosmo’s pedigree (Van Gogh x Landjoner) features a show jumping background at first glance. And for some time, Sönke Rothenberger also rode with shorter stirrups and focused on show jumping. But following some time of dressage abstinence, he now returned to tailcoat and the dressage arena with Cosmo. Last year, both became team European Young Rider Champion. Sönke is now successful in both disciplines as his golden rider badges for show jumping and dressage underline.
Second place went to dressage queen Isabell Werth who brought an eight-year-old gelding to Hagen, a close relative of her current no. 1-horse Bella Rose. The Anglo-Arabian Cacir AA can also be found on the maternal side of Emilio’s pedigree, Ehrenpreis is his sire. There are indeed similarities as the charming chestnut mare and the bay gelding have the same silhouette. And they have obviously the same potential. Bella Rose was placed third in the same test in 2013. Riding master Hubertus Schmidt occupied this place this year with the nine-year-old Sir Donnerhall-son Sammy Deluxe.
Anabel Balkenhol and the eight-year-old Trakehnen stallion Heuberger by Imperio won the first division of the opening competition for the qualifier for the Nuremberg Cup on Thursday. Second finished Helen Langehanenberg with Filaro, followed by Eva Möller with Sa Coeur. Susan Pape (GBR) and the Dancier-son Harmony’s Don Noblesse won the golden ribbon in the second division, silver went to Holga Finken with Hilfinger and the white one to Michael Klimke and Djamba Djokiba.
-- Hagen press release
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2015 CDI Hagen
