Swiss Marcela Krinke-Susmelj and her top horse Smeyers Molberg claimed valuable world cup points by winning the Grand Prix kur to music at the 2015 CDI-W Lipica in Slovenia. Krinke-Susmelj and her 14-year old Danish warmblood (by Michellino x Ramnbo) scored 74.925 % for victory in a field of 10 combinations.
Two Grand Prix tours were contested in Lipica. The World Cup qualifier round was an easy prey for Krinke-Susmelj who also won the Grand Prix with 70.500% ahead of Estonian Grete Puvi on the Dutch warmblood Talent. The Grand Prix 3* tour was won by French A-team rider Alexandre Ayache on the Hanoverian gelding Lights of Londonderry (by Londonderry) with 66.860% in the Grand Prix and 68.725% in the Special.
Riders are deliberately choosing to contest the World Cup classes, not only for qualification for the 2016 World Cup Finals, but also as these classes can earn them more points for the World Riders Ranking which counts for 2016 Olympic Games' qualification.
At small tour level Marcela Krinke-Susmelj and her new small tour horse Smeyers Sopran (by Soprano) took top honour in the Prix St Georges with 69.421% while the second placed pair, Christian Schumach and the 8-year old Hanoverian Diversus (by Don Frederico x Amerigo Vespucci xx, swapped top places in the Intermediaire I Kur to Music. Schumach won the class with 72.450%, while Sopran scored the same but landed second place based on the artistic scores.
"Sopran did a good Prix St Georges. He was very loose and relaxed and I had a super feeling," said Marcela. "In the Inter I kur he was a bit more tense and we had a few small mistakes.
The 2015 CDI-W Lipica struggled with severe weather conditions there turning the warm up arena into a mud puddle. The organizers refused to open up the indoor arena which caused quite some frustration with the riders.
"Even though this show is really close to my heart, the unpredictable weather conditions there are certainly a big challenge," Krinke-Susmelj explained. "Last year we had text book weather and this year everything was flooded."
Photos © Lukasz Kowalski
Related Links
Scores 2015 CDI-W Lipica