German Jil Marielle Becks and Swedis Malin Nilssen scored the first victories on day one of the 2017 CDI Hagen Horses & Dreams Meets Austria on Thursday 27 April 2017. Becks and Damon's Satelite won the international Prix St Georges, while Malin Nilsson and Foreign Affair aced the warm up class for the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifier.
The first dressage competition on Thursday at Horses & Dreams meets Austria in the Almased Dressage Stadium was the CDI Prix St. Georges. Jil-Marielle Becks (Senden) took first place with her gelding Damon’s Satelite (by Damon Hill x Rubin Royal) on a score of 74.50%. She stayed ahead of Insa Hansen on the Russian owned double Young Horse World Champion Sa Coeur (by Sir Donnerhall). Sa Coeur was trained up to FEI level by Brit Michael Eilberg but returned to Hof Kasselmann this winter. Insa and Sa Coeur scored 71.82%, while Holga Finken and Simply Red were third with 71.11%.
The warm up class for the Nurnberger Burgpokal, the Prix St. Georg Special, took place Thursday afternoon. The class is for developing Prix St Georges horses aged 7 to 9. The twelve best scoring pairs in the warm up competition are allowed to move onto the finals test on Saturday.
The judges liked Swedish Malin Nilsson on the Dutch owned 7-year-old Foreign Affair (by Rock Forever) the most. They rewarded Nilsson with 74.63 %. Malin is based as a professional rider with Patrik Kittel in Nottuln, Germany. Anabel Balkenhol (Rosendahl) and the Brazilian owned Crystal Friendship (by Fidertanz x De Vito) were the runners-up with 74.317%. Brazilian Eduardo Bundyra and Klaus Balkenhol acquired Crystal Friendship for 200,000 euro at the Hanoverian Elite Auction in Verden in 2013. Marcus Hermes and Abegglen (by Ampere x Carabas) landed third place with 71.71%.
- press release by Horses & Dreams
Photos © Stefan Lafrentz - LL-foto
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2017 CDI Hagen