Dutch dressage riders of all levels dominated the inaugural CDI Waregem in Belgium which was hosted for the first time at the Sport Vlaanderen centrum Waregem on 15 - 17 September 2017. A large group of riders from The Netherlands traveled south while only a very small pack of Belgians contested this first 3* CDI on home turf.
In the big tour Dutch Stephanie de Frel ruled the roost in the Grand Prix and Special aboard her 11-year old KWPN registrered Beach Boy (by Sorento x Goodtimes).
The Grand Prix brought out a field of 16 riders and De Frel topped the board on a score of 69.100%. She beat country mate Tosca Visser-van der Meulen on the 10-year old Dutch mare Asther de Jeu (by Contango x Jazz). Belgian Isabel Cool made her Grand Prix CDI debut aboard the 12-year old Aranco V (by Ferro x G Ramizo Z) and placed third with 68.200%. Cool only competed Aranco once at an international show, in 2015 in Compiegne at small tour level, but the bay is now deemed ready for his big tour career.
In the Grand Prix Special, which had 8 riders in it, De Frel proved consistency and posted a winning 69.196% on the board. Frenchman François Jacq and the 12-year old Danish warmblood Gorklintgards Romero (by Romanov x Don Schufro) were the runners-up with 66.686%, followed by British Sarah Millis on her 12-year old Hanoverian gelding Hofjuwel (by Hofrat x Davignon) with 65.529%
"In the Grand Prix he was a bit scared going from the warm up into the test outside so we had a few mistakes in the canter which kept us from scoring higher," said De Frel who bough Beach Boy at the Equine Elite Auction two years ago and who made her GP debut with him in January 2017. "In the Special he was super relaxed and nice to ride. Just a pity I had a mistake in the one tempi changes."
Stephanie trains with Mischa Koot and Alex van Silfhout. "I hope to consolidate these scores first and then build from there," said De Frel. "My next show is Le Mans and next year I hope to ride a few big international shows."
Seven riders contested the Kur to Music on Sunday and Tosca Visser aced the class on her bay mare Asther de Jeu with 73.865%. Dutch Lynne Maas and her tall, long legged black 16-year old Dutch warmblood Uranium W (by Metall x Wolfgang) were second with 72.290% followed by Isabel Cool on Aranco on 70.665%.
Visser lived in the U.K. for five years, where she worked with Kyra Kyrklund at the time, but since 2016 she and her husband Cees (the former owner of Totilas) have returned to Gorssel, The Netherlands. She is coached by Edward Gal, who trained and competed Asther de Jeu up to small tour level.
In the Under 25 division, Spanish Alexandra Barbançon Mestra and the 11-year old Dutch warmblood Bolero (by ) scored a double victory. Trained by Anky van Grunsven, Barbancon won the Short Grand Prix with 68.930% and the kur to Music with 71.710%.
At small tour level Lynne Maas and her 8-year old Dutch mare Electra (by Jazz x Ferro) were a league of their own, winning all three classes with impressive seventy percentage scores. The black mare got 73.789% in the Prix St Georges, 73.711% in the Intermediaire I and 77.100% in the Kur to Music.
Photos © Chris Coessens
Related Link
Scores 2017 CDI Waregem