Aachen Press release -- Edward Gal and Totilas became the 2010 CDIO Aachen Dressage Grand Champions as they won their third class in a row, the Grand Prix Kur to Music, on Sunday 18 July 2010. The judges awarded the pair the dream score of 10 twenty-four times. With a final score of 90.96 percent the Dutch dressage rider and his 10-year-old black stallion won the Deutsche Bank Prize at the CHIO 2010 World Equestrian Festival.
“I still had a great feeling, even if we did make two mistakes,” reported Edward Gal. The Gribaldi son fell into canter in one of the extended trots and took one canter stride in the middle of a piaffe. “I wanted too much and gave the aids too strongly. But these are small errors that won’t happen again,” joked Gal. For the stallion it is the first time he is being used as a breeding stallion this year during the competition season. Semen is taken three times a week. "It was of course a risk to start doing it, but he is extremely cooperative, he just whinnies a bit more than usual in the stable,” remarked Gal.
The Dutch also claimed second and third place in the Grand Prix Freestyle: Adeline Cornelissen ranked second with the 13-year-old Jazz x Ulft son Parzival with a total score of 85.607 percent. She had integrated an extremely difficult exercise into her freestyle: A half-pirouette in piaffe to the right followed directly by a half-pirouette to the left.
“Parzival was totally concentrated in the arena, he didn’t let himself get distracted at all. In the past he was very nervous when he entered a stadium like this, but now he seems to like the crowds more and more. I was very pleased with his performance here,“ reported Adelinde Cornelissen. Her team colleague, Imke Schellekens-Bartels, finished third (81.000 percent) with her mare Sunrise. “I spent a lot of time deliberating. Sunrise went well in the Grand Prix, but he was too normal, not expressive enough. In the Spécial I took more risks, but we made several mistakes. Today, I opted for “risk without mistakes” and it came off, the music always helps me.”
The ten-time winner of this competition in Aachen Isabell Werth was visibly disappointed with her result. “Satchmo has improved here from day to day and he presented himself very well today. He was extremely motivated, unfortunately he made a mistake in the tempi changes every single stride and kicked himself in the second piaffe,“ said Werth. Her new freestyle choreography to the music of Roberto Blanco and Tom Jones contained some surprising elements. “In the past I often had such heavy music and now I wanted something special with a positive influence. I enjoy riding to this music.”
Apart from Edward Gal she was the only rider who the crowd gave a standing ovation to. “In spite of his age Satchmo is top fit, I hope the judges give him the marks he deserves,“ stated the German national coach Holger Schmezer in the run-up to the competition. Schmezer gave an interview with the Aachener Zeitung in the short break that arose as the result of Anabel Balkenhol (Coesfeld) not being able to compete with Dablino. “Anabel had stomach flu the whole night and is very weak,“ reported Schmezer.
The team newcomer Christoph Koschel (Hagen a.T.W.) finished seventh with 75,00 percent. “Donnperignon ran out of steam a little bit today. It is his first time that he does three tests at one competition. He remained very relaxed in spite of this atmosphere, I deliberately didn’t push him too much on the warm-up arena,“ reported the 34-year-old. The Austrian dressage rider, Victoria Max-Theurer, was very pleased at coming sixth (78.50). “Aachen was Augustin’s third competition after his colic operation last year. He has proved that he has made a very good come-back,“ said the 24-year-old happily.
As the organisers, we are delighted with this mood, the dressage has been sold out since Friday,” commented Frank Kemperman
-- Aachen press release, edited by Eurodressage
Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com - No Reproduction allowed
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