A stellar line-up of some of the world’s best dressage competitors has been announced for the World Cup qualifier at the London International Horse Show CDI-W, taking place from 12-18 December 2017. Judy Reynolds' Vancouver K is scheduled to make his show come back after injury in London, and Edward Gal will make his World Cup debut on Zonik.
Aworld-class selection of riders will be contesting the World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix and Freestyle to Music, taking place on the Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 December respectively.
Contending for the title and making a welcomed first appearance at the Show, Swedish Olympian and current leader of the World Cup Western League, Patrik Kittel, a long-standing Grand Prix rider with an equally long list of achievements to his name. Kittel will be competing aboard Delaunay OLD, who together took team bronze at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg.
The 2016 Irish Rider of the Year and holder of Ireland’s highest ever Grand Prix score, Judy Reynolds is another who will be gunning for glory. Reynolds missed out on the 2017 European Championships this summer as her Vancouver K got injured. The pair is now making its international show come back.
Certain to give Reynolds a run for her money is renowned Dutch rider, Edward Gal, triple gold medallist at the 2010 World Equestrian Games™, the first rider to claim all three available medals. Gal will be pulling out all the stops aboard the young stallion Zonik, which he spared from Dutch team selection for the 2017 Europeans. The 9-year old Danish bred stallion last competed internationally at the CDIO Rotterdam in June.
Making her Olympia debut will be Madeleine Witte-Vrees riding the Dutch-bred stallion Cennin, who together represented the Dutch team for the 2017 Europeans in Gothenburg and were selected as non-travelling reserves for the 2016 Olympic team. The pair have also claimed several Grand Prix Freestyle victories, including in Roosendaal, Rotterdam and Mallorca. Adding to the Dutch challenge and returning to Olympia for the third time will be Katja Gevers with Thriller, a combination that are into their seventh season of Grand Prix.
Flying the flag for the home-side will be 2017 British Dressage National Champion Hayley Watson-Greaves (Rubin’s Nite), Emile Faurie (Delatio) Team GB representative at a staggering six European Championships, three World Equestrian Games™ and two Olympic Games, former British team medallist Gareth Hughes (Don Carissimo) returning after a five-year absence from the Show, and Lara Butler (Rubin Al Asad), reserve for the 2016 Olympic team.
The strong home contingent also includes four-time British Olympian Richard Davison, who has been at the forefront of international dressage for over three decades. Fresh from victory in the Grand Prix at CDI Roosendaal Indoor at the beginning of December with the homebred Bubblingh, Davison will be in confident spirits as he comes up against some of the best horse and rider combinations in the world. The British quintet has much opposition however and the Grand Prix promises to be a close and exciting competition.
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