It Sounds Like Denmark Has Its Tokyo Olympic Team! Team Gold in Reach

Dressage

Denmark

If you were to believe the press release that was sent out from the 2020 CDI Herning today, Denmark already has its Olympic team for Tokyo. Based on the scores achieved in Herning, it is "Watch Out Germany" because Denmark will be breathing down the favourites team's neck for gold !

At the 5* competition in Herning, where annually the Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing is hosted, the elite of Danish dressage gathered for its first Olympic observation trial. Only Agnete Kirk Thinggaard was absent from the show as she's currently training and competing in Wellington, Florida.

In the Grand Prix, Denmark's sweetheart Cathrine Dufour immediately set the standard with an 83.043% earning ride on her second Grand Prix horse, Bohemian. Dufour immediately indicated after her victory that Louise Zinglersen's 10-year old Westfalian gelding Bohemian (by Bordeaux x Samarant) is her choice for Tokyo because he will be able to cope better with the Tokyo heat than her more seasoned, 17-year old Atterupgaards Cassidy.

The 28-year old Dufour went on to win the 5* Grand Prix Special with 82.681%.

Heiline's Danciera, Shooting Star of the Show

Not Dufour and Bohemian were the shooting stars of the event, but the toasts of the town was 35-year old Carina Cassøe Krüth and the 9-year old Danish warmblood mare Heiline's Danciera (by Furstenball x De Niro).

The pair has been together from novice level to Grand Prix and already represented Denmark at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 World Young Horse Championships in Ermelo, placing 4th, 14th and 4th in each Finals. Kruth had no time to waste and immediately took her young mare from developing Prix St Georges straight into Grand Prix, making their CDI debut in the autumn of 2019.

At the 2019 CDI Flyinge, they posted 72.00% in the Grand Prix, two months later they achieved 74.782% in the Grand Prix at the CDI Ranbol. Another three months later and that Grand Prix score has shot to 76.413% in Herning.

And that's not where the stellar rise of this pair ended! Two days later, in the Grand Prix Special, they put 80.106% on the board, immediately promoting themselves as a certainty on the Danish Olympic team if they can keep up those high scores and fitness.

Bachmann and Zepter, Third Team Member?

The 29-year old Daniel Bachmann Andersen is already an experienced rider on the Danish team with Blue Hors Zack being his consistent option. However, he has kept the 12-year old Blue Hors Zepter (by Zack x Wolkentanz II) in the wings for the past three years.

While Zack's international Grand Prix high score is 78.665%, Zepter has more consistently achieved 78% in Grand Prix tests the past two years. His high score of 78.717% was he posted at the CDI Ranbol last November.

Although Zepter has struggled with small injury last year, the tall German bred chestnut seems fit now and in Herning confirmed form. Their Grand Prix was unusually marred by mistakes, which led to 73.913%, but they recovered in the Special and posted 78.745% for third place.

Watch Out Germany!

Carina Cassoe Kruth on Heiline's Danciera

With Dufour and Bohemian scoring at 83%, Kruth and Danciera getting their 80% and Bachmann/Zepter currently at 78%, team Denmark has launched itself as team gold medal favourites for the Tokyo Games. German's easy, expected lead with Bella Rose-Showtime-Dalera on board, looks a bit less comfortable now.

Neither Bella Rose (Isabell Werth), Showtime (Dorothee Schneider), nor German's third team option Cosmo (Sönke Rothenberger) have competed since the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam and it will be eager awaiting until the CDI Hagen (23 - 26 April 2020), or the German Championships in Balve (7 - 10 May 2020 for them to reappear.

Balve is a mandatory team observation trial, although dispense have been given in the past for horses with proven ability that are not yet fit. Cosmo, whose talent, genius, and hypersensibilty have prompted the horse to score over 80% as well as drop quite below that marker, performed below par at the Europeans in Rotterdam. It is interesting to note in the FEI database that Cosmo's registration for 2020 CDI competition is still missing.

Grand Prix Special Scores Count

Keep in mind that in Tokyo the team medals are decided solely by the scores achieved in the Grand Prix Special.

In the past selectors looked at Grand Prix scores for team selection and to estimate the team scoring potential, but with the Olympic format changed for Tokyo, team medals will depend on the performance in the Special.

The all-time Grand Prix high scores of the German team potentials are 85.652% (Bella Rose), 81.500% (Dalera), 81.444 (Cosmo), and 80.986 (Showtime). Their all-time Grand Prix Special highs are 86.520 (Bella Rose), 85.456 (Showtime), 84.362 (Cosmo), and 79.404 (Dalera).

For the Danes the Grand Prix Special high scores are 82.681 (Bohemian), 80.106 (Heiline's Danciera), 79.511 (Zepter), 77.234 (Zack). Germany still lies ahead, but none of their horses have shown since Rotterdam, except Dalera.