The 2020 Bundeschampionate came to a surprising conclusion in the 5-year old dressage horse finals on Sunday 6 September 2020. The title favourites, licensed stallions Gaitano and So Unique, lost their bid for gold and it was mare Sommernacht who moved into the top slot and took highest honour.
In the Still of the Night
Greta Heemsoth and the Oldenburg mare Sommernacht (by Rocco Granata x San Remo) achieved the same winning score of 8.8 in group 2 in the Qualifier for the finals as Gaitano OLD and Hanoverian young horse champion Feingefühl, so the pair certainly went to the finals are medal candidates. They lived up to their potential in the Finals are were rewarded with high notes by judges Michael Hubrich, Henning Lehrmann and Ulrike Nivelle.
Bred and owned by stallion keeper Ingo Pape, Sommernacht earned 8.5 for trot, walk and canter, and 9 for submission and general impression. They finished on a winning 8.7 which is a strong mark, but rather low in recent history of the 5-year old Finals at the Bundeschampionate. In 2019 Valverde won with 9.3, in 2018 Zucchero OLD won with 9.4, in 2017 Dominy won with 9.0, in 2016 Dancing Diamond won with 9.3, and only back in 2015 the winning score for a 5-year old was below 9.0. Smirnoff got 8.8.
The judges praised the lovely bay mare for her "very active trot with a high degree of swing and elasticity." The extensions were with a "good uphill tendency and good engagement from behind." They were impressive by the consistency in the rhythm of her gaits.
For Heemsoth this was her first Bundeschampion's title in her career. "Sommernacht is incredibly sweet. She always, always wants to do things right and has only been under saddle for a short while." The mare was in the field as a 3 and 4-year old and only under saddle since the beginning of 2020. Four months ago Greta took on the ride. "She is so clever and willing to learn, otherwise she couldn't have competed this difficult task with such sovereignty. She's simply a super horse."
Danny Cool Impresses
Already second in group 1 in the qualifier for the finals with an 8.60 score, Lisa Horler and Danny Cool went on repeat in the finals and reproduced that mark for a second place. Bred by Christine Sappl and owned by Margit Eisner, a long-time sponsor of Helen Langehanenberg, Danny Cool received 9 for trot, 9.5 for walk, 8 for canter and submission and 8.5 for general impression.
The judges were impressed by this "without a doubt impressive horse with three class act basic gaits." The trot was praised for its "easy way of going, with full body use and well balanced and expressive with good back usage." The walk they considered "a highlight with text book cadence."
From a breeding perspective, Danny Cool's sire Danciano de Malleret did the best job with no less than three of his offspring competing in the 5-year old dressage finals: Deep Infinity (by Dancio x Sir Donnerhall) placed 10th with 8.1 and Daktari K (by Danciano x Belissimo M) was 14th with 8.0. Big producers Furstenball and Dante Weltino both had two offspring in the finals.
It is planned for Danny Cool to continue his training with Langehanenberg in the future.
Jetset for Bronze
Under Kira Laura Soddemann, Jetset was only 13th in the qualifier for the finals on a score of 7.8 but upped the ante in the finals and stormed to an 8.5 score which placed them third. The chestnut stallion got 8.5 for trot, 9 for walk, 8.5 for canter, 8 for submission and 8.5 for general impression.
The judges stated that the trot had "full body use and was well carried, the transition with clear willingness to collect." The walk was a strong point with "going well over the back and through the body." The canter had a "clear 3-beat rhythm with good ability to collect."
Favourites Drop to 8th and 10th place
Three strong podium place contenders ended up in 8th and 10th place.
Licensed stallions So Unique and Gaitano OLD both finished 10th with 8.1. Eva Möller and Andreas Helgstrand's Rhinelander So Unique (by Sezuan x Donnerhall) had issues in the canter and was tense. The 2018 Bundeschampion in the 3-year division had the highest score of 9.0 in the qualifier finals for the 5-year old finals, but with lower scores in canter and submission, it was't their day.
Same for Beatrice Buchwald and Karen Ocallaghan's Oldenburg stallion Gaitano OLD (by Goldberg x Rohdiamant). They were in first place in group 2 with 8.8, but dropped down the board in the finals with a lesser walk (7) and just 0.5 less for all three gaits in the finals.
Photos © LL-foto.de
Related Links
Scores: 2020 Bundeschampionate
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2020 Bundeschampionate