Come Back for Cosmo and Vancouver K Planned for 2021 CDI Munich

Dressage

Germany

The 2021 CDI Munich on 13 - 16 May will be the come back venue for two renowned championship horses: Cosmo and Vancouver K.

Come Back Kids Cosmo

The Master List for Munich includes the name of Sönke Rothenberger's Cosmo (by Van Gogh x Landjonker). The pair has not competed since the 2019 European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, where they won team gold, but were able to qualify for the Kur to Music finals as fourth German combination. In addition they skipped the 2020 German Dressage Championship, but now seem to be back for 2021. Sönke and the 14-year old KWPN gelding will begin their Tokyo team spot pursuit in Munich. The German Olympic team selection trials are in Balve and Kronberg in June.

Swan Song for Vancouver K

Judy Reynolds has also planned to make her come back on 19-year old Dutch warmblood Vancouver K (by Jazz x Ferro) in Munich, but is not 100% sure if she'll take him. She has also entered Leroy which she will definitely show there.

"I am entered for Munich," Judy told Eurodressage. "JP (Vancouver) currently has a skin infection, if that is cleared up in time we will start. I will be there with my less experienced Grand Prix horse, Leroy. We are looking forward to getting back out to the competitions!"

Reynolds and Vancouver K at the 2018 WEG in Tryon

The celebrated Irish duo last competed at the CDI-W Stuttgart in November 2019 after helping secure a team slot for Ireland at the 2019 Europeans in Rotterdam. Vancouver K did not compete in 2020 and the postponement of the Olympics gave the horse plenty of time to save energy.

"JP enjoyed a relaxed 2020 with lots of hacking as there was no need to add any miles to his clock in a year where not much happened," Judy explained. "I didn’t see the need to keep JP running at top level when there was the possibility of bringing him out this year, a potentially more important year, especially for Team Ireland."

2021 will most likely be Vancouver K's swan song year.

"JP is back in full work and we are preparing for some competitions over the coming months," said Judy. "He is enjoying his work and clearly no one has yet told him that he is 19 years old! As with any older horse we take it as it comes, are appreciative for all the time we get but are ready to call it a day as soon as jp indicates that he is done."

Korean Hwang Going for Tokyo and/or Paris?

Korean Young-Shik Hwang could make a last-minute attempt to achieve his two Minimum Eligibility Scores (66%) for the Tokyo Olympics and his brand new acquisition, Bluebarry Dream.

Aboard Despino (by De Niro), Hwang unlocked the individual slot for Korea for the Tokyo Games in 2019, but he gave up the ride on Martin Schaudt's horse. This left room for his only fellow Korean Grand Prix rider and country mate Dong-Seon Kim to pursue that slot aboard DSK Belstaff by scoring the two MERs in Wellington last winter.

The Hwang family purchased Bluebarry Dream right before the FEI ownership cut off date for Tokyo at the beginning of January 2021, although the rider himself says 2024 Paris is the goal. The new duo is set to make its CDI debut in Munich.

MERs have to be achieved before 21 June 2021.