Merrald and Blue Hors Touch of Olympic L Win Prix St Georges at 2022 CDI-W Vilhelmsborg

The 2022-2023 Western European League World Cup season kicked off at the Danish national equestrian centre in Vilhemsborg on 20 October 2022. While the first classes in the indoor arena were for juniors and young riders, it was the Prix St Georges on Friday 21 October 2022 that captured the attention with promising new duos going down the centerline.

Blue Hors Touch of Olympic L

In a field of 13 competitors judged by Baarup, Matthiesen, Colliander, Sanders and Van Daele, Danish Nanna Merrald Rasmussen aced the class aboard her 2021 World Young horse Championship silver medal winning Blue Hors Touch of Olympic L. Making their international small tour level debut as a pair, Merrald and Touch of Olympic (by Don Olymbrio x Fidermark) showed confidence in the programme and posted 74.206% for the victory. The individual judges marks ranged from 73.088% to 76.765%.

The duo stood out with very established trot work, a good walk but one hoof got stuck in the left half pirouette, the extended walk had a clear V-moment in the rhythm and in canter the half pirouettes were very confirmed. The tempi changes every four strides were straight. One flying change at X was early to the aids and there was a bobble in the three tempi changes or the score would have even been higher. The half-halting in the final halt was strong. Merrald rode with conviction and the first place was a clear one. 

"So proud of this young man, he has developed so much lately," she said after the class. Touch of Olympic L is an 8-year old Danish warmblood bred by Anja & Jan Petersen and owned by Blue Hors, where Merrald is the head rider.

Zaeta de Malleret

Another new duo on the international stage is German Olympian Helen Langehanenberg with the French owned Zaeta de Malleret (by Zonik x Sir Donnerhall). Helen has been riding Haras de Malleret's 8-year old Zaeta since the spring of 2021 and their CDI debut was in August 2022 in Samorin, where they scored a triple victory. 

In Vilhelmsborg the petite black mare showed herself an over achiever, but Helen stayed quiet in the saddle with a light and steady bridle contact to control each step. The black mare is quick off her feet, but at time gets a bit hectic. In the second trot extension there was not enough overtrack or stretch, but Helen quietly motored on. The long-backed mare achieved one hoof overtrack in the extended walk and kept a clean rhythm, the walk pirouette in between half pirouettes was slightly tense. Zaeta eagerly worked in the canter tour and listened to her rider. At her young age, she appeared more green than Touch of Olympic. The flying changes to the right were bigger than the ones to the left and overall with a bit more relaxation in the body, she'll achieve more uphill tendency.  

The pair posted 73.206% for second place with marks going from 71.912% to 74.706%

Vividus QRE

Another small tour debutant was Cathrine Dufour's new ride, Vividus QRE, a 7-year old Swedish warmblood by Zaladin MI x Don Charly, bred by Christian Pahlsson.

The liver chestnut was discovered as a foal by Blue Hors stud, who bought him for 11,250 euro at the 2015 Swedish Warmblood Elite Foal Auction. In 2020 he was shown by Anders Sjobeck Hoeck and the horse sold to Christian and Tina Storm. In November 2021, Dufour's sponsor Louise Zinglersen bought the horse for Dufour to ride and shortly after Dufour and her wife Rasmine Laudrup co-invested in the gelding.

Dufour has competed Vividus in three national classes between January and June 2022 and the 2022 CDI-W Vilhemsborg was their international debut show.

Vividus is a long-legged chestnut with a typical way of going as all of Dufour's horses do: very elegant and light in the bridle. It almost seems that in her training she gives priority to the lightness in the contact first - as she rides such hot horses - then having the horse move from behind into the contact and in front of the leg aid. As a result she has horses very refined in their footprint, but sometimes lacking lateral bending and regularly dropping in the poll (Bohemian, Vamos, and now Vividus). In his Prix St Georges test Vividus skid through the corners with little bending, but he presented a light silhouette on the straight lines. There is so much promise and potential in this young man, who is only at the start of his career. He showed good ability for overtrack in the trot extensions, the extended walk had good rhythm and lengthening. The tempi changes were still tense and often crooked and the half pirouettes were big, but Dufour gave the gelding plenty of confidence and he appeared willing and listening.

They scored 71.647% for third place with the judges in unison. 

Top Five

The top five in the Prix St Georges was completed by Marianne Yde Helgstrand on her WCYH finalist Elverhojs Raccolto (by Sezuan x Sandro Hit) and one to watch, Rikke Dupont on Grand Galliano (by Grand Galaxy Win x Don Schufro). 

Yde Helgstrand and her 8-year old Raccolto placed fourth with 70.853%. The dark bay stallion is a very gifted mover and probably had the nicest flying changes of all horses in the field. He has a beautiful way of going in trot, but he was very unsteady in the connection with the rider holding her hands highs. This instability led to mistakes in the rhythm in the trot extensions and half passes. The extended walk was good but before the canter strike off the horse paced. Raccolto has a great ability to collection and showed it in one half pirouette. 

Rikke Dupont presented a horse that is definitely one to watch for the future: the 7-year old Danish bred Grand Galliano. The black takes much after his sire Grand Galaxy Win and showed strong extensions that could flow even more forward. He had good balance on the voltes and in the half passes, produced solid walk pirouettes, and a clear extended walk. The canter half pirouettes were a bit big, but the horse was not interrupted in his flow. The tempi changes were secure and straight. He scored 70.794% for fifth place.  Grand Galliano was the 2020 Danish Warmblood Young Horse Champion. He is bred by Gert and Lotte Buchhave and owned by Allan Hansen in partnership with the breeder.

The New Role of the Announcer?

Worth nothing is that the announcer at the CDI-W Vilhelmsborg seems to be on double duty at this show.

Instead of simply announcing the pairs entering and leaving the arena, he has taken up the additional role of commentator, providing his own analysis at the end of each test, giving an assessment of the ride and praise towards the riders while the judges are filling out their last scores. Remarkable.

 - Text  © Astrid Appels (this article expresses Appels' personal views and opinion about the competition).
- Photos © Ridehesten

Related Link
Scores: 2022 CDI-W Vilhelmsborg