Homeside Victory for Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth in 2023 CDI Hagen 4* Grand Prix for Kur

It was a home side victory for German A-squad member Frederic Wandres on the 13-year old Oldenburg gelding Bluetooth OLD in the 4* Grand Prix for Kur to Music at the 2023 CDI Hagen "Horses & Dreams Meets Sweden" competition in Hagen, Germany, on Friday 21 April 2023.

While the second day of international competition in Hagen on Thursday got dampened by cold, grey weather, on Friday the weather gods were more favourable and a nice spring sun brought sunshine, light, and smiles to the show scene at Hof Kasselmann. 

The feature class of the day was the 4* Grand Prix for freestyle which was judged by an experienced panel including Raphaël Saleh (FRA), Christof Umbach (LUX), Magnus Ringmark (SWE), Katrina Wüst (GER) and Thomas Keßler (GER). Seventeen riders in total were entered, but in the end only 16 went down the centerline as Andreas Helgstrand pulled his 9-year old stallion Jovian from the class due to a hoof abscess. 

The Last Will be the First

Starting last is always a big advantage for any rider and for Hof Kasselmann's head rider Frederic Wandres it worked to his advantage as he was last to go.

Normally the starting order for a Grand Prix is decided by the scientifically proven most fair and sportsmanlike "random draw" but at Hagen it was put in the FEI schedule that the draw in Hagen would be "in reverse order of the World Ranking list for horses – in groups of five" This resulted in Kasselmann's three home riders (Evelyn Eger, Anna Abbelen, Frederic Wandres) all going in the third and final group of riders in this Grand Prix class as their horses are highly ranked.

Frederic Wandres was the favourite for the victory and the sympathetic young man lived up to the expectations. Aboard Hof Kasselmann's Oldenburg gelding Bluetooth (by Bordeaux x Riccione) he produced a very solid test that earned him the winning score of 76.065%. The bay gelding just came home from a winning streak at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, and he did not lose his winning ways in Europe. They showed good crossing of the legs in the half passes and secure trot extensions. In the first piaffe there could have been more sit and in the extended walk there were two hooves overtrack but not enough stretch, while the collected was edgy in the clarity of rhythm. The canter work was very established with good tempi changes, extended canter and zig zag. The left pirouette was a small volte though, the right one better. Overall the horse could be a bit more elastic in the contact as today the left snaffle rein was more "on" the right one. Bluetooth looked confident in his work, but could have been a bit more electric from behind. 

Another Danish 2 - 3

Just like in the Grand Prix for Special, the Scandinavian riders were in pursuit of the Germans and this time two Danish team riders captured placed two and three. 

Nanna Skodborg Merrald brought 15-year old KWPN stallion Blue Bors Don Olymbrio (by Jazz x Ferro) to Hagen and landed second place with 74.565%. The pair last competed a month ago at the CDI Herning where they took second place in the Grand Prix (73.848%). In Hagen the cute liver chestnut stallion with white face was not always up in the poll but delivered as asked for. The extended trots had good overtrack but could have been more flowing in the rhythm. The passage could have been more under at tile but in piaffe the stallion showed good intention and lift in front. Don Olymbrio does not have the most ground covering extended walk, but he was so straight in the two tempi changes and very uphill in the ones. There was an expensive issue in the zig zag, but the pirouettes were good and the final centerline was well executed.

Nanna's long-time coach Michael Sogaard oversaw it all.

After the sale of his top ride Marshall Bell to Austrian-Israeli Nicola Ahorner, Danish team rider Daniel Bachmann Andersen has not time to mourn as a new star is already being chiselled in his barn. Under the supervision of trainer Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Bachmann has a diamond in the rough in Rudolf Spiekermann's 12-year old Westfalian Vayron (by Vitalis x Gloster), previously trained by Helen Langehanenberg. The huge bay Vayron showed big trot extensions good ground cover in the half passes. The passage was even, but lacked power and carriage from behind and also in piaffe the steps were still on the forehand. The tempi changes were huge, but the ones could be more uphill. The downward transition from canter to trot went via walk and also in the piaffe at X Vayron ran out of gas, but overall this wonderful Vitalis is one to watch for the future. He scored 74.152% for third place. The judges were a bit divided on him (probably unsure how to secure his lack of balance and power from behind). The marks ranged from 71.957% to 75.543%.

Mares and Stallions

German Fabienne Lutkemeier has two amazing Vitalis' offspring in her barn but seems to struggle to find connection with the absolute top of dressage sport. With Valesco (by Vitalis x Douceur) she rode the Special tour in Hagen, but after their moment of glory at the 2021 CDIO Aachen (victory in the Special with 77.638%) she has been unable to reproduce that feat on this chestnut gelding. Lately the 12-year old Westfalian mare Valencia As (by Vitalis x Hotline) has been stepping up to the plate and has become the "higher scoring" horse in her barn. The pair was first to go in the class. They did not halt immobile but produced extremely elegant half passes. The bridle contact was strong and one saw the mare gape and retract the tongue. The passage had a lot of elevation and rhythm and the piaffe showed a nice silhouette but the frontleg should be straighter for a better balance. The tempi changes had an issue but the pirouettes showed good ability to sit. With 73.783% (71.739% low score and 75.435% high score) they were fourth . 

German based Norwegian Isabel Freese-Bache and Paul Schockemöhle-Lone Boegh Henriksen's 11-year old Oldenburg stallion Total Hope (by Totilas out of ET Weihegold) completed the top five with 73.022%. The black stallion has a big head and short neck, which makes him look short in the neck very easily and quite ponyesque but he's a real athlete and especially in canter he impresses with fabulous extensions, tempi changes and pirouettes. The trot half passes lacked bending and in the extensions there should be more overtrack. The second passage could have been more regular and there was some back stepping in piaffe, but overall he's a very talented Grand Prix horse. 

- Text and Photos © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition).

Photos © Eurodressage - No Reproduction ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS ! - Eurodressage took photos of (almost) all competitors. If you are interested in photos for social media use, send us an email. 

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