Opening day of the 2024 Global Dressage Festival (GDF) delivered a poetic win for Germany’s 23-year-old Felicitas Hendricks and Drombusch OLD in the World Cup Grand Prix on Thursday 11 January 2024.
The first day kicked off rather rainy which left a fair bit of horses on edge and spooky. Hendricks and her 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (by Destano x Dimaggio) claimed their first senior Big Tour win after Hendricks made her international debut ten years ago at GDF in 2015.
Hendricks Top Field of 12
The class with a field of 12 competitors was a qualifier for the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle, which takes place under the lights on Friday night during the first of the “Friday Night Stars” series.
Wellington has watched Hendricks climb the ranks, and will again watch her compete during “Friday Night Stars” for the first time in her career. She and Drombusch OLD will again perform the freestyle that won them an individual silver medal at the European Under-25 Championships this past summer.
“I'm always happy to be back here,” said Hendricks, whose GDF career started when she was a junior and has cued many “firsts” since, including her senior Nations Cup debut – and gold medal for Germany. Of Drombusch’s reaction to being in Florida for another season, Hendricks noted, “He got off the trailer yesterday and he knew exactly where he was. He was like ‘okay, I don’t need to be nervous; I’m home.’”
“The win was definitely unexpected,” said Hendricks. “I started with my junior wins here and now winning an [FEI] World Cup™ class here in Wellington, it’s something I never dreamed of honestly and it’s exciting.
“It was great doing seniors here because then it was a little easier going back to U25,” said Hendricks who trains with her uncle Christoph Koschel. “We tackled so many challenges, and I think last season here really paid off and we used all the things we learned.”
Great Britain’s Susan Pape and Eclectisch, a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion she owns with Harmony Amateur Sports Foundation, danced to second with a 70.587%. Sweden’s Caroline Darcourt was third aboard Lord Django, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Lövsta Stuteri, was third on 69.478%.
Anna Marek Wins Grand Prix for Special
The pair bested a group of 17 riders with 70.652% for the victory on opening day of the GDF.
“We’re becoming more of a partnership every day,” said Marek of her 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (by Briar Junior x OO Seven) owned by Janet Simile. “It seems like with each show we go in, I can relax and trust that he’s going to do what I want.”
Marek noted that her number-one goal for the 2024 season is to make the shortlist for the Paris Olympic Games and travel to Europe for the first time for the selection trials.
-- GDF press release, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Lily Forado - Sue Stickle
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