Deutsche Bank Stadium. © CHIO Aachen/Michael Strauch
30 combinations to go for today´s CDIO Grand Prix Special in Aachen
Fully deserved winner today with American Laura Graves and Verdades.
Might be the best present ever as Laura Graves today also celebrates her 30-years birthday. What great way in front of Worlds sharpest spectators at Worlds most prestigious event in Aachen. And to beat the Queen of Dressage Isabell Werth with her Olympic team gold horse Weihegold will for sure make a new chapter for big dressage history book. And this date Laura Graves will remember, also when you ask her in 20 years.
The full package of positive power when Graves and Verdades enters the arena. From H2R point of view the way Laura sits and with her very light aides being able to manage the powerful Verdades easily around in the test today, is just a pleasure to watch.
Both her entering halt and final halt are spot on, but only the final halt rewarded with 2 x 10 from Danish judge and American judge. The trot half passes are super supple with power and balance in a beautiful frame. Sharp on the letters for the passage tours, except the first transition to passage which becomes a bit unbalanced, but rest of the trot/passage tours are with high qualities. Series are smooth without tensions, but in general you could wish for more air time for the canter tour. Series are nice through the body with big strides, but flat.
Isabell Werth and Weihegold did not show their best today, and from the side line also very well scored with 81,059%. Tense at the end of the first extended trot where Weihegold ist a bit against the hand, the extension are in general a bit cautious. Today the collected walk lacking more clear beat and the first two piaffe tours are not with the well known sharp activity off the ground, and looks as if Werth has to ask a bit more than usual. Error by the two times. Final centerlinie in top Werth / Weihegold style.
Placed 3rd was Sönke Rothenberger with Cosmo, great start power extended trot and good trot / passage tours, spookes at the middle of the extended walk as if something was at the ground. Lack bit more sharpness into first piaffe, error by 15 one time tempies, and a small disturb by final extended trot at the long side.
Todays no. 4 Danish Cathrine Dufour and Atterupgaards Cassidy. Smooth power test in super balance without any issues, beautiful frame. Super walk tour, and from walk direct into piaffe. Ground covering series, very well controlled and balanced pirouettes. From the scoreboard and with Danish glasses Dufour and Cassidy showed a test today worth a "silver medal" (also rewarded with 2nd place from British judge Isobell Wessels at E today).
2nd Danish combination today was Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and Jojo AZ. Nice trot tour with good passage / extension tours, good walk, active piaffe tours, unfortunately with two minor errors for both one times series. Scoring 70,255% placed 18th.
Danish combinations not qualified for the freestyle
3rd Dane was Anders Dahl with Selten HW, they were showing a strong trot tour, and with good passage / extensions. Unfortunately the power and go were also lacking for todays piaffe tours, and an error crept into the middle of the 15 one times. Anders and Selten are placed 21.
4th Danish combination was Daniel Bachmann Andersen with the just 9 yr old stallion Blue Hors Don Olymbrio. In general a very well timed Special, but for the passage and for the piaffe tours the last strength is naturally still missing. Placement as no 24.
See the results of the class here.
Tomorrow Grand Prix freestyle is with the best 18 combinations from today.