Mount St John Freestyle claims double win on home soil
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall 11) came out in force at ECCO Five Star Dressage in Herning, Denmark. The combination won the Nordentoft CDI5* Grand Prix with a personal best score of 84.174% with the entire judging panel having them in first. They received 10 marks of 10.0 across the test for piaffe, passage, piaffe-passage transitions, both canter pirouettes their final halt and harmony.
In second was Germany’s Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine (Sezuan 2 x Blue Hors Soprano) with 81.913%. Although the pair produced a largely faulty-free test, tension in the walk reduced their overall score.
In third was Norway’s Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD (Totilas x Blue Hors Don Schufro) with a score of 74.652%.
Laudrup-Dufour and Freestyle produced an incredible freestyle for a score of 90.465%. “MSJ Freestyle, you’re one in a billion and how proud, honoured and lucky we feel to have you in our life! Forever thankful for this weekend with you,” shared Laudrup-Dufour.
Isabell and Wendy de Fontaine were just 0.4% behind with 90.080%. Once again, the collected walk was the lowest mark throughout the test but 10s were awarded for canter pirouettes, piaffe, and passage-piaffe transitions as well as harmony, choreography and music and interpretation of the music.
In third was Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD with 81.885%.
Viva Gold OLD dominates CDI3* Grand Prix
Isabell Werth and Viva Gold OLD won the Helgstrand Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix by 7% finishing on a score of 77.500%. The 10-year-old stallion (Vivaldi x For Romance OLD) shows great promise with 9.0’s being awarded for piaffe and passage, and with one 10 being awarded for the final passage.
In second was Germany’s Leonie Richter and Lord Europe (Lord Leatherdale x Boston) on a score of 70.109% and in third was Great Britain’s Anabella Pidgley and 2021 Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist horse, Gio (Apache x Tango), with a score of 69.978%.
Isabell and Viva Gold OLD backed up their win from the Grand Prix with another win in the Helgstrand Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Special on 79.042%, even with a costly mistake in the one-tempis. In second was Leonie Richter with Lord Europe on a score of 71.915% and in third was Camilla Lunderskov and Donnerhall’s Son II with a score of 70.000%.
Another rising star for Laudrup-Dufour
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour continued her successful competition, winning the Statera CDI1* Prix St Georges with eight-year-old gelding Franko Unik (Franklin x Don Schufro) on a score of 73.235% and the Stutteri EVO CDI1* Intermediate I with a score of 73.765%.
