Edward Gal riding Glock’s Total US at the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ 2021 Rotterdam.
© FEI/Leanjo de Koster
Netherlands claim FEI Dressage Nations Cup win in Rotterdam
By Patricia Salem
The Netherlands have taken first place in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ 2021 leg in Rotterdam.
Despite a superb winning performance from Isabell Werth in the individual ranking, the Dutch outscored their German rivals in the team competition.
Marlies van Baalen on Go Legend, Dinja van Liere on Hermes, Hans Peter Minderhoud on Glock’s Dream Boy NOP and Edward Gal on Glock’s Total Us completed the Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle with a total of 15, ahead of Germany on 19, who featured Werth, Dorothee Schneider, Matthias Bouten and Matthias Alexander Rath.
Belgium were in third thanks to the efforts of Thibault Vandenberghe, Laurence Vanommeslaghe, Domien Michiels and Alexa Fairchild.
Werth and Weihegold Old scored 87.530% with their Grand Prix Freestyle programme to beat out silver medallist Gal, who were awarded 84.280%.
Third place in the Freestyle went to Germany’s Schneider who rode DSP Sammy Davis Jr. to a score of 80.065%. With the Tokyo Olympic Games fast approaching, Saturday evening’s event at the Rotterdam CHIO, celebrating its 182nd anniversary, was the final opportunity for many competitors to test their mettle before heading to Japan.
The skies were overcast above the outdoor arena at the start of the show, as fans scattered in the stands for socially distanced viewing of the Rotterdam Topsport Prize. The threatening weather didn’t prevent them from seeing some of the world’s best, however, and they were treated to 10 excellent performances over the next two hours.
At the interim, Benjamin Ebeling of the USA, son of Olympian Jan Ebeling, was in the lead on a score of 75.180 percent, after a stellar program aboard Illuster van de Kampert. The clouds opened up as if on cue with the pair’s dramatic Star Wars music, but the pouring rain didn’t hinder their smooth changes and consistent activity.
Following 21-year-old Ebeling on the leaderboard, were Laurence Vanommestaghe of Belgium, Anna Buffini of the USA, Yessin Rahmouni of Morocco, and Ireland’s Heike Holstein, in that order, with plenty more incredible Dressage action to come.
Starting off the second half, Domien Michiels of Belgium moved into second place behind Ebeling with a programme for Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof that showed off his gorgeous extended trot and half pass work for a score of 74.585 percent. The two had a mistake with the one tempi the first time around, but a repeat on their joker line boosted their marks and set up a competitive atmosphere for the riders to come.
No stranger to tough competition, double Olympic medalist Dorothee Schneider of Germany and Sammy Davis were up next, having finished fourth in the Grand Prix test. They moved into the lead on marks of 80.065 percent with incredible piaffe and passage work and textbook extensions in a symmetrical programme that nevertheless had an exceedingly high degree of difficulty.
Home favourite Edward Gal was next into the arena with Glock’s Total Us, just nine years old but already showing the stuff of champions in his second ever Freestyle. The Dutch triple gold Olympic medalist had the crowd on their feet at the end, with a stunning programme that highlighted the stallion’s amazing reach and natural piaffe. With a score of 84.280 percent, the duo took over the lead and laid down the gauntlet for the final two riders.
Dutch teammate Marlies van Baalen and Go Legend gave it their best, demonstrating with a super test that the Totilas genes make for beautiful natural movers. Their score of 77.695 percent wasn’t enough to overtake Gal or Schneider, but it did move them into third place. With the most decorated Dressage rider of all time still to compete, would it be enough to reach the podium?
Five minutes later, everyone had their answer, as Isabell Werth and Weihegold completed their magnificent final line before their salute. Their classic programme stayed in perfect frame all the way through, and the judges were wowed too. Werth’s marks of 87.530 percent gave her the victory, meaning Gal would have to settle for second and Schneider for third.
Marlies van Baalen ultimately took fourth place, followed by Ebeling, Michiels, Vanommeslaghe, Buffini, Rahmouni, and Holstein, respectively.
Both Werth and Schneider will be heading to Tokyo in a few weeks, Werth with Bella Rose and Schneider with Showtime. It’s likely Gal and a few others from Saturday’s competition will be there as well.
After that, FEI Dressage Nations Cup excitement resumes in September at Aachen.
Source: FEI press release
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