18/10/2009: Anky van Grunsven was victorious in the freestyle at the season’s first FEI World Cup qualifier sponsored by ECCO Shoes which was held at the JBK Horse Shows in Odense. With a superior and softly flowing ride on the jet-black horse Salinero, Anky van Grunsven claimed the first place. Edwards Gal finished second on Sisther de Jeu while Patrick Kittel finished third. The best of the Danish contestants was Andreas Helgstrand on Tannhof’s Carabas who finished ninth.
Anky van Grunsven was unequalled in the freestyle
The packed Arena Fyn was completely silent as the queen of freestyle, Anky van Grunsven entered the arena on the jet-black gelding Salinero. The equipage gave a relaxed and expressive performance that received a total score of 81.45 percent and an impressive 85.6 percent for the artistic impression. With quick strides and beautiful half-passes the Dutch equipage floated through the performance. Dutch rider Anky van Grunsvenis is a master at adapting her ride to the music and that this too was a success during the freestyle. Anky van Grunsven herself was very satisfied:
“I was very pleased with today’s ride. Salinero stood completely still when he was supposed to, and we had some very good extended trots. The horse worked well with me today, but he might have performed better if he had had another competition before this one,” Anky van Grunsven stated as she explained that Salinero performs the best after two competitions.
A performance equal to the European Championship
Anky van Grunsven was not completely satisfied with the scores from the judges:
“I was disappointed with the points today. I received a total of 81.45 percent, but I felt that we performed as well as we did at the European Championship where I received a better score.”
Anky van Grunsven is planning on participating in the FEI World Cup qualifiers on her other horse, Paintet Black, as well. Eventually she will decide which horse to use in the final.
A beautiful freestyle by European Champion Edward Gal
The reigning European Champion, Dutchman Edward Gal, and the promising ten-year mare, Sister de Jeu had a beautiful and smooth performance during which the mare looked very comfortable. Although well-known for her feisty temperament, Sisther de Jeu relaxed during the quiet music accompanying Edward Gal’s freestyle.
Edward Gal: Sisther de Jeu is a very good horse
The equipage was rewarded with a total score of 80.35 percent and 84.2 percent for the artistic impression, a result that pleased Edward Gal:
“Even though my horse was still tense from yesterday, I was very happy with the ride. When I tested the music with her one year ago she flipped out, and she didn’t today. She was tense today because there was music in the warm-up area. Sisther de Jeu is a very good horse, but she needs more time to develop – more time than Tortillas did,” Edward Gal stated at the press conference.
Edward Gal on Sisther de Jeu, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)
Anky van Grunsven was the best
Edward Gal belived that the victory by Anky van Grunsven was richly deserved:
““Anky was the best today and that’s why she won. That’s the way the sport works, and that’s how it should be. Anky and I are competitors inside the arena, but we are good colleagues outside of it.”
Swedish rider Patrik Kittel took third place in the FEI World Cup Freestyle
Swedish rider Patrik Kittel and Watermill Scandic finished third with a total score of 76.25 percent. Whisper with Monica Theodorescu in the saddle finished fourth with a total of 74.70 percent. The two equipages thus changed places compared to yesterday in the preliminary FEI World Cup Grand Prix.
Afterwards Patrik Kittel expressed great satisfaction not only with his ride but also with the meeting in Odense in general:
“I was very pleased with the ride. My horse was calm, but I made some mistakes. Watermill is still young. The most important thing about a horse is its willingness to perform in the arena, and my horse wants to do just that. The arena in Odense is a very nice place to ride because there are two arenas you can use whenever you like, unlike other places where the arenas are occupied all the time,” Patrik Kittel stated.
Patrik Kittel on Watermill, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)
Andreas Helgstrand finished as the best Dane in the freestyle
Andreas Helgstrand and Tannenhof’s Carabas came ninth and thus finished as the best of the Danish equipages. Accompanied by the Queen song “I want it all” the equipage secured itself a total score of 71.6 percent. Andreas Helgstrand finished his programme with a sweeping extended trot down the centre of the arena and subsequently greeted the judges, setting off a roar of excitement from the audience.
Andreas Helgstrand: “Today was much better”
Andreas Helgstrand was pleased with the Sunday’s ride, although a little disappointed with the scores:
“Today was much better than yeaterday. We made some changes to the warm-up and that made a huge difference. We were calm and tried to keep the horse relaxed. The horse was much more focused today. I am much happier with the performance today compared with yesterday. However, I am disappointed with the score today. I thought that they were low and my coach and the people who surround me thought so as well.
Andreas Helgstrand on Tannenhof's Carabas, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)
Carabas keeps getting better and better
Working with Tannenhof’s Carabas is still new, so Andreas Helgstrand is calm:
“As regards the World Cup I don’t have a specific goal. I need a lot of experience with this horse. Of course I can still get nervous and make plenty of mistakes, but with more experience comes greater focus. I get more nervous when there is an expectation that I have to win. On this horse I can just focus on doing better each time. It takes time to get to know a horse. When I got Carabas I couldn’t even get him to do the passage and I thought: how am I ever going to make this work. A lot has happened in the past year,” Andreas Helgstrand says.
A mix-up with the music gave Sune Hansen a bad start in the Grand Prix Freestyle
Newcomers to FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Sune Hansen and Anne Troensegaard finished twelfth and thirteenth respectively, a result that Sune Hansen was not completely satisfied with. The rider had a bad beginning as the wrong CD had been handed in which meant that the intro was too long. This forced the equipage to wait in the arena for several seconds before it was able to begin its performance. Sune Hansen and Casmir received a total score of 69.15 percent and a rhythmical applause from the audience.
Sune Hansen: I made too many beginner’s errors
Sune Hansen was annoyed with his mistake:
“I was happy with the horse today, but not myself. The horse did better than yesterday, but I did worse. I made too many beginner’s errors. Among other things I brought the wrong music and that disheartened me. The performance got increasingly better, and I am happy about that. But bringing the wrong music is a mistake that is difficult to let go of. I thought of a word beginning with f and ending with k,” Sune Hansen revealed.
Sune Hansen on Gredstedgaards Casmir, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)
Prizegiving, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)
Photo: Anky van Grunsven with Salinero, JBK 2009 (Ridehesten.com)