As expected, Great Britain’s world champion, Charlotte Fry on Glamourdale, won the Grand Prix, the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Switzerland Friday. Her score was 77.152, well ahead of the 74.848 turned in by Isabell Werth of Germany on DSP Quantaz. It was the twenty-sixth World Cup start for Isabell.
Riders must complete the Grand Prix to move on to Saturday’s Freestyle, the lone score that counts for the title in the Basel, Switzerland competition.
The only one of the three U.S. riders to break 70 percent was Adrienne Lyle on Helix, ninth of 17 entries with a mark of 72.565 percent. Adrienne said she was really happy with Helix.
“This is our first indoor ever, so his little heart was beating fast when we first came in,” she confided.
“He really settled down and was listening to me well. Another mistake-free Grand Prix; he’s just turning out to be a reliable guy in there and a great partner,” Adrienne said of the Dutchbred son of Apache, a horse she began riding little more than a year ago.
“He’s definitely becoming much more my ride. He wants to please and tries to do his best. To have him do a mistake-free Grand Prix is a testament to the fact he’s getting more secure. i don’t think we’ve tapped in at all to the limit of his potential.
“At home, the quality and brilliance is a little more than we’re able to put in the ring,” said Adrienne, adding, “It’s exciting to know it’s there.”
She goes in the arena walking on a loose rein, which is a contrast to the more active entrance by many riders.
“It might look a little bit odd to the public, but it really works.” she said, explaining it prevents Helix from getting his adrenaline going.
“Having a relaxed and happy athlete is the starting point and a priority,” she noted.
Looking ahead to Saturday, she added, “I’m excited to have him go in there and show off a little more of his stuff.”
Making the second finals start of his career, the USA’s Kevin Kohmann said of his mount, Duenensee, “It was amazing, my horse was amazing,” noting he and the Hanoverian had “never been in a stadium like this before. The people are sitting so close.”
He was fourteenth with a total of 69.130 percent.
“The highlight was the relaxation of my horse. My goal was to get my friend through the test, relaxed as possible, and set him up for tomorrow.”
First-time World Cup starter Genay Vaughn of the U.S. was last on Gino with a 62.978 percent, reflecting problems in the final passage and the one-tempis, among other issues.
“It wasn’t our best test, but i think it was a learning experience, i think i learned valuable things,” the California rider said.
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