It has been an incredible year for the low-key world number one Justin Verboomen of Belgium and his fabulous Hanoverian stallion Zonik Plus, with victories at Aachen and the European Championships. On Sunday, the duo finished their year in the same style, with a personal best score in the freestyle at Frankfurt to edge Danish powerhouse Mount St. John Freestyle with world number three Catherine Laudrup-Dufour riding.
Both horses were graded at more than 90 percent, but Zonik’s splendid mark was just a touch better at 91.195 percent, versus the Hanoverian mare’s 91.085 percent. The crowd went crazy applauding for Justin’s one-handed passage down centerline to his final halt.
Third place went to Germany’s eternal Isabell Werth, the world number two, on Wendy de Fontaine, further back at 87.165 percent. That normally would be a spectacular score and a winning one, but the two powerhouses at the top of the class are in a category that belongs to them.
The idea of the competition was to face off the discipline’s top 12 against each other, but among the missing were British riders Lottie Fry (Glamourdale) the world number five, and Becky Moody (Jagerbomb), world number five, were otherwise engaged at their home competition, the London International. They finished 1-2 there, but Lottie did not make it into the 90 percent range, though she came close. Read about it at this link
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