“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re about to take off.”
And with that announcement before the medley of flight-themed music began on Saturday evening in Aachen, Glamourdale Airlines soared, with Lottie Fry and her jet-powered stallion producing a nearly perfect dressage freestyle before a crowd of 40,000 to take the world championship gold.
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t believe how amazing Glam was in there today,” Lottie bubbled.
“It was kind of a test of a lifetime. We’ve never, ever had a test so good. It all just came together at the right time in Aachen, and yes, so special. It couldn’t have been any better for me. Whatever the results, I was incredibly happy.
Glamourdale and Lottie Fry. (FEI Photo)
Her achievement was unique. Not only did Lottie and Glamourdale win their second title of the championships, having earned top honors in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, but the British entry also was the only combination ever to have scored such a double twice in a row. The two delivered the same results at the last world championships, in Denmark four years ago.
This time, however, it was a personal best of 91.907 percent for Lottie, just 0.671 percent ahead of silver medalist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark, ranked number one in the world, guiding the aptly named Mount St. John Freestyle to finish on 91.236.
Germany’s Isabell Werth, the world’s most decorated dressage rider, climbed back on the podium in the stadium where she won gold at the World Equestrian Games 20 years ago. This time, she took bronze with Wendy de Fontaine, marked at 88.650, despite a bit of a scramble in the two-tempi changes.
Such a level of the competition was undreamed of when we were in Aachen for the 2006 WEG. The sport has improved and broadened in the years since, with more and more riders deservedly achieving top scores. The best 10 riders in the freestyle, from six countries, all were marked at over 80 percent. Their horses looked comfortable and happy doing their jobs, which hasn’t always been the case in this discipline.
Cathrine Dufour, Lottie Fry and Isabell Werth.
The odd man out in the freestyle was 2025 European Champion Justin Verboomen of Belgium with the 10-year-old Zonik Plus, another black stallion. How about a pas de deux with Zonik and Glamourdale? Probably not happening…
Prior to the championships, it was thought by many that the title match would be a three-way battle among Glammy, Free and Zonik. But Zonik didn’t break 90 percent, finishing fourth on 88.439 percent. I felt his dance plan was a bit strained, with emphasis on unusual transitions, such as piaffe to a canter pirouette. It didn’t flow the way Lottie’s flight did.
Lottie earned four artistic marks of 99 from four judges (one was actually 99.200); Cathrine got two 99s in that category.
Riding to tunes appropriate to her theme, including “Come Fly With Me” and “Fly me to the Moon,” Lottie revealed, “I literally had a smile on my face when we were in extended canter This is the most incredible feeling in the world.”
Glamourdale’s extended canter has to feel like flying, the horse is practically airborne when his long stride is in gear.
She mentioned he was whinnying before he competed and was “so excited to get in (the arena) and he’s so excited to go in. He was completely relaxed with the crowd and just doing everything his best. He’s such an incredible horse. We both enjoyed it so much, every minute of it.”
Someone recounted that Gertjan Van Olst, one of the horse’s owners, realized Glamourdale’s potential as a seven-day-old foal when the dam, Thuja (by Negro), came to his farm in Holland to give birth. He said he wouldn’t let the colt leave before he bought the son of Lord Leatherdale.
Cathrine felt she lost the gold medal Friday in the Special because of her own mistakes. But things were different on Saturday.
“I didn’t expect anything else from Lottie than she was only going to put the ground on fire, which she did. I also had a personal best with Freestyle and she was fault-free, so I’m over the moon and so happy about my silver medal.”
Isabell was in the unenviable position of having to go last, following the stellar performances of Lottie and Cathrine. But as always, she handled the challenge.
“I feel so,so grateful and I’m so happy about my test today and the atmosphere,” she said.
“I got goose bumps when I went in, and then Wendy was so fantastic. I was, `Okay take the risk, risk risk. That’s the only chance I have to get a medal.’
“At the end it was so amazing she was so with me and i could play with the piaffe/passage.
click here for Grand Prix Freestyle results