It was a battle royal, but the queen who earned the Grand Prix Special crown four years ago in Denmark did it again on Friday in Aachen.
A determined Lottie Fry of Great Britain and the fabulous Glamourdale topped a stellar roster of competitors in the Grand Prix Special at the FEI world championships.
Lottie and Glammy
The hugely anticipated face-off for the medals in this difficult test involved three riders who scored more than 80 percent to wind up on the podium, and three others just below that mark who also impressed mightily.
Lottie had a relatively comfortable edge with 82.295 percent over world number one Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark on Mount St. John Freestyle (80.927), who had some mistakes. Cathrine also took silver four years ago, but with another horse, Vamos Amigos.
The bronze went to Katharina Hemmer, a German making her world’s debut with Denoix PCH on 80.866. That kept her countrywoman, the legendary Isabell Werth, out of the medals after she rode Wendy de Fontaine to a 79.544 percent finish for fourth place.
Many expected the top placings to include former world number one Justin Verboomen of Belgium and Zonik Plus, but the black stallion didn’t show up at his best, coming in fifth with 79.362.
As usual, Glammy’s dramatic tempi changes and extended trot and canter were highlights, and little mistakes were inconsequential.
“It was just the most incredible test,” a rapturous Lottie said moments after clinching the title. Again.
“Glamourdale kind of knew how important it was and he loves that arena and he did the most amazing test. We’ve been really working for this point, just hoping we were going to peak at the right time. For it all to come together is like a dream.”
Lottie thanks Glammy for a job well-done.
Both horse and rider were “completely focused,” as Lottie put it, noting, “He felt relaxed, yet powerful and happy and just wanted to do his job. It was just an honor to be able to ride him in that arena and he gave everything he could. The more I asked, the more he gave.”
As it was happening so dramatically, Lottie thought happily, “This is just insane!”
Now she has to keep her freestyle title, which will be contested Saturday by the top 18 from the Special, for which 30 riders qualified from the Grand Prix on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cathrine and Free, who at one time was ridden by Britain’s Catherine Dujardin, looked up to the challenge as they entered the arena, and their marks started out well over the level set by the leader to that point, British star Carl Hester and Fame (who walked out of the arena to the music from the movie of that name.)
During Free’s test, his mouth was noticeably open in the piaffe after the walk, then had a mistake in the one-tempi changes and hopped out of the second pirouette.
“I’m disappointed with my ride today,” Cathrine recounted.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle.
“We started really well and Freestyle is in amazing form. She’s fit and she likes the arena. I hope I can do better in the Freestyle tomorrow and do as good as ‘Free’ does. I have to let today be today, and focus on tomorrow.
“I’m excited to ride our new freestyle and have one more chance to show what an amazing horse she is,” said Cathrine.
While the top two will meet again on Saturday, along with Justin, Isabell and Carl, Katharina felt Denoix had done enough and will not compete.
“I’m super proud of my horse,” she said.
“He tried everything for me and it was such a great feeling to ride him there in the big stadium and to feel he gave his very best.”
And how about finishing ahead of the great Isabell Werth?
“It was a big honor for me. to be in a battle with Isabell is a good feeling, because then you know you’ve reached the top,” said Katharina. And it all happened in her first championship.
Katharina Hemmer understandably was overjoyed with her medal ride.
Her horse is “such a sweet and kind soul. It took a while to get his pleasure, because he’s very sensitive, but now he knows he can really trust me and I think that showed in the ring today and I’m very pleased about that.”
He understands her. He moved a bit in the halt at the end of the Grand Prix as the crowd cheered, so as she neared the end of the Special, she told him, “It’s important to stand now.” And so he stood.
“He understood every word,” she believes.
Katharina hadn’t thought about getting an individual medal.
“My full focus was on the team competition. I was very happy that we could do our best Grand Prix ever for the team. That was my main thing and I said, `Everything that comes on top is just the cherry on the cream.’
“I didn’t have any pressure on myself. I just wanted to enjoy it because it’s the thing of a lifetime to be here in front of a home crowd.”
U.S. dressage involvement is over for these championships with an eighth-place team finish. They could have used Denoix, who has an American owner.
Christian Simonson, the only U.S. competitor to make the Special, finished twenty-ninth on Fleau de Baian with 68.456 percent.
“Felix felt amazing in there,” said Christian, noting he was happy with the passage and extension work.
Christian Simonson and Felix.
He had what he called “a cheeky little mistake coming into the first half-passes, where I did (one-tempi) changes.”
The judge rang the bell for the mistake and Christian picked up with the correct movement, but that affected his score.
He thought when he heard the bell, “Oh wait, wrong test,” and acknowledged he had focused in Germany on practicing the Grand Prix, rather than the Special,because that is the team test, and the team was what mattered most. But someone told him that the horse’s former rider, Adelinde Cornelissen, had done exactly the same thing in the 2013 European Championships with Felix’s full brother, Parzival (Jazz X Ulft).
But always displaying his upbeat attitude, Christian commented on his journey, that has taken him from Young Rider to second place in the Zen Elite World Cup Finals in April and now the world championships at age 23. He expressed gratitude to his coach, Adrienne Lyle, and Zen Elite, which owns his horse.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said.
We will have a separate piece on the wrap-up of eventing dressage, where the U.S. stands sixth going into Saturday’s cross-country and Britain leads the way, only 0.8 penalties ahead of Germany.
Click here for Grand Prix Special results.
