PrintEdward Gal and the super-stallion Moorlands Totilas overcame all the pressure and tension to claim the 25th anniversary FEI World Cup Dressage title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands on March 27. (Video on page 3.)
Gal's stallion was heavily favored to take the honors throughout the entire 2009/2010 FEI World Cup Dressage season, during which he secured his third record-breaking score of 2009 at London Olympia (England) last December.
But two days ago fellow Dutch rider Adelinde Cornelissen took advantage of an edgy test from her teammate to win the preliminary Grand Prix with a great performance from Jerich Parzival, and for the first time in a long while, Gal's stallion began to look vulnerable.
Today, however, he was considerably more composed as he strutted his way to victory by a margin of almost 7 percentage points.
"When I came into the arena I thought it could be better—and it was!" said the relieved 40-year-old rider who clinched the trophy for the Netherlands for the 10th time.
He Made The Trip Worthwhile
Brett Parbery made his trip all the way from New South Wales, Australia, worthwhile when opening the freestyle finale with a great rhythmic test from the 14-year-old Victory Salute which earned a mark of 70.55 percent, but, second-last to go before the half-way break, Germany's Carola Koppelmann and her veteran 17-year-old Le Bo put 73.20 percent on the board.
However it was Denmark’s Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein who was in the lead going into the second half of the competition after producing a relaxed, pleasing performance from Digby that achieved a score of 75.15 percent.
That remained the target until Cornelissen and Parzival set off four horses later, and the chestnut gelding's easy elevation, natural rhythm and powerful movement was complemented by a creative new routine that particularly highlighted his athleticism in pirouette.
However, Cornelissen admitted afterwards that she had only practiced the routine once before today's competition, and that her mistake in the one-tempi changes, when Parzival simply stopped executing them, was entirely her own.
"It was quite a risk. I kept thinking about where I was in the test, and I stopped asking him to do the changes, so he stopped doing them, but then I remembered again and he continued—it wasn't his fault, it was completely mine!" she insisted.
However she finished with a dramatic flourish by following a canter pirouette to the right with another to the left, and her score of 82.85 percent put her well out in front.
“My new musical score is created by Pyntago—it is a medley of Tchaikovsky. I left it to them to decided what music to use because I like every style of music from rock and roll to classical to country music—they have done a great job, because I felt Parzival needed lighter and happier music to match his personality, and this is great!” said Cornelissen.
She Rode An Accurate Test
