Adelinde Cornelissen defended her title in style when recording her second successive victory in the Grand Prix Special at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands today. Two years ago the Dutch rider claimed gold with Jerich Parzival at Windsor in Great Britain and set a new world record with her sparkling chestnut gelding. But today’s competition was an altogether different affair as, despite the highest expectations, the leading riders all made significant mistakes including the eventual champion.

Cornelissen’s class showed through however with a superb recovery. “I knew I had to ride double-well afterwards!” she explained, and that was exactly what she did, producing a run of late scores that not only rescued her from disaster, but also provided her with the ultimate accolade once again.

There was a hush around the arena as Cornelissen and Parzival set off, quickly achieving average marks of 8.2 for half-pass, 8.8 for extended trot and 8.3 for piaffe, but then there was a huge intake of breath when the judge’s bell arrested their performance—they had executed the two-tempis in place of half-pass as the eighth movement and had to pull up and go back to get it right.

But, showing the character and professionalism that makes a true champion, Cornelissen stayed cool as a cucumber, and not only did she calmly take it up and carry on, but she also rode with renewed determination and really pulled it off with 9.1 for the one-tempis and another for piaffe before the scoreboard showed 82.11 percent for her remarkable effort.

British riders took silver and bronze, Carl Hester and Uthopia once again displaying their massive potential, and Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris producing a much-improved performance to that shown in Thursday’s team championship in which she and her teammates reigned supreme.

The biggest surprise of the day was the uncertain performance of Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas. In the team event 48 hours earlier it seemed the stallion and his relatively new rider were at last cementing their partnership, but from the outset this afternoon they were hesitant and sometimes at odds with one another. Despite that, they finished just outside a medal position in fourth place.

A Charming Ride

Britain’s new starlet, Charlotte Dujardin, produced another truly charming ride with Valegro, but several horses seemed to be tiring including this 9-year-old who broke into canter as she attempted to execute half-pass. Their score of 76.53 percent precisely matched that of Germany’s Isabell Werth and El Santo. 

Bechtolsheimer racked up good scores from the outset with Mistral Hojris, who seemed much more positive today, but the 16-year-old gelding faded as the test progressed.

“In the first part he felt perfect—right on the button—but when I picked up piaffe he realized he was a bit tired and began to lose impulsion,” she explained. His first mistake came with a wrong lead in the first canter, but the early marks were sufficient to ensure temporary silver medal position with 79.25 percent.

However, Hester and Uthopia altered that, and there was a buzz of excitement as this relatively inexperienced stallion flashed yet another of his fabulous extended trots for an average mark of 9.8 when second-last to go.

Surely, it seemed, this would challenge Cornelissen’s leading score. More good marks followed for passage and half-pass, but where Cornelissen had lost it in the one-tempis, it was the two-tempis that went all wrong for the British duo whose mark of 3.4 knocked them right back, and with a final total of 81.86 percent they couldn’t challenge for the lead.

Now only Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas stood between Cornelissen and double glory, but it was clear from the outset that their performance would not be the winning one. Despite a sharp first halt, they racked up some good early scores, but they were at odds with each other in piaffe, and they never seemed to be in real harmony. And that breath-taking trademark pirouette was just not there to rescue the situation at the end as 77.03 percent went up on the board. It was Cornelissen’s triumph once again.

He’s In Top Shape

“My horse was in top shape, but I tried to mess it up!” said Cornelissen with a laugh afterwards. “I love it that he won, and I’m so proud of him. I kicked myself afterwards, but we had a good score, even though it could have been better.”

Hester admitted he was very focused on doing well in the Special. “I squeezed him out, and he got a little tired. We got it wrong in the one-tempis but his passage and extended trot were just wonderful!” he said.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s freestyle, the riders were asked if they were worried about their horse’s energy levels, but, perhaps ominously, Cornelissen was clear she doesn’t have any lack of horsepower to contend with. Bechtolsheimer pointed out, “The music and the atmosphere will give them all a lift. I’ll just do a bit less in the warm-up and adapt to how [Mistral Hojris] feels. He can have a long rest afterwards. We’ll be giving it a shot!”

“I’ve only once done a kur to music with this horse, and I have a new kur now which I’ve never ridden,” admitted Hester. “After Hickstead we decided I really needed a new kur, so tomorrow its going to be a surprise, for me and for everyone else!”

Grand Prix Special Results

1. Jerich Parzival, Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) 82.11%

2. Uthopia, Carl Hester (GBR) 81.68%

3. Mistral Hojris, Laura Bechtolsheimer (GBR) 79.25%.

Full results at www.ecdressage2011.com/

Tidbits

• The 30 riders with the highest scores from the team championship competed in today’s Grand Prix Special.
• The oldest horse was the 17-year-old gelding Moedwill, ridden by the Netherlands’ Sander Marijnissen.
• The youngest horses were both 9-year-olds—the bay mare Dorina, ridden by Norway’s Siril Helliesen, and the bay gelding Valegro, ridden by Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin.
• Germany has won 16 individual gold medals in the 25-year history of the FEI European Dressage Championships which first took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1963.
• In 1993 at Lipica, Slovenia, the dual individual medal format was first introduced and German riders won both—Nicole Uphoff and Grand Gilbert topping the freestyle, and Isabell Werth and Gigolo winning the Grand Prix Special. The format was restored again at La Mandria, Italy in 2007, but although Werth once again claimed the Grand Prix Special title, this time with Satchmo, it was the Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven and Keltec Salinero who took freestyle gold.
• The last four riders to compete included two 26-year-olds—Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer—and 27-year-old Matthias Alexander Rath from Germany.