Sweden’s Patrik Kittel scored the “touchdown” of his career Friday night in Riyadh, winning the FEI Dressage World Cup freestyle with a performance that earned the title by a mere 0.25 percentage points. He did not have to beat the one horse who topped him in Wednesday’s Grand Prix after—in another shock at these World Cup Finals in Riyadh—Charlotte Fry and Everdale were eliminated for blood before ever entering the competition ring.
Kittel rode Touchdown, a 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (Quaterback—La Mour, Sack) owned by Sommarkvarn AB, to a score of 81.66%—just barely enough to edge past Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, who scored 81.42%, and five-time champion Isabell Werth from Germany, who finished third by an even slimmer margin aboard DSP Quantaz (81.40%).
Kittel, a three-time Olympian, has been in nine FEI World Cup Finals, but had never before stood on the World Cup Finals podium. He is only the second Swedish athlete to hold the coveted trophy in his hands in the 37-year history of the event. His trainer, Louise Nathhorst, steered LRF Walk on Top to victory 26 years ago in 1998 on home ground in Gothenburg.
“I cannot believe it—seriously,” an elated Kittel said. “Touchdown just flew with me today. I had to try to control my nerves all day, but he was just unbelievable. The power and the fighting spirit that he showed for me is the biggest win. The winning of the show is unbelievable, but to go in with so much atmosphere—before I came in the audience was going crazy [after Werth’s test]—but he just stayed with me and I cannot thank him enough.”
Watch Kittel’s winning test here, courtesy of FEI.tv:
Everdale Eliminated
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The shock of the evening was Great Britain’s Fry and Everdale, who after winning the Grand Prix easily on Wednesday, were eliminated under the blood rule Friday by head freestyle judge Hans-Christian Matthiesen. The pair had not yet entered the ring to perform their test.
Fry and Everdale’s owners, Van Olst Horses, issued a joint statement after the competition:
“We are of course upset with the elimination, but the horse’s welfare always comes first and foremost so completely respect the decision.
“Everdale was checked over by the FEI vet team straight away and they couldn’t find any sign of a cut or abrasion in the mouth and our own vet has also given him a thorough check with no obvious cause. The most important thing is he’s fine and there is no injury. We were really happy with the warm-up where he was relaxed, we took his bandages off and gave him a final check before heading in to the arena and can only think he maybe just caught his front lip as we went around the arena. It’s a disappointing way to end our FEI World Cup campaign but we have a happy horse to take home for another day.”
Marek Best For U.S.
For the United States, Anna Marek and Fayvel, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Cynthia Davila, was the highest-placed finisher, scoring 74.51% to take ninth place among the 14 finishers. Ben Ebeling and Indeed were 13th with a score of 72.51%, while Kevin Kohmann and Duenensee were 14th on 72.36%.
