A packed RAI Amsterdam provided the perfect backdrop Saturday for a feast of top-level sport as the seventh leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup season unfolded into a true battle of the Dressage queens during the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle.
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In a nail-biting finale, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale once again emerged victorious, defending their Amsterdam title with a stunning score of 89.305%. From the moment they turned at A for their final centre line, the British combination had the crowd clapping along in unison, sealing a repeat victory at this iconic World Cup qualifier.
Chasing Fry all the way to the end was Germany’s Isabell Werth with Wendy de Fontaine, who posted a strong 87.580% for second place. Fry’s compatriot Becky Moody completed the podium with her home-bred Jagerbomb on 85.310%, moving up to third place in the FEI Dressage World Cup standings.
Déjà vu on the Amsterdam podium
Remarkably, the top three in Amsterdam looked strikingly similar to last year’s result, when Fry also claimed victory, Moody finished second and Werth, then riding DSP Quantaz, took third. Host nation The Netherlands was strongly represented with no fewer than five combinations, all female athletes who were also part of the Dutch European Championship team in Crozet, France. Dutch riders Dinja van Liere and Thamar Zweistra both secured top-10 finishes, but the best home result came from Marieke van der Putten with Zantana RS2 OLD N.O.P. (owned by Jacques and Saskia Lemmens).
Drawn eleventh to go, Van der Putten produced a new personal best of 80.185% with the sensitive mare, showcasing a beautifully quiet contact and high-quality collected work. A costly mistake in the one-tempi changes in the Freestyle saw the pair drop to fifth, having finished fourth in Friday’s Grand Prix.
Kittel sparks early standing ovation
Fourth place went to Sweden’s Patrik Kittel with Touchdown (owned by Sommarkvarn AB). After a Grand Prix on Friday that fell just short of their usual level, Kittel was forced into an early start in the Freestyle, but there he was the first to bring the Amsterdam crowd to its feet. Riding with flair and razor-sharp lines perfectly matched to the music, the Swede delivered a convincing performance that earned 81.880%, a score many combinations after him failed to surpass.
Winner of the FEI Dressage World Cup qualifier in Mechelen, Larissa Pauluis of Belgium, could not quite match that mark Saturday with Flambeau (owned by Caroline and Emmanuel Lepage, Jean Pauluis and Marie Christine Pauluis). Despite a boldly ridden Freestyle without major mistakes, the pair received 78.890%, placing seventh.
Young Treffinger captures hearts
One of the crowd favourites in Amsterdam was the 23-year-old Moritz Treffinger of Germany. With Fiderdance (owned by Gestüt Bonhomme and formerly ridden by Australian Simone Pearce), he presented a textbook example of harmony, highlighted by an elegant position in the saddle and a light, elastic connection. Scoring 78.505%, they finished eighth and now also sit eighth in the FEI Dressage World Cup ranking.
Great Britain fielded not only Fry and Moody, but also Charlotte Dujardin, who competed the 12-year-old mare Alive and Kicking (owned by the athlete, Ulrike Bachinger and Carl Hester). Demonstrating excellent rhythm and impressive collection in piaffe and passage, the duo finished sixth with 79.955%, narrowly missing the 80% mark.
A flying Freestyle sets the benchmark
The much-anticipated battle of the Dressage queens truly began in the final group, opened by Fry and Glamourdale (owned by the athlete and Van Olst Horses). Performing their flying-themed Freestyle, the pair appeared to glide through the arena with ease. Eights filled the score sheet, while the canter work earned a flurry of tens, with the extended canter and flying changes drawing audible gasps from the stands. As the audience clapped rhythmically through the final centre line, Fry’s 89.305% set the bar high, with Moody and Werth still to come.
“I’m usually not nervous before competitions, but [Saturday] I did feel some nerves after my test, knowing Isabell and Becky were still to ride,” said Fry. “A strong field like this only gives me extra motivation. It really makes you raise your game.
“I trust ‘Glammie’ completely, and if the crowd gets loud for the combination before us, he has no problem walking into an arena like this. He actually loves it – he loves to show off. We’re really finding the right balance now between all that power and enough relaxation.”
Moody wins Harmony & Fairness Award
Moody and her home-bred Jagerbomb (owned by the athlete and Jo Cooper) followed with a joyful Freestyle to upbeat Beatles music, featuring a highly complex floorplan with exercises coming thick and fast. Their score of 85.310% secured third place.
“Bomb is an amazing horse. You learn something from every horse you ride in your career, and that has helped me to produce Jagerbomb to this level. He makes it easy for me,” said Moody.
In addition to her podium finish, Moody also claimed the Harmony & Fairness Award, a €10,000 audience-voted prize for the most harmonious combination. “It’s very special to win this award. For me, it’s all about Jagerbomb – he makes it possible for me to ride like this.”
After Amsterdam, Moody now sits third in the FEI Dressage World Cup ranking and confirmed she would like to target the Final in Fort Worth, Texas, USA should she qualify.
Werth closes with power and promise
Last to go was Isabell Werth, who made a late decision to bring Wendy de Fontaine (owned by Chateau de Fontaine and Madeleine Winter-Schulze) to Amsterdam instead of DSP Quantaz. She opened her Freestyle with superb, high-quality piaffe and passage work. A costly error in the two-tempi changes in the canter section, however, proved decisive. Her score of 87.580% brought her close to Fry, and although she finished second, Werth collected the full 20 World Cup points in Amsterdam, as Fry is automatically qualified for the Final as defending champion.
“After Frankfurt and Basel, I felt that Wendy and I still had a few things to fine-tune, so I decided to ride her here,” explained Werth. “We’ve learned a lot in the last two shows, and I can really feel her gaining more strength and muscle. The canter work was already better today than last time, but we’re not quite there yet.”
Following the FEI Dressage World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam, Raphael Netz of Germany remains firmly in the lead of the standings. The next leg takes place in Neumünster, Germany on 14–15 February – so don’t miss a hoofbeat.
Watch the action from Neumünster via ClipMyHorse.TV.
Source: FEI press release by Bettine van Harselaar
