Adelinde Cornelissen (NED), the new Dressage number one rider, is pictured here with the FEI World Cup Dressage which she won in April. (c) Kit Houghton/FEI
Lausanne (SUI), 8 July 2011 – Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the 14-year-old gelding Jerich Parzival have taken over the world number one slot in the Dressage rankings. With 2,578 points, the Dutch combination has moved up to claim the top spot on the FEI World Dressage Riders’ Ranking List. Previously, fellow countryman Edward Gal and the super-stallion Totilas reigned supreme for 19 months from 1 December 2009 to 30 June 2011.
Adelinde and Jerich Parzival are followed in the rankings by British duo Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris on 2,465 points. Ulla Salzgeber (GER) and Herzruf’s Erbe are in third place with 2,200 points.
Thirty-one-year-old Adelinde, who was world number one from 1 September to 30 November 2009, is having an exceptional 2011 season, including victory in the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final in April, the first time in her career that the Dutch rider had claimed the World Cup title.
“I would like to congratulate Adelinde on taking over as world number one,” FEI Dressage Committee Chairman Frank Kemperman commented. “She and Parzival have given some very powerful performances this year and I’m very happy that Adelinde is again in the poll position that she so richly deserves.”
Edward Gal (NED) and Totilas remained as the world’s leading combination after the stallion had been sold to Germany until Totilas had made his first competitive outing with new rider, Matthias Alexander Rath. The new pairing has come in at 165th in the Rankings with 1,108 points to their credit from their four outings last month.
Leipzig (GER), 27 April 2011 – Defending champion Edward Gal (NED) will be sixth to go in the Grand Prix as the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final gets underway in Leipzig, Germany tomorrow. The draw took place this evening, and the order of go will be as follows:
1, Kompliment (Sergey Pusko) UKR; 2, Weinzauber (Robert Acs) HUN; 3, Rafalca (Jan Ebeling) USA; 4, Skovlunds Mas Guapo (Mikaela Lindh) FIN; 5, Ekwador (Katarzyna Milczarek) POL; 6, Sisther de Jeu (Edward Gal) NED; 7, Come on 111 (Shawna Harding) USA; 8, Leo Af Magnushof (Nina Hoffmann) SWE; 9, Apollo van het Vijverhof (Jeroen Devroe) BEL; 10, Damon Hill NRW (Helen Langehanenberg) GER; 11, Hiscox Artemis (Richard Davison) GBR; 12, Watermill Scandic HBC (Patrik Kittel) SWE; 13, Wiyamaro (Catherine Haddad-Staller) USA; 14, Jerich Parzival (Adelinde Cornelissen) NED; 15, Satchmo (Isabell Werth) GER; 16, Exquis Nadine (Hans Peter Minderhoud) NED; 17, Herzruf’s Erbe (Ulla Salzgeber) GER; 18, Digby (Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) DEN.
The competition begins at 18.00 local time, and Gal competes in the first tranche of riders with the 12-year-old mare Sisther de Jeu. However the winner of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011 title is expected to emerge from the second group which includes his team-mate Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival, the combination who dominated the Western European League qualifying rounds, and German stars Isabell Werth and Ulla Salzgeber who are both double-winners of this prestigious series.
Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud, half of the Dutch team, join Brett Parbery and Chris this week to review the season so far and discuss the year ahead for World Cup and European Championships. And Brett has some great advice too in our weekly tip. Take a listen right here…
The Netherlands' Edward Gal and Sisther de Jeu won the sixth leg of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series in Mechelen, Belgium today. Photo: Dirk Caremans/FEI.
GAL REIGNS SUPREME WHILE MINDERHOUD TAKES MAXIMUM POINTS AND SALZGEBER FORGES AHEAD ON LEADERBOARD by Claartje van Andel
Mechelen (BEL), 28 December 2010 – The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and his mare Sisther de Jeu simply did what they set out to do at the sixth leg of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series in Mechelen, Belgium today when following their victory in the Grand Prix with the same result in the Freestyle. As Gal is the title defender and does not receive points in his starts, his partner, Hans Peter Minderhoud, claimed maximum points when runner-up with the mare Exquis Nadine. And Ulla Salzgeber, winner at both Kaposvar in Hungary and at Frankfurt in her native Germany this season, finished third with her chestnut mare Wakana to forge a strong lead at the top of the series leaderboard.
Gal was relieved and happy with the win. He took the rather inexperienced mare Sisther de Jeu to Olympia in London and now to Mechelen. “She is very sensitive and is not used to a lot of noise and to the crowds, but she is learning to behave better, and to relax – this definitely will be her future,” the 40 year old rider said with confidence. His Freestyle music is just like the famous Freestyle of his former ride, the stallion Totilas which has now been sold to Germany. The score was created by Dutch musician Joost Peters, who is married to Dutch dressage rider and trainer Mischa Koot, and the music cast a mysterious spell over the movements of Sisther de Jeu who began to really show what she can do during the test.
Photo Caption: The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas swept to victory in the seventh leg of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series in Amsterdam this afternoon to rocket up to the top of the series leaderboard.
Click for larger image.
Amsterdam (Ned), 23 January 2010 The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas swept to victory in the seventh leg of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series in Amsterdam this afternoon to rocket up to the top of the series leaderboard. Once again thrilling both judges and spectators alike, the dynamic Dutch duo recorded a score of 87.70% as they high-stepped their way to success with their unique sparkle and panache. But the most remarkable thing about today’s competition was the exceptionally high level of performance throughout the entire class. The sport of dressage has raised its game in dramatic fashion over the past 12 months, and horses and riders are meeting the challenge head-on.
Today, Great Britain’s Laura Bechtolsheimer produced a wonderful test from Mistral Hojris to slot into second place with a score that was only just over four points behind the spectacular winners while Holland’s Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Hunter Douglas Sunrise, double-winners already this season, finished third. The host country’s Anky Van Grunsven and Painted Black were fourth ahead of Germany’s Isabell Werth and Warum Nicht FRH in fifth, and Bartels now jointly-shares top spot on the league table with Gal.
HELD THE LEAD
It was Hans Peter Minderhoud who held the lead going into the second-half of the competition following a bright and happy test from Exquis Nadine. The 15 year old chestnut mare executed her extended trot and passage with lady-like delicacy and precision, and her forward-moving canter was perfectly balanced by her Dutch rider’s sensitive and sympathetic hand to achieve a mark of 76.70%.
This would only be good enough for sixth place in the final analysis however, and the first to better that score was multiple champion Isabell Werth from Germany. Quickly back in harness after the birth of her baby son Frederick last October the 40 year old rider has lost none of her competitive edge, but despite excellent pirouettes and canter-changes there was a loss of rhythm several times so the score of 79.80% from Warum Nicht might easily have been improved upon. Next to go, and fourth-last into the arena, was Bechtolsheimer and the chestnut gelding Mistral Hojris whose confidence and character seem to have grown in leaps and bounds since claiming team silver and individual bronze for Great Britain at the Alltech FEI European Dressage Championships in Windsor last summer. They showed exuberant half-pass, piaffe and extended trot that oozed quality while Bechtolsheimer’s ear for her musical score ensured their timing was impeccable. Taking the lead with 82.30% on the board, they were always going to finish strongly.
THE EDGE
But Moorlands Totilas had the edge once more, although his rider has clearly learned the weight of the expectations now placed upon his able shoulders. Every time this partnership go in the ring now they are expected to break yet another world record, which is not altogether surprising since they have done so three times over the past 12 months. At Olympia in London just before Christmas they wowed the crowd with a breath-taking performance that achieved a spectacular score of 92.30% to finish a full 10 marks ahead of their nearest challengers, fellow-Dutch team members Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival. Today’s test was not of the same calibre – but it was still awesome and in a class of its own.
“Totilas felt a bit tense today” Gal admitted afterwards, “but he is an amazing horse to ride and he exceeds my expectations time and time again. I want to ride better next time” he said, but added, “people have high expectations though. When I was in Stuttgart I scored 79% and I was receiving text messages in which people were asking me – “Oh, didn’t it go well?!” – and I would be like, well Yes, it did, but I can’t score really high every time!”.
Second-last to go was Van Grunsven who understands all too well the situation in which Gal now finds himself. The reigning Olympic champion has won more titles than most people would ever dream of and was an almost-untouchable force in the sport for many years, but the arrival of a whole new generation of contenders has changed everything. She demonstrated her determination to stay in the game today however with a great test from Painted Black which slotted her into fourth behind last-to-go Schellekens-Bartels who produced a lovely performance from Sunrise for third place today, and level-pegging with Gal at the top of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage leaderboard.
And with just two more qualifying legs remaining – at Neumunster (Ger) and Goteborg (Swe) next month – before the final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Ned) in March that is a good place to be…..
RESULT: 1, Moorlands Totilas (Edward Gal) Ned 87.00%; 2, Mistral Hojris (Laura Bechtolsheimer) GBR 82.30%; 3, Hunter Douglas Sunrise (Imke Schellekens-Bartels) Ned 82.05%; 4, IPS Painted Black (Anky Van Grunsven) Ned 81.20%; 5, Warum Nicht FRH (Isabell Werth) Ger 79.80%; 6, Exquis Nadine (Hans Peter Minderhoud) Ned 76.70%; 7, Watermill Scandic HBC (Patrik Kittel) Swe 75.50%; 8, Nartan (Jeannette Haazen) Ned 74.75%; 9, Apollo Van het Vijverhof (Jeroen Devroe) Bel 74.40%; 10, Ovation (Christa Laarakkers) Ned 73.55%; 11, Premier (Aat Van Essen) Ned 72.70%; 12, Krawall (Jenny Schreven) Ned 72.40%; 13, Poko Loko (Manon Van Hylckama Vlieg) Ned 69.10%; 14, Randon (Michal Rapcewicz) Pol 68.25%; 15, Wito Corleone 2 (Alexandra Bimschas) Ger 67.40%.
2009/2010 FEI WORLD CUP™ DRESSAGE – STANDINGS after Round 7 at Amsterdam (Ned) – Provisional
1, Edward Gal, Imke Schellekens-Bartels – 55
3. Jeannette Haazen – 48
4. Anky Van Grunsven – 47
5. Adelinde Cornelissen, Monica Theodorescu – 41
7. Aat Van Essen – 38
8. Patrik Kittel – 36
9. Mathias Alexander Rath – 35
10. Laura Bechtolsheimer – 32
