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HICKSTEAD, England, Aug. 1 — Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival dominated the final Exquis World Dressage Masters of the year with a resounding victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday with Dutch team mate Hans Peter Minderhoud on Exquis Nadine was runner-up.

Adelinde and the 13-year-old chestnut gelding ranked No.2 in the world, received a score of 85.650 per cent with Hans Peter and the mare receiving marks of 78.850 percent in the €60,000 (US$78,000) freestyle.

Great Britain’s Laura Bechtolsheimer and Andretti, who had finished second behind Adelinde in the Grand Prix, was third on 78.250 per cent. Adelinde and Parzival had won the Grand Prix with a score of 81.362 per cent, a margin of eight percentage points over the second placed pair.

Great Britain’s Carl Hester, in the first CDI5* since getting the ride back on Liebling II, won the €30,000 (US$39,000) Moorlands Grand Prix Special earlier Sunday, and most likely secured a place on Great Britain’s team for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky next month.

The WDM at Dressage at Hickstead completed the 2010 lineup of the richest series of dressage events that began in Palm Beach, USA, then Munich, Germany, Cannes, France and Falsterbo, Sweden for the first time with total prize money of €525,000 (US$685,000).

The stadium was packed for the freestyle although it was held at the same time as the jumping Grand Prix.

Adelinde said that Parzival was “really relaxed, not so scared of the audience any more so I can think more about riding and not having to get him past all the scary things.”

“Now that he’s not afraid of the crowds any more when he comes into the arena he grows bigger.” That leads to some adjustments in planning the freestyle as his gaits are much bigger in the show ring than at home.

Parzival will have a short break before a two-day training session with the Dutch team for the WEG in Kentucky.

She said that with the scores she recorded this weekend, it’s hard to think Parzival could do better but she said that he has not yet peaked.

“Kentucky is still almost two months away and that’s when we need to be at our best,” she laughed.

Laura said that Andretti, her second horse behind the European Championships team silver and individual bronze winning Mistral Hojris, was a bit lazier Sunday than on Saturday when the pair achieved a personal best.

“I had to work a little bit harder,” she said.

In the Special, Carl and Liebling scored 72.417 per cent, with Brett Parbery, the first Australian to compete at a World Dressage Masters, on Victory Salute in second place with 70.167 per cent and Britain’s Maria Eilberg on Two Sox third with 69.875 per cent.

The 13-year-old gelding that Carl rode to team silver at the European Championships in 2009 was sold earlier this year to businessman John Risley with the hope of providing a Canadian team WEG mount for Cheryl Meisner. She did not have enough time develop a relationship with Liebling to qualify and the horse was returned to Carl.

“I’m really grateful to the owner for giving me the chance to qualify,” Carl said.

He had a lot at stake in the Grand Prix on Saturday as it was the last opportunity to get a score to qualify for the British team as well wanting to do well for the new owner.

Brett Parbery said that the mistakes that produced low scores in Saturday’s Grand Prix “turned out to be today’s silver lining.”

If he had done as well Saturday as he did Sunday, Brett and the 14-year-old gelding would have ridden in the musical freestyle and not the Special that was successful.

About WDM
The World Dressage Masters is a sports and marketing initiative of equestrian innovator Exquis and international sports marketing agency SportBizz.

WDM utilizes marketing strategies and innovation to enhance the sport of dressage worldwide. WDM is sponsored by Exquis, Moorland Stables and Moorland Investments, Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe and Jerich International.

Ken Braddick
WDM News Service
+1 561.214.2672 or ken@dressage-news.com