Tag Archives: Bettina Hoy

Championships, Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI

Bettina Hoy Puts Germany in Control at Eventing Championships in Strzegom

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Bettina Hoy with Seigneur Medicott. (FEI/Jon Stroud)

Bettina Hoy (GER), competing at her 10th FEI European Eventing Championships, set the standard for the rest of the field with a flawless display of dressage and has now set up a commanding lead after the first day’s competition at Strzegom (POL).

Hoy, 54, who took the title 20 years ago with Watermill Stream at Burghley (GBR), scored two 10s for her riding and set a European Championship record with her mark of 24.6 penalties which will significantly boost Germany’s chances of a fourth successive team gold.

“’Micky’ is a pleasure to ride, which makes my job easier. The team is feeling very positive. We are lucky to have such a good system of training riders in Germany and we all motivate each other.” — Bettina Hoy (GER), current Dressage leader

The defending champions are well ahead at this early stage, with Luhmühlen winner Julia Krajewski, who takes the team pathfinder role for the first time, in third place on her brilliant little Selle Francais gelding Samourai du Thot with a score of 36.3.

Thomas Carlile of France had the unenviable job of following Hoy into the arena, but he is currently in second place on 34.4 penalties with the impeccably behaved nine-year-old grey stallion Upsilon, already the sire of around 380 foals.

“Bettina is a super rider to watch. I expected to be behind her, but perhaps not quite so far behind! Upsilon is mature for his age and very precise, so I was able to put the pressure on myself, but in a good way.” — Thomas Carlile (FRA), currently in second place

The atmospheric arena at Strzegom has brought out the best in others too, as three more combinations have scored below 40 penalties. Swiss team member Felix Vogg, who works part time for his father’s real estate company, is in fourth place with Onfire with 37.2; Sweden’s Louise Svensson-Jahde (Wieloch’s Utah Sun) is fifth; and Ros Canter (GBR), making her senior team debut, is sixth on Allstar B with a personal best of 38.6.

Defending champion Michael Jung’s (GER) pupil Pawel Spisak, a member of the host team, Poland, is currently 11th on the former racehorse Banderas with the excellent score of 43.4.

“Team GB is lucky to have Chris Bartle as trainer, we are missing him,” Bettina Hoy said, but commented that the Germans are delighted to have Badminton 2017 winner Andrew Nicholson as their new cross country advisor. The Kiwi master has already walked Rüdiger Schwarz’s (GER) accuracy-testing track several times and has pronounced it “strong but fair”.

Follow live scoring on www.strzegom2017.pl.

By Kate Green

FEI Press contact:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., FEI

Bettina Hoy Retains Luhmühlen Lead with Designer 10 after Cross Country

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Bettina Hoy (GER) and Designer 10 (FEI/Eric Knoll)

Julia Krajewski (GER) holds on to second place with Samourai du Thot and Nicola Wilson (GBR) moves up into third on Bulana

Bettina Hoy (GER) proved she is at the very top of her game when retaining her lead after cross country at Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by DHL, fifth leg of the FEI Classics™ series. In a remarkable double, the in-form rider is also heading the three-star competition at Germany’s most famous eventing venue which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Hoy, 54, has more than three decades’ experience of Luhmühlen’s wooded tracks and testing water complexes – she competed here in the 1982 World Championships – and she punched the air with delight as a perfectly timed round on Designer 10 kept her in pole position. However, she will need all her expertise in the jumping phase as the price of one rail covers the top four riders.

“My watch stopped working around the seven minute mark, which left me a little unsure about the time, but I know he is a really fast horse, so I knew I would be able to just go for it!” — Overnight leader Bettina Hoy (GER)

Julia Krajewski (GER) and Samourai du Thot, third last year, thrilled a bumper home crowd enjoying brilliant sunshine and great sport with their superb performance. They are still in second place and clearly laid the ghost of an unhappy elimination at the Rio Olympics last year.

“I felt Sam was fitter and more mature this year so I pushed from the beginning and didn’t have one bad moment. I’m very proud of him.” — Second-placed Julia Krajewski (GER)

Nicola Wilson (GBR) showed all her horsemanship to contain her bold mare, Bulana, and they moved up to third place after Marilyn Little (USA) and RF Scandalous, third after Dressage, picked up 6.8 time penalties and slipped to ninth. The 50 penalties initially awarded to Little for missing a flag at a skinny brush arrowhead were removed after the Ground Jury reviewed video footage of the incident.

“The course was an absolute pleasure to ride and will have been good for horses competing at this level for the first time.” — Third-placed Nicola Wilson (GBR)

Otherwise, the leaderboard is little changed at the top, apart from the departure of Astier Nicolas and Molokai, fifth after dressage, after the French Olympic gold medallist was unseated at the water complex at 19.

Britain’s Sarah Bullimore (Lilli Corinne) has moved up two places to fourth and within a fence of the leader after a clear round eight seconds inside the optimum time of 11 minutes 11 seconds. Maxime Livio (FRA), currently second in the FEI Classics™ series leaderboard, has moved up a place to 11th on Opium de Verrieres, but he will need to finish in the top 10 if he is to add any more points.

By Kate Green

Press contacts:

At FEI:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

At Luhmühlen:

Dr. Friederike Stüvel-Huck
Press Officer
media@luhmuhlen.de
+49 17 153 829 00

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI

Triple Olympian Bettina Hoy (GER) Has Designs on Luhmühlen Crown

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Bettina Hoy (GER) and Designer 10 (FEI/Libby Law)

Julia Krajewski (GER) second with Samourai du Thot and Marilyn Little (USA) third on RF Scandalous

Bettina Hoy (GER), who is currently enjoying a rich run of form, leads after Dressage at Luhmühlen CCI 4* presented by DHL (GER) and has a great chance of winning her home country’s premier event, the fifth leg of the FEI Classics™, since triumphing here in 2005 on Ringwood Cockatoo.

Triple Olympian Hoy, 54, who divides her time between competing, caring for her elderly parents and training the Dutch Eventing team, is renowned for her artistry in the Dressage arena and showed the way to younger riders with a mark of 36.0 on her 13-year-old Westphalian gelding Designer 10.

“Designer was really relaxed today. I was a little annoyed about the small fault we had in the first extended trot, but otherwise he felt great. In fact, the last trot was so good I almost forgot to halt for the final salute!” — Bettina Hoy (GER)

Julia Krajewski (GER), who made a sparkling four-star debut here last year when third on the athletic Selle Francais Samurai du Thot, is second on 37.1 and US rider Marilyn Little, riding the mare RF Scandalous, a newcomer to this level, is third on 38.0. Britain’s Nicola Wilson conjured a mark of 38.7 on the lively black mare Bulana, a notably bold cross-country performer, for overnight fourth.

Michael Jung (GER), the clear leader in the FEI Classics™ series, is not riding in the 4* at Luhmühlen, but Maxime Livio (FRA), currently second in the standings and winner of Pau and runner-up to Jung at Kentucky, is and is lying in 12th place on Opium de Verrieres. Badminton winner Andrew Nicholson (NZL), third on the Classics leaderboard, is 29th on Tesio ahead of what promises to be an exciting cross-country day.

“Everything has been built beautifully with some big jumps, which should not be underestimated. [New course-designer] Mike Etherington-Smith [GBR] has created something very different, which has been positively received.” — Hans Melzer, German team trainer

Luhmühlen, Germany’s main championship venue, is celebrating its 60th anniversary – it’s the second oldest event in the FEI Classics™ after Badminton – and has received a royal visit from its patron.

“There is so much that is excellent about Luhmühlen: the course, the way it’s run, the hospitality and the way everyone is treated. Over 60 years there have been so many people who rose to the occasion.” — HRH The Princess Royal

By Kate Green

Press contacts:

At FEI:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

At Luhmühlen:

Dr. Friederike Stüvel-Huck
Press Officer
media@luhmuhlen.de
+49 17 153 829 00

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI

Bettina Hoy Has Designs on Burghley

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Bettina Hoy (GER) and Designer 10 (Trevor Meeks/FEI)

Lausanne (SUI), September 1, 2016 – Bettina Hoy (GER) lit up the arena on day one of the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), final leg of the FEI Classics™ 2015/2016, with a beautifully executed Dressage test on Designer 10 that was in a class of its own and may prove hard to beat.

The only fault in a show-stopping exhibition of lightness, smoothness and balance seemed to be a bit of tension in a flying change, and, with a score of 34.5, Hoy has a comfortable eight-penalty margin over Bill Levett (AUS) on Improvise after the first day of Dressage.

The experienced German rider’s illustrious career stretches back to the 1984 Olympics and she took the European title at Burghley in 1997 on Watermill Stream. Hoy, 53, is a popular and familiar face on the British circuit, but she has never won a CCI4* here, her best result being fifth at Badminton this year on Designer 10.

“I think Designer must have been having a little chat with [my other horse] Seigneur Medicott, who usually does the better test, as he felt great in there,” said an elated Hoy. “I’ve developed a special programme for him in the warm-up because he can get a bit tense. Every time I feel him tighten, I go into rising trot and that helps.”

Hoy reported that she had been working hard with her trainer, Sebastian Langehanenberg, as her 12-year-old Westphalian gelding by Dali X “is not built for dressage”. He had suggested changing from a snaffle bit to a double bridle because having two bits in his mouth seemed to settle the horse.

Hoy added: “I’m feeling very motivated after Rio [where she was training a Russian rider]. Burghley holds a special place in my heart and, although it won’t be a dressage competition, I know Designer can do it.”

Levett, also 53, has been based on Britain for many years and has been getting closer to CCI4* success all the time. He re-routed Improvise to Luhmühlen, where the horse finished 13th, after an early retirement at Badminton in May.

Paul Sims, 31, a relative newcomer to this level, finds himself the best British rider at this stage, having scored his best CCI4* dressage result on the white-faced Glengarnock to lie third on 46.6. This is their third Burghley, having finished 25th last year. Sims admitted to feeling quite confident: “He’s a reliable cross-country horse, as long as I don’t make any mistakes.”

Burghley first-timer Elisa Wallace’s (USA) campaign got off to a good start when she scored 46.8 on the American Thoroughbred Simply Priceless for fourth place at this stage. “He can be quite tense so it’s been a huge journey to get him to be expressive,” she said. “When I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the score, I couldn’t believe it.”

Hoy’s main challengers Friday look to be New Zealanders Sir Mark Todd (NZB Campino) and Andrew Nicholson (Nereo), who have 10 Burghley wins between them, plus the Dressage leader in Rio, Christopher Burton (AUS) on Nobilis 18 and his team mate Sam Griffiths on the veteran Happy Times.

Follow the action on www.burghley.tv and live results on www.burghley-horse.co.uk.

Use hashtags #FEIClassics #Eventing

By Kate Green

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Media Contact:

Carole Pendle
Press Officer
Carole.pendle@caa.com
+44 7768 462601

FEI Media Contact:

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38