Initial placings are shuffled in the finals
It’s all change across the young horse finals as the initial placings are shuffled
“WHAT you see is not always what you feel,” said Charlotte Dujardin after her second young horse victory. This was particularly evident across all three age divisions, where none of the three horses that held the overnight lead remained in the top spot after being ridden by German test rider Eva Möller.
Greg Sims’ Waverley Dante (Dimaggio x Furst Heinrich) entered the arena having finished second after the preliminary round of the four-year-old section, but the sprightly, elastic little horse impressed Eva to rise above Kerry Mackin’s smart stallion Izonik (Glocks Zonik x Jazz).
The dark bay gelding is only 16.1hh, but he appeared to grow under Eva, responding beautifully to her exquisite riding and really showing off his scopey paces.
“The horse was very well balanced, especially in the canter, and by the end of the ride it didn’t look small anymore,” commented Finnish judge Maria Colliander.
It was a great surprise for
Greg, who bought the horse himself from the Waverley Stud in Warwickshire as a six-monthold foal.
“I didn’t expect him to go in there and win, but every time I take him out he steps up another level,” said Greg. “I’ve brought him on slowly and backed him as a late three-year-old. I have such high hopes for him.”
FLORIANA STEPS UP
THE five and six-year-old sections yielded two further wins for Charlotte, but again, not on the horses who had led coming into the second round.
She and the five-year-old Hawtins San Floriana (San
Amour x Florestan) were just pipped the previous day by Jess Dunn and Helga, one of very few combinations to beat Charlotte in any capacity across the championship. But Eva has ridden Floriana before, awarding her last year’s four-year-old title under Bryony Goodwin, and 12 months later she looked as though she didn’t want to get off.
The mare works in lovely balance, presenting a great picture under the very petite Eva. Such is her power she can just get a little tight in the canter — “like a wheelspin”, as Judy Harvey in the commentary box described it.
Jess Dunn’s Helga looked a tad ordinary in comparison — she’s a very workmanlike mare, but again Eva, a multiple world young horse medallist herself, brought out the best in her. The Chagall daughter, whom Jess bought from the Brightwells auction last year, isn’t built as uphill as the other horses in this final, but has a real engine, and looked gradually more spectacular, with just some lack of balance in the canter preventing her from answering all Eva’s questions.
“Eva really liked Floriana’s
responsiveness — she’s the sort of horse that makes the rider look good,” Eva’s husband and fellow judge Ulf said of the winner.
The tall mare is owned by Charlotte and Carl Hester, but it took a year before Charlotte finally persuaded Judith Davis of the Hawtins Stud to sell her.
“She’s my sort of horse — really hot — and I just loved her. I kept pestering Judith and eventually we came to an agreement with breeding rights, so Judith will have some foals from her,” explained Charlotte.
“I’m so excited about her — she already does changes and she can really collect, although Eva didn’t test all the gears today as much as I would have liked her to.”
Helga and Jess — who was competing here with a broken leg (see box, above right) — finished in eventual third of the four mares, while Amy Woodhead and the elegant Mount St John Zonetta (Glocks Zonik x Riccione) edged up into the reserve spot.
VIP IS THE BUSINESS
THE most drastic switch-up of the preliminary placings came in the six-year-olds, with the horses standing first and fourth swapping positions. But that was where the surprises ended — both horses were the ride of Charlotte, and it was her plus-77% medium gold champion, Mount St John VIP, who doubled up with the young horse title.
This Vivaldi daughter is out of the same Donnerhall mare,
Maradonna, as the Oldenburg champion stallion Fürstenball.
She is a short-coupled mare with a seahorse face, an active hindleg and an astoundingly loose shoulder, making her electric to watch.
She’s another that Eva has ridden before — she was last year’s five-year-old champion — and what a treat for the rider to get back on a year later. Eva looked in her element as she played around with this mare’s wonderful adjustability, and VIP answered every question and then some.
“It felt like being at home, riding her,” was Eva’s verdict.
Charlotte chose to pilot Emma Blundell’s VIP over her own Gio
in the final, entrusting Sadie Smith with the bouncy little chestnut gelding who topped the previous day’s test. There can be no doubt that this cheerful little horse, who is like a rubber ball with seemingly endless energy, will be a grand prix machine before too long, but at the moment the medium trot isn’t quite as developed as the collected work, and he dropped to fourth.
“I knew Eva would love riding VIP. She’s not super flashy, which was why she started in fourth, but she gives you the most amazing feeling,” said Charlotte. “She’s like clockwork — you press the buttons and she does it, and she just doesn’t make mistakes.”
‘Floriana is my sort of horse — really hot. She already does changes and can really
collect’ CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN ON HER
FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHAMPION