Carl Hester claims first Olympia win
British dressage star Carl Hester added another title to his impressive collection today, winning the Reem AcraFEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle at Olympia (16 December) for the first time.
Determined
Carl had made it very clear that he wanted to win tonight on Nip Tuck and reverse the previous day’s placings, after his pupil Charlotte Dujardin had won Tuesday’s Grand Prix onUthopia.
He unveiled an impressive new Freestyle routine, created byTom Hunt, which was full of demanding movements. Straight away it was clear he was going all out to win. “I just chucked everything at it to see what I could do,” said Carl. “I know the degree of difficulty is being stepped up so I took every movement that was difficult and just rode it one day, wrote it down and then did it again the next day.”
His score of 83.750% was testament to the technicality of the test, with the 11-year-old Nip Tuck making it look simple.
“This man just keeps opening all sorts of chapters,” said President of the Ground Jury, Stephen Clarke, following Carl’s win. “It was certainly a very exciting test and the music also worked beautifully. It wasn’t just that it was a difficult test, but that he managed to make it look easy. Pirouettes on centre line, both of the them were really really good, he kept adding to the degree of difficulty and it really worked.”
Close
Just over one percent behind was Charlotte Dujardin, who scored82.550% with Uthopia. She rode to the ‘How to train your dragon’ music that she’s enjoyed much success with on Valegro.
“If there’s one person to be beaten by it’s granddad, he inspires me every day” said Charlotte of her long time friend, trainer and mentor. “Watching him made me have goose-pimples. He said he was going to nail his floorplan tonight and he did such a cracking job, he made it look effortless. I’m so thrilled for him because he’s always wanted to win here and he’s done it at last.”
Third was the Netherland’s Hans Peter Minderhoud and Glock’s Flirt.
“Yesterday it was quite close in the Grand Prix, I knew it would be hard to beat one of the Brit superstars, but they are great friends and I’m very happy for them,” said Hans Peter.
Judge Stephen Clarke described the standard as ‘fantastic’. “The whole level was really high with all the riders going for it. Hans Peter and Charlotte both did great tests, but then Carl came in with a degree of difficulty that was just amazing. He spent the first five minutes on the centre line! It was a test with a great degree of difficulty that worked, and that’s why he won.”
Rising stars
Two young British riders really impressed during tonight’s Freestyle. Hayley Watson-Greaves, 32,held the lead until the halfway stage, producing a score of 75.075% with her 11-year-oldblack gelding Rubins Nite. The pair finished in eventual seventh place.
In fourth place was Lara Griffith andRubin Al Asad, who is by Rubin Royal, the same sire as Rubins Nite. Riding to aScottish musical score, the pair finished on a score of 78.025%.
Video courtesy ofwww.lloydbell.co.uk
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