Plot Blue and Totilas win World Cup

World Cup
• Text
: CLAARTJE VAN ANDEL, JENNEKE SMIT & CINDY TIMMER
• Photos : DIRK CAREMANS
Plot Blue and Totilas win
World Cup
KWPN-horses impress at World Cup finals
in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Geneve
After three days of show jumping at
its finest, top German rider Marcus
Ehning and his phenomenal KWPN
jumper Plot Blue (s.Mr. Blue) won
the 32nd annual Rolex / FEI World
Cup Final in show jumping. A few
weeks earlier, Totilas and Edward
Gal did what was expected of them.
They won the 25th World Cup
dressage.
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A fantastic effort on the part of Plot Blue gave Marcus Ehning his third World Cup win.
Forty-three riders with fifty-nine jumpers,
including eleven KWPN horses, battled for
victory, prize money, and the traditional
Rolex watch in Geneva, Switzerland. Sixth
place finisher Mario Deslauriers with the
KWPN-bred Urico (s.Zandor Z) seemed
destined for victory but dropped in the
rankings in the decisive second round.
The Corland daughter Silvana, ridden by
Kevin Staut, placed seventh.
In 1996, Geneva hosted the FEI World Cup
Final for the first time. Fourteen years later,
the Swiss organized another outstanding
competition and highly motivated riders
guaranteed high level sport. Course designer Rolf Lüdi received compliments from
the riders. The building of challenging yet
fair courses over three days for this final
was a difficult task indeed.
Ehning’s Two Horses
Several riders competed two horses in the
World Cup Final. Among them was
Marcus Ehning, who owes his victory to
both Plot Blue (Mr. Blue out of Ilotte ster
prest by Pilot, breeder: F.C.M. Burgers of
Moergestel) and Noltes Küchengirl (Lord Z
out of Andante s.Cambridge Cole, a
KWPN harness horse mare), whom he
rode on the first day in the Speed and
Handiness competition. Ehning won the
2006 Aachen Grand Prix on the mare. On
the second day, he showed Plot Blue,
who stayed clear over the basic course
and in the jump-off to finish third. The
stallion’s only mistake was in the first
round on the third day, but he made a
strong comeback with an incredible clear
ride in the second round, in which he
demonstrated remarkable keenness and
scope. After higher placing combinations
such as Luciana Diniz with the BWPregistered Winningmood (s.Darco) and
Mario Deslauriers with the KWPN jumper
Urico (Zandor Z out of Omara by Fedor,
breeder: J. Dings of Linne) made costly
mistakes in the deciding round, the
35-year-old Ehning was guaranteed his
third World Cup Final win. His two previous wins were in 2003 (with Anka s.Argentinus) and in 2006 (with Sandro Boy s.
Sandro Z).
Plot Blue’s breeders, the Burgers family of
Moergestel, raised their fists in the air
upon learning that the talented jumper,
who is a half-brother to the KWPN stallion
Oklund, had won the World Cup. The
victory is yet another impressive achieve-
The Zandor Z-son Urico, bred by J. Dings, initially
grabbed the lead, but costly mistakes in the second
round resulted in sixth place for Mario Deslauriers.
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Scratches and
Disqualifications
Ridden by Kevin Staut, the Corland daughter Sea Coast Silvana is a talented jumper. The combination finished
seventh in Geneva.
ment added to Plot Blue’s excellent résumé. He is the first KWPN jumper to win
the Final in nine years. The KWPN-registered Tinka’s Boy (s.Zuidpool) won in
2001, and the KWPN-approved stallion
Libero H (s.Landgraf I) won in 1994.
Costly Mistakes
German rider Ludger Beerbaum with
Gotha (s.Goldfever I) and Swiss rider Pius
Schwizer with Carlina (s.Carvallo) tied for
second place. Remarkably, both riders
achieved their results riding nine-year-old
mares. After the first round, Mario Deslauriers and his KWPN-horse Urico (s.Zandor
Z) seemed positioned for victory, but 13
faults in the second round landed the
combination in sixth place in the final
standings. Bred by J. Dings of Linne,
Urico was sold as a foal to a Belgian
buyer and later ended up in American
hands. Like the international show
jumpers Herriot (s.Aram), Kapital Girl
(s.Jalisco B), Oranca (s.Karandasj), and
Only One (s.Calvados), Urico’s dam-line
traces back directly to the Notaris daughter, Tanja, a granddaughter of the renowned foundation dam Kattebel (s.Thijs).
Canadian-born Deslauriers, now a U.S.
citizen, is still the youngest World Cup
winner ever. At age 19, he won the 1984
final with Aramis, representing Canada.
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For various reasons, several top riders who
qualified for the final did not compete in
the prestigious event. Among them was
Eric van der Vleuten whose excellent KWPN
horse VDL Groep Tomboy (s.Emilion) had
been sold, and favorite Jessica Kürten
scratched the Libero H-daughter Castle
Forbes Libertina. Title defender Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum was also absent, but
the sport in Geneva was still exciting. Unfortunately, a dark cloud was cast over the
competition due to the disqualification of
American McLain Ward with his BWP horse
Sapphire (s.Darco), who had the clear lead
after the first two competition days. Ward
appeared to be position for the win until
the mare failed the random veterinary inspection. She had apparently injured one of
her front legs and therefore was prohibited
from competing on the final day.
Silvana’s Success
The KWPN mare Sea Coast Silvana
(Corland out of Donate keur pref prest by
Widor, breeder: B.J. ter Denge of Abbega)
proved her talent again with her seventh
place finish. Previously ridden by Kristof
Cleeren, the gray mare won the 2007 Belgian Championship, after which Jos Lansink
took over the reins. In June 2009, she was
sold to Xavier Marie of France. Since that
time, Marie’s resident rider Kevin Staut, the
reigning European Champion, has enjoyed
success with the mare. Last year, the pair’s
achievements included winning the Donaueschingen Grand Prix and placing second
in the Marseille Grand Prix. In the Verona
World Cup qualifier, the combination finished third and then won an important class
this year at Indoor Brabant.
Italian rider Natale Chiaudani finished
twelfth with Snai Seldana di Campalto
(Emilion out of Eldana by Alme Star, breeder: A.B. van der Wal of Boijl). The mare
was proclaimed a rising star at the European Championships in Windsor, where she
helped win the team silver medal. Shortly
thereafter, she earned the bronze at the
Italian Championships. In the World Cup
Final, the pair excelled again - thanks to an
outstanding clear ride in the first round on
Sunday - to rank among the world’s best
combinations.
Obelix (s.Libero H), previously ridden by Jochen
Munsterhuis, debuted in the World Cup Final under
Darragh Kenny of Ireland.
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Abundant Talent
Several combinations did not return to
compete in the second round on the final
day: Michelle Spadone (USA) with Melisimo (Libero H out of Hertogin keur prest by
Jasper, breeders: D.J. Wijngaards and
D.H. van Heerde of Epe); Todd Minikus
(USA) with Pavarotti (Lancelot out of
Kiaralda prest by Renville, breeder: C.
Wernsen of Lunteren); and Darragh Kenny
(IRE) with Obelix (Libero H out of Erita ster
by Zeus, breeder: B.F.G. Munsterhuis of
De Lutte), previously ridden by Jochen
Munsterhuis. Last year, Melisimo was
joined in the World Cup Final in Las Vegas
by her outstanding son Robin Hood W
(s.Animo, under Ben Maher). Although
Minikus enjoyed a strong start in Geneva
with Pavarotti, a half-brother of the
KWPN-approved stallion Vigaro (s.Tangelo
van de Zuuthoeve), he later faltered. Luck
also eluded Kenny and Obelix, who finished in the bottom half of the results.
Four other KWPN horses competed in the
prestigious World Cup Final: Torrero
(Guidam out of Ilita ster by Nooitgedacht,
breeder: G.J. Griemelink of Geesteren)
with Tilt Kivisild of Estonia in the saddle;
Quick Jet (Quebec out of Monroe by
Corrado I, breeder: B.J.M. Wezenberg of
IJsselmuiden) under Benas Gutkauskas of
Lithuania; Goldex (Garanco out of Majestic
elite by Concorde, breeder: N.A. den
Rooijen of Lage Zwaluwe) with Abdullah
Natale Chiaudani of Italy ended 12th with his KWPN jumper Snai Seldana di Campalto (s.Emilion).
Sharbatly of Saudi Arabia in the saddle;
and Samurai (Iroko out of Kolora s.Boreas,
breeder: J.H. Veninga of Nieuwe-Pekela),
ridden by Albert Zoer of the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, he did not place the closing
day aboard his inexperienced but talented
KWPN-jumper Samurai. However, Zoer
did not seem dissatisfied. He is looking
forward to the show career of his newest
acquisition, who was still competing at
1.35m-level under Freek van der Laan until
just a few months ago.
World Cup Driving
In a thrilling final, the Australian four-inhand driver Boyd Exell won the prestigious
FEI World Cup for the second consecutive
year. Koos de Ronde had followed on his
heels the entire season and proved himself
tough competition in the Palexpo Hall for
the 2008 World Championship bronze
medalist. De Ronde was pleased with his
second place finish. IJsbrand Chardon,
who droved his new Lipizzaner team,
came in third.
Exell’s triumph in Geneva was no gift.
Although he had the advantage of starting
last in the first round, he didn’t stay clear.
On the other hand, he clocked a lightningquick time, more than six seconds faster
than De Ronde. As a result, less than one
second separated the two drivers at the
start of the winning round. Pressure mounted for Exell after Chardon and De Ronde
finished clear final rounds, but the Australian kept a cool head and drove his experienced team fast and clear through the
beautiful course with a unique water
obstacle. Enthusiastic spectators breathed
a sigh of relief when Exell crossed the
finish three seconds faster than De Ronde
and continued his reign as the World Cup
title holder.
Determined
Benas Gutkauskas of Lithuania rode the KWPN-bred Quick Jet (s.Quebec) in the Final.
“The Dutch four-in-hand drivers made
things really difficult for me,” sighed Exell
at the end, “but things also didn’t go well
enough in the first round. My horses were
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still too fresh, and they felt like they were
going to take off any minute. In the second
round, I knew I could win; I could do
everything with them.” Exell drives his
experienced horses the entire season:
18-year-old Bill, 17-year-old Carrington
Park Ajax, a Cleveland gelding; 13-yearold Lucky, an Orlov trotter; and 16-yearold Spitfire, who he acquired at the start of
the season from German four-in-hand
rider Max Dangel. The 13-year-old Orlov
trotter Pascal is also part of Exell’s team
on occasion. Exell: “This is a great team of
horses: they’re really fast, and their timing
is perfect. You always need a bit of luck
with indoor driving. With this four-in-hand
team, I know that I can allow a mistake on
the rest. I let the horses down a few times
last season, and I’m happy that I didn’t do
that in Geneva.” Bill is Exell’s lead horse
for the marathon during the outdoor
season, a role he will continue in the World
Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Spitfire is
the reserve lead horse.
Koos de Ronde met his goal in Geneva: “I
was second behind Boyd Exell the entire
season - except when I won in Mechelen and I wanted to place second in the final.
That’s what happened, and if you consider
that I ended just three seconds behind
With KWPN-horse Mario as wheeler, Koos de Ronde made his goal, winning silver at the World Cup final driving.
Boyd in such a long course, then that’s
wonderful.” De Ronde knocked down a
ball in the first round but regrouped in the
winning round. De Ronde: “After the first
round, I told my father, who’s my groom,
that I felt like I wanted to start all over. In
the first round, I felt that some lines and
my approach to the gates could’ve been
better, so that’s what I did in the second
round. This was one of my best finals - it
was so exciting. Last year, I finished third
in the final, this year second, so let’s hope
I win next year!” The final of the 2010/2011
World Cup driving season runs concurrent
with the World Cup Finals for dressage
and jumping in Leipzig, Germany at the
end of April.
Like Exell, De Ronde fell back on his experienced indoor team in Geneva, consisting
of three pintos from his father Piet’s team
plus De Ronde’s black 11-year-old gelding
Charley. De Ronde: “16-year-old Mario
(Farao out of Ilonka by Droomwals, breeder: H. van Es of Kerkwijk) and 15-year-old
Mister (lineage unknown) are my indoor
wheelers, and 10-year-old Tommy (lineage
unknown) and Charley are the leader
horses. My father did an outdoor competition with these horses at the beginning of
this month. They didn’t have any problems
adjusting Indoor driving is a totally different game, which comes down to a few
minutes of power and speed.”
Dressage
World Cup winners Edward Gal and Moorland’s Totilas (Gribaldi x Glendale, breeders Jan and Anna Schuil).
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The dressage in ‘sHertogenbosch was
dressage like it’s supposed to be! Most
notably, Edward Gal and the KWPNrecognized stallion Moorland’s Totilas lived
up to expectations throughout the World
Cup season. After setting a world record in
London of 92.30% and excelling in their
first World Cup season together, the
combination captured the coveted trophy
and 80,000 Swiss francs in prize money,
with a score of 89.800%. Gal was not
without good company, for the winners
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Adelinde Cornelissen in her Freestyle, with music from Swan Lake, followed by
Tsjaikovski’s The Nutcracker, which accentuated Jerich Parzival’s powerful movement.
podium belonged to the Dutch. Adelinde
Cornelissen with Jerich Parzival finished
second (82.850%), and Imke SchellekensBartels with Hunter Douglas Sunrise
placed third (82.150%).
The road to victory was not without its
bumps for Moorland’s Totilas (Gribaldi out
of Lominka elite pref prest by Glendale,
breeder: Jan and Anna Schuil of Broeksterwoude) and Edward Gal. On Thursday
in the Grand Prix, the combination was
somewhat lacking in their usual relaxation,
which landed them in second place
(76.809%) behind Jerich Parzival (Jazz out
of Fidora ster pref prest by Ulft, breeder:
J.M. Beijer-de Kleijn of Puiflijk) and Adelinde Cornelissen (78.851%). On Friday, a
non-competition day, Gal worked hard to
regain Moorland’s Totilas’ trust in the piaffe-passage transitions. The big, black stallion seemed at times afraid of his own
explosive power. “And you can’t let that
power turn on you!” said Gal.
Trust
In the end, all the cards were stacked in
Gal’s favor. However, the pressure on him
at the end of a season in which he broke
The Olivi-son Triviant (ds.Saluut) made his debut in the World Cup final
which resultated in eighth place.
all dressage world records was huge. As
Gal entered the ring, his face was almost
green from the tension and expectations
placed on him. And although he did not
break another world record, he did ride
wonderfully. He began carefully with a
conservative extended trot and several
steps of piaffe. As the test progressed, he
and the black KWPN stallion, registered
to Kees and Tosca Visser, found their
rhythm and Gal grew confident of his
success. And he was successful indeed!
In the freestyle designed by Joost Peters,
church clock sounds rang in beautiful
pirouettes and effortless tempi changes.
As Moorland’s Totilas relaxed, so did Gal,
whose score of 89.850% crowned him
the winner of the World Cup Final. It was
the first such win for the duo and the fifth
for Gal. Although his score was not a
personal best, it was still a World Cup
Final record - and Gal was certainly
pleased! “In 2004 and 2005, I finished a
close second with Lingh; this time I won.
Just to be sure, I didn’t do the last piaffe
because I had already done enough. It’s a
pleasure to ride this horse, and I was really able go for it in the second half of the
test. It was great!” exclaimed Gal.
Setting the Goal
Adelinde Cornelissen and Imke Schellekens-Bartels both earned good scores,
so Gal knew exactly what he needed to
do. As the first of the three Dutch riders
to go, Cornelissen was under immense
pressure to score high. She showed great
courage by riding a completely new freestyle for the first time. The beautiful freestyle (choreographed by Pyntago Freestyle Designers of Amersfoort) began with
music from Swan Lake, followed by
Tsjaikovski’s The Nutcracker, which
accentuated Jerich Parzival’s powerful
movement. Nevertheless, the Grand Prix
winner was not entirely pleased with her
82.850%, mainly because of her own
mistakes in the one-tempis. On the A-C
line straight to the judge, she rode twotempis and one-tempis. The last were
disrupted. “I stopped giving him the aids,
and Parzival was quite obedient! He was
very good, but I made a mistake. And I
can’t standing doing that”, she explained
later. The end of her freestyle included a
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The KWPN Stallion Watermill Scandic went very well in the freestyle, with excellent marks for the piaffe and passage. He came fifth.
ette to the left, followed by a halt and
salute. A small disturbance in the direction change of the piaffe and a slightly
drawn out halt were two small errors in a
test which otherwise showcased the Jazz
son’s majestic and powerful movement.
This Final was far different for the combination than last year’s final in Las Vegas,
when a soft tissue injury sidelined Parzival from the competition. Sponsor
Herbert Jerich of Austria was very
pleased this time: “Adelinde is a consistent and excellent rider. All our horses at
home are going much better now that
she rides them every two weeks and
helps my wife.”
Dressage as Intended
Next in the ring were Hunter Douglas
Sunrise and Imke Schellekens-Bartels,
who rode the test of her life. The Hannovarian bred, KWPN ster mare’s movement was accentuated by lovely music
composed by Wibi Soerjadi. The performance was effortless. Theirs was the
most emotional freestyle of the entire
final, and Schellekens-Bartels and the
Singular Joter xx daughter, registered to
the Smarius family, received a standing
ovation from the audience.
“This is about the best I’ve seen Sunrise”, judging chair Francis Verbeek later
remarked. Like her colleague Leif Törnblad, she placed Sunrise second after
Moorland’s Totilas and ahead of Jerich
Parzival. Schellekens-Bartels was
pleased with Sunrise, the audience’s
response, and her test. “I felt like I had
full control, relaxation, and harmony. I
can’t remember any specific moment
anymore; everything happened on its
own. That’s what dressage is about!”
said an emotional Schellekens-Bartels at
the end.
Other KWPN Horses in the
Final
Other KWPN horses competed in the
Final, including the KWPN-stallion Watermill Scandic HBC, bred by Ineke Mosman;
and Triviant (Olivi out of Diant ster pref
prest sport (dres) by Saluut, breeder: J.
Beets of Winterswijk Woold). Watermill
Scandic HBC performed very well under
Swedish rider Patrik Kittel. The KWPN
stallion’s passage and piaffe, which were
performed with clock-like precision, were
as rhythmic as a metronome. Kittel had
increased the difficulty of his test by
interspersing half-passes in the passage
with half-passes in the collected trot. He
finished fifth (76.55%), although the audience in the Brabanthallen thought he
deserved to be placed ahead of Isabell
Werth and Warum Nicht FRH (4th with
79.750%), who won the Final in 2007. “If
the canter had been a bit more uphill in
the pirouettes and in the half-passes, the
scores would have been higher!”, remarked judging chair Francis Verbeek. Matthias Alexander Rath debuted his freestyle
by Cees Slings with the KWPN gelding
Triviant, and the pair performed a very
consistent test to finish in eighth place
(72.050%). Rath won the Grand Prix
aboard Sterntaler-Unicef (73.659%), and
Anky van Grunsven claimed the
­Special with Salinero (74.208%).
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