45 six-year-old dressage horses competed in the final qualifier at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Verden. Victory in the Andrea Vest Prize went to the Danish gelding Faustino G with a score of 9.26, ahead of Dizzy (score 8.92), also bred in Denmark, and the Hanoverian Sir Gribaldi (8.82).
Faustino G, bred in Denmark by Blue Hors Farrell – with the triple World Champion Sezuan as his maternal grandsire – triumphed in the six-year-old qualifier with a score of 9.26. In individual marks, the elegant gelding received 9.7 for his trot, 8.5 for his walk, 9.3 for his canter, 9.5 for suppleness and 9.3 for future potential. The Farrell son had already made a name for himself last year, finishing fourth in the five-year-old class at the World Championships in Verden. Breeder Helene Geervliet, of Stutteri G., is also the owner of the winner and knows what it feels like to win World Championship titles. Quinn G, who secured her third World Championship title last year, also comes from her stud. There is great anticipation for Saturday’s final, not least amongst rider Bettina Jaeger. Her daughter, Filippa Jaeger Jensen, won freestyle gold and individual silver at the European Pony Dressage Championships in Le Mans last weekend. As a result, Bettina was away from home for nine days, during which time a trainer took Faustino for a gentle jog. “We did exactly the same thing last year,” says the rider, beaming. “It seems to do him good and works a treat.” Since last year, Faustino has gained even more strength. “That’s why his trot and canter have gained even more expression and balance. He just needed a bit more time, partly because he’s a big horse with long legs,” explains Jeager. “This horse has so much energy, is always motivated and is simply a happy horse. You can even hear it,” laughs the rider. He often squeals with delight. “And he’s clever; he learns so easily.”
Second place went to Dizzy, a daughter of Hesselhøj Donkey Boy out of a Blue Hors Zack dam, bred by Hesselhøj.dk ApS and owned by Helgstrand Dressage. Merita Hagren presented the mare, who received a 9.0 for her trot, walk and perspective. The “race” for third and fourth place was incredibly close. Both horses finished the test with an overall score of 8.82, so the higher mark for obedience determined the final ranking. Beatrice Arturi presented Sir Gribaldi, a son of Secret, out of an All Inclusive dam from the Aronis and Janßen breeding partnership and owned by Gestüt Sprehe.
The Hanoverian came third, whilst fourth place went to V-Power, ridden by Isabell Werth. V-Power is a son of Werth’s Grand Prix winner Viva Gold and is out of a Fidertanz dam; Bernd Goeke bred the dark bay, who is owned by Helgstrand Dressage. For Werth, competing in Verden was also a logistical challenge of a special kind. She travelled from the World Championships training camp in Warendorf, presented V-Power in the arena, drove the nearly three-hour journey back to Warendorf, mounted Wendy de Fontaine there, and then drove the three hours back to Verden to take part in the prize-giving ceremony with V-Power. “Extraordinary horses require extraordinary measures,” emphasises Isabell Werth with absolute conviction. “We had two minor issues in the transitions during the test, but the overall picture – the horse’s immense potential – is truly superb. The horse combines just about everything one could wish for.”
The top twelve from today’s qualifier have qualified directly for Saturday’s final. Three further places in the final will be awarded in Thursday’s Small Final, meaning the top 15 six-year-old dressage horses will compete against one another in Saturday’s final for the world championship title.
“The horses are even more well-rounded.”
Monique Peutz-Vegter from the Netherlands was part of the judging panel for the six-year-olds’ qualifier and was impressed: “That was really great today. We saw some very good horses that were presented very well. The emphasis was on harmony; the horses were enjoying showing themselves off here. We want to see the horses moving in balance. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an enormous amount of forehand action; it should be balanced between front and hind. That’s the most important thing.” This is the third time the judge has sat at the judges’ table at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, and she emphasises: “The quality of the horses has always been there, but the training and presentation have changed enormously. As a result, the horses are more well-rounded: they don’t ‘just’ trot spectacularly; they trot evenly, over their backs, with good contact; their walk is also good, and their canter is well-struck – the horses have improved even further in every respect.”
Tomorrow, Thursday, the qualifiers for the five-year-old dressage horses begin at 7.30 am. From 2.30 pm, the Small Final for the six-year-old contenders is on the programme in the Horse24 Arena.
Championship Auction OnLive
Seven riding horses and eleven foals make up the lot for the OnLive Championship Auction in Verden. The riding horses were presented to the World Championships audience in the HORSE24 Arena for the first time today, Wednesday. “We already integrated an auction into the World Championships last year,” explains auctioneer Wilken Treu, “though only with foals; this year we’ve added three- and four-year-old riding horses because trainers and riders of young dressage horses from all over the world come together here.” The riding horses will be presented every day of the World Championships week, each time before the first prize-giving ceremony for the first competition. What was the main focus when selecting the riding horses? “They had to be good – very good!” emphasises Treu. The auction begins on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm in the HORSE24 Arena.