An untouchable Anky van Grunsven has taken a very strong lead after the Grand Prix at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Aboard her Hanoverian gelding Salinero (by Salieri x Lungau), Van Grunsven floated to a 78.250% score and placed almost a full 3% ahead of Swedish Jan Brink.
Brink and his Swedish warmblood stallion Bjorsells Briar (by Magini x Kroket) could not match up to Van Grunsven's shining performance on Olympic champion Salinero. Though Brink still scored an impressive 75.416%, Van Grunsven has already made a big psychological gap confirming her dominance, and this will most likely be unabridgeable for Brink in order for him to claim the World Cup title this year. If all goes according to the normal expected scenario, Van Grunsven will capture her eight World Cup title.
The Hanoverian gelding Warum Nicht FRH seems to be exceeding German Isabell Werth's own expectations. The chestnut gelding has been performing better and more consistently than expected and also at the World Cup Finals he has been up for the task. With 75.208% the judges placed the pair third though judges Svalling and Ernes would like to have seen them in second place.
The fourth place was granted to Imke Schellekens-Bartels who has been Holland's shooting star of the year. In 2004 Schellekens rose to stardom aboard the Hanoverian stallion Lancet by becoming the second best Dutch rider at the Olympic Games in Athens. Only two years later she is reliving the same story with the Hanoverian mare Sunrise (by Singular Joter). Scoring 72.791%, Schellekens took a fourth spot on the leaderboard, while country men Laurens van Lieren followed her in fifth place with 72.416% and Edward Gal in sixth with 71.916%
A very remarkable international break through has been made by American Arlene Page aboard her Hanoverian gelding Wild One (by Wanderer). The winners of the U.S. League Finals were able to reproduce 70% marks even on European soil. Scoring 71.000%, Page and Wild One are living the dream in Amsterdam!
View the full scores of the CDI-W Amsterdam
Text by Astrid Appels
Photos by Astrid Appels/Eurodressage and Dirk Caremans
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