German Sanneke Rothenberger won the Young Riders World Cup Final held at the 2011 CDI-W Frankfurt in Germany on 16 - 18 December 2011. Aboard the Oldenburg gelding Deveraux (De Niro x Rohdiamant) the Bad Homburg based 20-year old outclassed all competition with her two top seventy percentage scores.
Rothenberger and Deveraux are virtually the unbeatable Young Riders' pair in Europe this year, winning team, individual test and Kur gold at the 2011 European Young Riders Championships in Denmark last summer. At the World Cup Final in Frankfurt, Sanneke scored 73.474% in the first round (individual test) which counted as qualifier for the kur to music finals. In the Freestyle she distanced herself from all competition with a winning kur score of 79.100%.
With another major achievement added to her list, Rothenberger can look forward to the 2012 show circuit. "I've already competed in my first Grand Prix with Wolke Sieben and also Deveraux is having fun with the piaffe and passage," Sanneke explained. "But first I'll celebrate the Christmas holidays and I just hope that all my horses stay healthy."
Danish Carina Neverman Torup became the runner up in the 2011 Young Riders World Cup Final. She saddled her liver chestnut Danish warmblood Blue Boy, which is by Don Schufro out of a German paint mare by Chromico. With a score of 76.550% in the freestyle, Neverman exceeded her own expectations and finished second.
"It's indescribable, I'm almost quivering," said an ecstatic Carina. "It is the best test we've ever ridden and it's such a great way to end my young rider's career. "We were the last to go and the arena was cooking with excitement. Blue Boy was so on the job and was with me all the way."
Swedish Elin Aspnas and the gorgeous 8-year old black Hanoverian mare Donna Romma (by Don Frederico x Warkant) were second in the first round but finished third in the kur with a 72.582% score.
"This is totally beyond my expectations and more than I imagined," said a happy-go-lucky Aspnas at the press conference. "This was only the second time we competed Donna Romma at an indoor show and I didn't really know if she could handle it. She was the youngest horse in the pack."
Dutch Angela Krooswijk finished fourth with her very experienced Rhinelander stallion Roman Nature (by Rohdiamant). She scored 70.425% in the Kur.
"I'm super proud of Roman Nature," said Krooswijk. "It's quite a thing to finish fourth in the work. I rode two nice tests which were sometimes underappreciated, but I'm super prouud and it was a great experience."
Text by Astrid Appels - Photos © Barbara Schnell
Related Links
Scores 2011 CDI-W Frankfurt
Fabienne Lutkemeier Wins 2010 FEI Young Riders World Cup Final