Anne van Olst's double Olympic mount and Lottie Fry's Grand Prix schoolmaster Clearwater has been sold to Japan. The 17-year old Danish warmblood gelding (by Carpaccio x Limebrand) will be Akihiro Shimoda's Rio Olympic hopeful.
Akihiro's father Tsunehiro acquired the Danish gelding in The Netherlands. His 39-year old Tokyo based son was a member of the 2010 Asian Games in Guanzhou, were he finished 20 overall.
Clearwater is bred by Jens Quist in Denmark and made his first claim to fame under Danish Sanne Henningsen. She won the 2004 Danish Young Horse Championships with him and competed the bay gelding at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden. They were member of the Danish Grand Prix team at the 2007 European Championships in Turin, Italy.
Anne van Olst and Dutch sponsor Ton Kies acquired the horse after Turin from owner Klaus Munkedal. The new pair won team bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, they were members of the Danish team at the 2009 European Championships in Windsor and 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. The pair rode its last test at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where they finished 21st overall.
Clearwater came on the market but did not sell initially. He made his come back to the show ring after three years away from the show scene. At the beginning of December he won two Under 25 Grand Prix classes under British Lottie Fry at the 2015 CDI Roosendaal Indoor.
Japan qualified a team of four riders for the 2016 Olympic Games by winning the regional group qualifier at the CDI Perl in August. Japanese Grand Prix riders are now seriously investing in older schoolmasters with which they hope to qualify on the team. The last six months, numerous European based Grand Prix horses moved into Japanese ownership (Don Lorean, Fabriano, Tiesto).
Tsunehiro Shimado further acquired Polish Dominika Krasko-Bialek's Grand Prix horse Otello, a 13-year old Polish gelding by Alfaro x Seul. Shimado has given the ride on this horse to assistant trainer Shingo Hayashi, who was the 2014 Japanese Dressage Champion on Beatriz Ferrer-Salat's former horse Peter Pan (by Gribaldi). Dominika Krasko-Bialek competed her Otello at the CDI's in Mallorc, Wroclaw, Ranzdionkow, Brno and Czosnow this year.
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Clearwater
Charlotte Fry and Clearwater Cruise to Under 25 Victory at 2015 CDI Roosendaal Indoor
Clearwater to Replace Taikoen on 2012 Danish Olympic Team
Clearwater Sold to The Netherlands
Tardi, Schianto and Clearwater, 2004 Danish Young Horse Champions