Laurens van Lieren Withdraws, Marlies van Baalen to Las Vegas

Wed, 04/04/2007 - 00:00
2007 World Cup Finals

Yesterday evening, the withdrawal of Dutch combination Laurens van Lieren/Hexagon's Ollright from the 2007 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, became known. The pair will be replaced by the first reserve rider, the Dutch Marlies van Baalen on Kigali.

"Marlies qualified both Relevant and Kigali for the reserve spot for the World Cup Finals. Now that it's definitive that Marlies will participate in the Finals, she has chosen Kigali as ride. This fits best in the planned show schedule of both stallions," Van Baalen explained.

The bay stallion Kigali is owned by Syndicate Dressage Stable van Baalen, constituted by Jan de Vries, Henk Krooswijk, Arend Zoer and Dressage Stable Van Baalen. He was the World Young Horse Show Jumping Champion and then with the help of Johann Hinnemann reschooled into an international Grand Prix dressage horse.

Van Lieren's Hexagons Ollright, who did not compete at the CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch because of a minor injury, has not yet recuperated and the vets recommended him not to go. "I'm not really disappointed about not going to Las Vegas, no matter how great the show is," Van Lieren told the KWPN society. "I'm more surprised and shocked that injury is more serious than I thought and the far journey is too big a risk. My horse and I are actually too young to be dealing with health issues so regularly. Fortunately I can do some light trot work now, besides walking. Ollright is feeling really fit. Hopefully the scan in four weeks will prove that we can be a strong combination during the outdoor season."

Source: KWPN

Photo Kigali under Coby - copyrighted: Astrid Appels / Eurodressage

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