Grand Prix Dressage at the 2007 Rolex FEI Dressage World Cup
By Lynndee Kemmet for DressageDaily.com

Las Vegas – Germany’s Isabell Werth took the win in the opening Grand Prix competition at the 2007 Rolex FEI Dressage World Cup. Werth and her partner, the Hannoverian stallion Warum Nicht FRH, finished with a score of 74.792 percent. But right on their heels was the American pair of Steffen Peters and Floriano with a final score of 72.875 percent.

It was a competition in which Dutch judge Mariette Withages noted that many riders appeared unwilling to take risks and of those who did, some did it well and others not. Clearly, the absence of Anky van Grunsven, who won the last three Dressage World Cups and has often gone neck-to-neck with Werth in international competition, was felt at this year’s World Cup. Van Grunsven is busy with a her new baby daughter, Ava Eden.

Also having an impact on competition this year is the absence of Andreas Helgstrand and Blue Hors Matine, withdrawn from competition after failing the vet check. Helgstrand said the mare sustained a minor injury during transportation to the World Cup. Her absence leaves only one mare now competing among the field – Sunrise, a Hannoverian ridden by Dutch rider Imke Schellekens-Bartels. Helgstrand and Blue Hors Matine would have given front runners Werth and Peters a run for their money.

One odd aspect of Thursday’s Grand Prix competition was a tie score between Schellekens-Bartels and Kyra Kyrklund. Both scored 71.708 percent. Withages admitted that even she wasn’t quite sure how to handle that one and they had to check the rule books. The result was that Kyrklund was placed third and Schellekens-Bartels fourth. Withages said in such a tie, it is the collective marks that then determine the outcome.

Peters was clearly very pleased with Floriano following Thursday’s competition saying that the gelding felt as good as in Aachen at the World Equestrian Games. However, he admitted that when Floriano was coming through the tunnel to the ring and saw the crowd, he turned around to leave. “The entrance wasn’t good coming into the test. The rest felt great. He was very, very forward. I didn’t have to push him a lot, which is a huge advantage with a horse that is 17 years old.”

Asked to compare Warum Nicht to her previous famous partner, Gigolo, Werth said she didn’t like comparisons but admitted the two are rather similar in type. Warum Nicht actually had a bit of off time last year when an injury kept him out of the World Equestrian Games and Werth competed Satchmo instead. But after Thursday’s Grand Prix win it’s rather clear that Warum Nicht has fully recovered.

Kyrklund is competing on Max, an offspring of one of her previous mounts, Master 850, and she said there are definitely some similarities between the two that has made it easier to figure out Max. One good common trait between father and son is their love of performing. “Max thinks, ‘17,000 people have paid for tickets to look at me today so I think I have to do my best.’ It’s a lovely character for a horse that it glows when it goes into the arena instead of shying away.”

All four of the top finishing riders were asked what they were thinking before entering the ring and Schellekens-Bartels bluntly said, “Oh my God!” She said her mare was a bit nervous and she realized she had to get both herself and her horse together. Werth said her goal was similar – keep Warum Nicht quiet, relaxed and focused.

Peters said that after Floriano tried turning around on the way to the ring, he thought about just getting into the ring, since he knew the gelding would settle once the ride began. Kyrklund said focus is not a problem for Max and clearly it wasn’t for her as well. They’re a pair that just likes to get on with the job. “I knew that Max wasn’t looking at anything so I just wanted to get on with it. It was like, ‘Come on, just ring the bell so I can go.’”

On the Scene 2007 Rolex FEI Dressage World Cup