Defending FEI Dressage World Championship title holders Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Fry of Great Britain and Glamourdale delivered once again, retaining their Grand Prix Special world title after a thrilling battle in Aachen. Their score of 82.295% secured gold ahead of Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark and Mount St John Freestyle on 80.927%, while Katharina Hemmer of Germany and Denoix PCH produced the ride of their lives to take bronze with 80.866%.
The top two steps of the podium were a repeat of Herning 2022. Lottie again took gold with Glamourdale, while Cathrine claimed silver for a second successive World Championship, this time with Mount St John Freestyle after riding Vamos Amigos four years ago. Katharina was the only new name in the medal line-up, taking bronze with Denoix PCH.
The battle for the individual medals began Friday, and as the highest-ranked combinations from the Grand Prix entered the arena towards the end of the competition, the tension continued to build.
Lottie and Glamourdale rise to the occasion
Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale were the penultimate combination to enter the arena. After winning double gold at the FEI Dressage World Championship in Herning in 2022, Lottie pulled out all the stops to defend their Grand Prix Special title.
Apart from a slight hesitation in the transition into the first piaffe, their scores continued to rise. Their spectacular canter tour drew gasps of admiration from the crowd, and by the final centre line, the spectators could no longer contain their enthusiasm. The applause already began during the final piaffe.
Lottie was greeted with a standing ovation as she left the arena, something not even one of the German athletes had yet received on home soil. Their score of 82.295% was just below their winning result from Herning in 2022, but was more than enough to secure another gold medal.
“I still can’t believe what just happened. Glammie was amazing in there. He was just giving, giving and giving. Whenever I was thinking, ‘Stay safe’, Glammie was saying, ‘No, let’s take a risk!’”
“When everything comes together after such a long preparation is amazing. I have no words for him, he’s incredible. He loves big arenas like this, with all the lights shining on him. He is 15 now, but he just keeps improving.”
Cathrine and Freestyle take silver
All eyes in Aachen were on one of the hot favourites for the title, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle. The combination had recorded by far the highest scores of the season, making gold appear well within reach.
Cathrine was the first of the contenders to enter the arena. Freestyle started the test looking fresh and appeared to have even more spark than in the Grand Prix. However, a few small mistakes crept in, including an error in the one-time changes and a loss of balance in the second pirouette.
Their impressive score of 80.927% meant Cathrine faced a long wait to discover whether it would be enough for gold, or even a medal. Ultimately, it secured silver.
“I’m disappointed with my ride today. We started really well and Freestyle is in amazing form. She’s fit and she likes the arena.
“I hope I can do better in the Freestyle [Saturday] and do as good as ‘Free’ does. I have to let today be today, and focus on [Saturday]. I’m excited to ride our new freestyle and have one more chance to show what an amazing horse she is,” a slightly disappointed Cathrine said.
A dream medal for Katharina Hemmer
Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH were the final combination to enter the arena. After their outstanding performance in the Grand Prix, expectations were high.
The crowd erupted even before they began their test, while Katharina calmly allowed the chestnut gelding to take in his surroundings. With plenty of swing and sharpness, while maintaining relaxation throughout, they scored 80.866% and finished just 0.061 percentage points behind Laudrup-Dufour.
“I never dreamed of winning an individual medal in Aachen. We had mainly focused on the Team Competition and the Grand Prix. Achieving a personal best there was amazing. Everything after that would simply be the icing on the cake,” she said.
“I will never experience anything like this again: winning a World Championship medal on home soil in Aachen with my best friend. Denoix is so special to me. He stayed focused, even during our final halt when the crowd was already cheering.”
Following veterinary advice, Katharina Hemmer will not compete in the Grand Prix Freestyle. As a result, Frederic Wandres and Larissa Pauluis have qualified for the Freestyle.
Fine margins at the top
The competition was extremely close at the top of the leaderboard. Legendary German athlete Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine finished fourth with 79.544%. Despite a few small issues in the flying-change sequences, their exceptional piaffe and passage work helped them to another strong score.
Reigning FEI Dressage European Champions Justin Verboomen of Belgium and his black pearl Zonik Plus followed closely behind Isabell and the podium positions with 79.362%. As in the Grand Prix, errors crept into both lines of one-tempi changes.
“He is still only ten years old, and this was our first Grand Prix Special since the European Championships in Crozet. We had focused entirely on the team result,” Justin explained.
At 59, Great Britain’s Carl Hester also placed himself firmly among the leading contenders with Fame. With technical precision, he guided the bay gelding through the test to score 78.298%, keeping them within reach of the podium positions.
Simone Pearce and Will Marq post PB score to qualify for the Freestyle
The top 18 combinations from the Grand Prix Special, with a maximum of three per nation, qualify for the Grand Prix Freestyle. Australian Simone Pearce rode a brilliant test with Will Marq, achieving a PB of 74.438% to place 12th and, in the end, they qualified for the Freestyle with ease.
“I’m blown away. [Will Marq] was just so with me and so brave. He’s just a baby and I thought today he was going to be tired. I never practised the Special at home, because I didn’t think I’d need a Special,” said Simone following her test. “I’m so proud of him!”
Aachen is only Will Marq’s third ever Grand Prix Special, and Simone said he was incredible throughout the test – and she just kept telling herself not to mess it up!
The duo have only been together for a year, with Will Marq coming from the Spanish island of Majorca. The journey so far hasn’t all been smooth sailing. “It’s been really difficult. We’ve had to retire a few times… he’s super shy, especially at the CDI3* shows. And then just in the last few shows, he’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve got this’ and then here, he’s like, ‘No problem!’”
Simone adds that at times, Will can be a tad naughty – in fact, at the prizegiving in Munich in May, he did buck Simone off!
No Freestyle? No problem!
The Australian did not have expectations of making the Freestyle here in Aachen, and as such has had to finish putting together a test overnight for the duo’s debut on Saturday. “It’s like Warrior Princess and the wolf is a metaphor for the horse that she frees her tribe with,” explained Simone of the developing theme.
With such a young horse and her focus on the future, Simone said making the Freestyle here in Aachen wasn’t important – but she’s certainly excited to have now made the cut.
She’s also been blown away by the Australian support. “The Australians are the most incredible crowd. I’m usually so shy when I come out…. [but] did you hear them on the first day? I was like, ‘I’m Australian!’ So cool.”
Simone’s fiancé and Will Marq’s owner, Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs, was equally as enthusiastic as an honourary Aussie. “He will always go to dressage over jumping,” said Simone of Martin’s growing passion for dressage. “He loves it. Not to ride it, that’s a bit too much,” she laughed.
The Grand Prix Freestyle begins at 3am Sunday, 16 August AEST (7pm Saturday, 15 August local time) with the draw yet to be released.
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Source: FEI press release, edited by Equestrian Life
