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The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance and a Controlled Medication Substance.
The horse Calai (FEI ID 105RF80/UAE), ridden by Hassan Bin Ali (FEI ID 10017909/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Arsenic and the Controlled Medication Substance Salicylic Acid, including the metabolite 2-hydroxyethyl salicylate, following samples taken at the CEI2*120 – Bou Thib (UAE) on 12 January 2021.
The athlete did not provide any explanation as to how the Prohibited Substances entered the horse’s system.
In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year suspension on the athlete. The Provisional Suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 3 March 2021, is credited against the period of ineligibility imposed in the decision, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 2 March 2023. The athlete was also fined CHF 7,500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000. The results obtained at the event have been disqualified.
The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision
The full Decision is available here.
Team Ireland came out on top in the first clash of the 10-leg Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 series at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates today. But the hosts chased them every inch of the way to finish a close second ahead of Great Britain in third place.
As Irish Chef d’Equipe, Michael Blake, said afterwards the competition turned into “a two-horse race” when only a single fence separated his side, leading on a zero score at the halfway stage, from the home team who were carrying just four faults going into round two.
There was no room for error in the closing stages and, as Blake added, “the UAE really kept the pressure on us. I wouldn’t have dreamt this morning that it would take six clear rounds to win it!”, Blake added.
For the UAE, their result easily secured one of the two places at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2022 on offer to teams from the Middle East at this leg, the other going to Saudi Arabia who finished fifth.
The three-member Syrian side dropped out of contention when Ahmad Saber Hamcho retired in the first round, leaving six countries to battle it out in the closing stages in which Team Jordan just missed out on a Middle East qualifying slot when finishing sixth.
Reopened
When the Irish reopened with a clear from Shane Breen and Z7 Ipswich and then youngest team-member 20-year-old Jack Ryan completed a double-clear with BBS McGregor, it was always looking good for the team in green.
However as Blake had commented during the halfway break there was no room for complacency, because the UAE really meant business. Like Shane Breen, host-team pathfinder Abdullah Mohammed Al Marri had picked up four faults in the opening round with Sama Dubai, but second time out they made no mistake. So when his compatriot Hamad Ali Al Kirbi was double-clear with the handsome grey Quel Cadans Z then there was still only that one fence between the two sides.
And then Hamad Ali’s 21-year-old son, Ali Hamad Al Kirbi, piled on the pressure with an equally impressive tour of Alan Wade’s 12-fence track partnering the 13-year-old mare Dalida van de Zuuthoeve, so now the ball was back in the Irish court.
However third-line Irishman, David Simpson, wrapped it up with his second cool clear of the day from the 12-year-old Foudre F. On a zero scoreline his team could not now be beaten, and Irish team anchor Trevor Breen’s single error with Highland President cost him only a share of the €50,000 going to the five partnerships who posted double-clears - Ryan, Simpson, Hamad Al Kirbi, Great Britain’s Donald Whitaker (Di Caprio) and Germany’s David Will (Babalou HD).
The final scoreline showed Ireland on zero, UAE on four faults in second place and Great Britain’s Whitaker, William Funnell (Equine America Billy Diamo) and Georgia Tame (Z7 Ascot) in third on 17. Germany finished fourth on 34 faults, Saudi Arabia in fifth on 48 and the Jordanian team were sixth with a final tally of 50 faults.
Looked strong
The Irish always looked strong after wins for brothers Shane and Trevor Breen in the 5* and 2* Grand Prix classes at the fixture earlier in the week, so Chef d’Equipe Blake was feeling confident going into today’s competition. “We competed here four times and had three second-place finishes, but I felt this competition was ours to lose today and that we were the best team here - although I didn’t see the UAE coming as strong as they did - it just shows how showjumping is developing in this region!”, he said.
He was delighted with the performances of all his team members, and was particularly pleased with the maturity shown by Jack Ryan who was competing in only his second senior Nations Cup. “He was on the winning team in Vilamoura (POR) last year so he’s now made it two wins out of two - that’s impressive!”, Blake said. He’s had a long association with the young man who hails from Inistioge in County Kilkenny, Ireland. “I was at my first Championship with Jack when he was just 11 years old competing in Children on Horses, and it’s extra special that he is riding a home-bred horse here today”, Blake pointed out.
BBS McGregor is a horse with a story, having recovered from a serious injury early in his life. “We bred him ourselves and as a yearling he got very sick because we think he was kicked in the head by another horse when out in the field. He fell apart physically and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him - he was just fading away. But he had a lump on his nose and when it was x-rayed it seems that a tooth went up through the roof of his mouth when he was kicked and he couldn’t eat because of the pain. He’s so much better now and it’s great to see him doing so well and enjoying himself in the ring”, Ryan explained.
Experienced team
He said he felt “confident but nervous” about competing today at 5* level with such an experienced team “but they helped me a lot”. And he relished the competitiveness of today’s clash of nations. “Fair play to the UAE - they really put it up to us all the way!”, he added.
Meanwhile the UAE’s Abdullah Mohammed Al Marri was filled with pride for his country’s result. “I think our best score here before was 17 faults so today’s result was really great!” he said. “We are aiming two teams for events this year - one for the Asian Games and one for the Longines Final and of course today’s competition is also a qualifier for the World Championships so it has been a great experience for all of us!”
Blake meanwhile is turning his attention to selection for the next leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 series which will take place in Coapexpan, Mexico in March, but tonight it’s about celebrating his country’s first big team victory of 2022. “It’s a really great start to the year!”, said the happy Irish team manager.
Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates will host the first leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 series next Sunday and, 113 years after it all began, this historic and evergreen tournament is all set for yet another super season.
The appeal of the Nations Cup concept never grows old as horses and riders proudly fly their national flags in the battle for the most precious team title of them all. There will be 10 qualifiers taking place across the globe on the road to the 2022 World Final in Barcelona, Spain at the end of September, and Sunday’s sole leg for the Middle East region has attracted a strong field from eight countries.
Great Britain sends just three athletes in William Funnell, Georgia Tame and yet another member of the extensive Whitaker family who have been pivotal to their country’s success for multiple decades - 29-year-old Donald Whitaker. All other nations send four, including Eqypt, Germany, Ireland, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the hosts.
However regardless of the result, only Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates are eligible for the two qualifying spots on offer.
5* level
All 10 legs will be staged at CSIO5* level, and rounds two, three and four take place in the North/Central America and Caribbean region with two qualifying spots up for grabs here. The first will be held at Coapexpan in Mexico in March followed by San Juan Capistrano in California, USA in May and Vancouver in Canada in early June.
Then it will be time for Europe Division 1 to get underway at St Gallen in Switzerland before moving on to Sopot in Poland and Rotterdam in The Netherlands later in June. Falsterbo in Sweden and Hickstead in Great Britain will play host in July, and all these events will provide the perfect viewing and selection platform for the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 which begin in Herning, Denmark a week later. The last Division 1 qualifier will be held in Dublin, Ireland on Friday 19 August.
A total of 10 countries will compete in Division 1 including Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.
Defending champions
For the third time since the series Final was established in Barcelona, Spain in 2013 it is the Dutch who are defending champions, having pipped Ireland by a narrow margin at the thrilling 2021 finale.
Team Italy were relegated to the EEF series at the end of last season when Czech Republic earned promotion, and with each nation counting results from four designated events and only seven qualifying spots on offer to Europe Division 1 sides, the Czech contingent will need to start out strong from the outset.
There are Final spots available to the two best South American teams competing at this summer’s World Championships while two countries from the Asia/Australasia region and one African nation can qualify through the Longines Rankings. There is also a single spot on offer through the Nations Cup rankings for Eurasian National Federations.
However as it stands right now the only country absolutely assured of qualification before the new series begins are the Spanish hosts of the hugely popular Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final which will take place on their hallowed ground at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain from 29 September to 2 October 2022.
It’s all about to unfold, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
The FEI is aware of the allegations made in the documentary broadcast on RTL in Germany on 11 January 2022 and is making enquiries regarding the matter. We are already in touch with the German National Federation and will continue to liaise closely with them in order to assess the appropriate course of action.
The welfare of the horse is central to everything that the FEI stands for and we strongly condemn all training methods and practices that are contrary to horse welfare. The FEI has stringent rules in place to protect horse welfare which allow action to be taken both at FEI Events and elsewhere. The FEI absolutely condemns any form of horse abuse and the training methods shown in RTL’s video footage are totally unacceptable from a horse welfare perspective and against FEI Regulations.
The FEI General Regulations (GRs) Article 142 state: No person may abuse a Horse during an Event or at any other time. “Abuse” means an action or omission which causes or is likely to cause pain or unnecessary discomfort to a Horse, including, but not limited to:
(vi) To "rap" a Horse.
Article 243.1 of the FEI Jumping rules states: All forms of cruel, inhumane or abusive treatment of Horses, which include, but are not limited to various forms of rapping, are strictly forbidden. Article 243.2.1 goes on to give a non-exhaustive description of what the FEI considers as “rapping”.
The FEI will provide an update as soon as further information is available.
The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, a horse trained by Ruben Dario Flores (FEI ID 10168197/ARG), tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol following samples taken at the CEIYJ2*120 Capitan Sarmiento (ARG), 15-16 July 2021.
The trainer admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the trainer; the provisional suspension he already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. He was also fined CHF 5,000 and the cost of the B sample.
The full Decision is available here.
The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case.
The horse Sarem (FEI ID 105MZ22/KSA), ridden by Mohammed Almalky (FEI ID 10134839)/KSA), was selected for an in-competition doping control test at the CEI2* 120 - Al Ula (KSA) on 1 February 2020.
The Athlete was notified of the sample collection of his horse, however disappeared on the way to the testing box. By failing to submit the horse to sample collection, the athlete violated the anti-doping rules.
In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year ineligibility period on the athlete. The Provisional Suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 19 February 2020, is credited against the period of ineligibility imposed in the decision, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 18 February 2022. He was also fined CHF 7,500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000. The results obtained at the event have been disqualified.
The full Decision is available here.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Specified Substances
The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
The FEI Tribunal has issued three Final Decisions in three human anti-doping cases involving the substance Carboxy-THC, a metabolite of Cannabis which is a Prohibited Substance under the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
In the first two cases, urine samples taken from the Qatari Jumping athletes Sheikh Ali Al Thani (FEI ID 10024194), and Bassem Mohammed (FEI ID 10082635) at the CSIO4*-W Designated Olympic Qualifier for Group F - Rabat (MAR), 10-13 October 2019, tested positive for the Prohibited Substance. In the third case, a urine sample taken from the Egyptian Jumping athlete Mohamed Talaat (FEI ID 10021782) at the African Games-S - Rabat (MAR) 20-24 August 2019, also tested positive for Carboxy-THC.
All athletes denied that they knowingly smoked, inhaled or otherwise used Cannabis during the Event. To all three, the only plausible explanation for the Adverse Analytical Finding of Carboxy-THC and the values detected, was due to an inadvertent exposure to Cannabis during their visits to their hotel’s shisha bar in Rabat. To FEI Tribunal, the athletes had failed to establish the source of the Carboxy-THC, and hence applied the standard sanction for Specified Substances.
As Carboxy-THC is a *Specified Substance banned in competition under the 2019 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, there is no mandatory provisional suspension imposed by the FEI, however, the athletes had the option to request a voluntary provisional suspension be imposed on them, but chose not to.
In its three Final Decisions, the FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year ineligibility period on each athlete, effective from 17 June 2021, meaning, each athlete will be ineligible until 16 June 2023. Each athlete was also fined CHF 7,500 and Mr Mohammed and Mr Talaat were each asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.
The results of all athletes as of 17 June 2021 are disqualified. For Mr Talaat this includes his results obtained at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, resulting in the disqualification of team Egypt from the Jumping Team Competition.
The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.
The full decision for Sheikh Ali Al Thani can be found here.
The full decision for Bassem Mohammed can be found here.
The full decision for Mohamed Talaat can be found here.
* Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other doping substances. Rather, they are simply substances which are more likely to have been consumed by an Athlete for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.
There are wins in every athlete’s career that will stand out forever, and today Harry Charles recorded one of those when topping the sixth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2021/2022 Western European League on home ground in London (GBR), with a little help from Stardust.
In an edge-of-the-seat 11-horse jump-off against the clock the 22-year-old rider and the 11-year-old mare produced an extraordinary round that proved just too good for the rest, pinning The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders and Monaco into runner-up spot while British legend, John Whitaker, finished third with Unick du Francport.
You couldn’t have scripted it better for the home crowd who were treated to a feast of fabulous sport from start to finish.
“This is a bucket-list thing, I’ve grown up watching this show every year and it’s been one of my dreams to win the World Cup in London!”, said Charles this evening.
Control
Brazilian course designer, Guilherme Jorge, set them a first-round track that tested control at every turn. The short distance inside the double at fence eight was highly influential and, with both elements still in place for the jump-off, it continued to play a significant role.
Irish 26-year-old, Michael G Duffy, produced the first clear when third to go against the clock with Lapuccino in a time of 39.38, but Norwegian veteran, 61-year-old Geir Gulliksen, shaved almost a second off that to temporarily take the lead with the plucky little 15-year-old VDL Groep Quatro when fifth into the ring.
Then British hero, 66-year-old John Whitaker who was crowned series champion twice in a row with the great Milton a full 30 years ago, brought the crowd to their feet when galloping through the timers to go out in front with Unick du Francport who broke the beam in 37.50 seconds. His advantage was short-lived however.
Clearly meaning business from the outset, The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders survived a very tricky moment at the first fence when, taking it an angle, his 12-year-gelding Monaco put in a really awkward jump. But the pair still scorched through the finish in the quickest time so far when stopping the timers in 36.77 seconds and when Olympic champion, Britain’s Ben Maher, was almost two seconds slower with Faltic HB who slipped on the turn to fence eight then the Dutchman was still out in front.
Third-last to go however Charles was oblivious to what was going on in the ring. He had his own plan and he was going to stick to it. And setting off in a perfect rhythm his mare met every fence on a perfect stride, seemingly never turning a hair before racing through the finish in 35.91 seconds to shoot to the top of the leaderboard. The crowd jumped to their feet again, celebrating a magical moment with their new young star whose smile was as wide as an ocean as he left the arena.
And when Swiss star Martin Fuchs’ Connor Jei clipped the first element at fence eight and then, last to go, fellow-Briton Matthew Sampson had a stop with Geneve R at the third from home it was a done deal.
Concerned
While Charles admitted afterwards that he knew he’d really thrown it down to the last two, he was concerned that Fuchs might beat him. Hardly surprising considering the form the super-successful 29-year-old Swiss rider has enjoyed this year alone, when taking European team gold and individual silver along with multiple 5* victories.
“I knew Martin was on absolute fire here, he won three classes this week and I was bit worried about him. But I know my own horse is so quick. Harrie’s horse is also quick and I had beaten him so I was secretly confident, but I couldn’t be sure until the very end!”, Charles said.
Asked afterwards if he had consulted with his father Peter, team gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games and co-owner of Stardust along with former FEI President Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein, before going into the jump-off today, Charles said his father told him not to get “caught up on numbers”.
“I chose to not watch anyone and he said OK, I trust you so good luck, you can do it - they were his last words before I went in and won it!”, he said. So how did Peter respond when he won?
“He was over the moon, I didn’t see too much of him, he got caught up in all the excitement so I don’t know if he shed a tear or was having a beer, but it means so much to him and to all of us as a family!”, said the delighted young winner.
Winning mare
He described his winning mare, Stardust, as “incredible, she’s making her way to the No. 1 spot on my team. She only stepped up to this level in the last two months, she only did her first 5* Grand Prix at Madrid World Cup which was not so long ago (three weeks ago). Her mentality - she is absolutely everything I want in a horse and she’s a real yard favourite. She has so much blood, she’s so careful and she’s a natural winner.
“We’ve built up a great partnership, I think the world of her and when we get to the Finals I think she’ll be the horse I’ll use. I think I’ve got enough points now!”, said the ambitious young man who has had, as he added, “an incredible year”, amongst the highlights of which has been competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and leading the British team to victory in the Challenge Cup at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 Final in Barcelona (ESP) in October.
“It’s been a helluva year, so much cool stuff has happened, I’ve had so many great opportunities and to come here and finish out the year doing something like this - my first 5* Grand Prix World Cup win - I couldn’t ask for better than that!”, he happily concluded.
With 38 points racked up Charles has shot up to second spot on the league leaderboard which continues to be led by Ireland’s Denis Lynch. The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022 Final will take place in Leipzig, Germany in April and for athletes in the Western European League the next stop in the 10-leg qualifying series is Basel, Switzerland on 16 January.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Conor Swail (IRL) proved his Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League dominance Saturday night before a packed crowd in Fort Worth, Texas (USA), securing his third victory of the NAL season by way of an eight-horse jump-off.
Tiffany Foster (CAN) and Figor finished second, with 24-year-old Ailish Cunniffe (USA) and Vivaldi du Theil third.
Swail took victories at the league's opening two events at Vancouver (CAN) and Sacramento (USA) with Vital Chance de la Roque, but in Fort Worth, he brought forward a new winning partner in the 14-year-old gelding, Count Me In. Remarkably, he has ridden both horses for less than a year.
"I decided to bring [Count Me In] here for a few reasons. He was up in Thermal (California, USA) for a few weeks, and this was a stop on our way back to Wellington (Florida, USA)," Swail explained. "The other reason is that it gives me another option if I decide to go to World Cup Finals. The horse that you use [at the Finals] has to have competed [in at least one qualifier].
"[Vital Chance de la Roque] is small and fiery, while [Count Me In] has more range," Swail continued. "The one thing they have in common is that they're both extremely good athletes and want to leave the jumps up for me, and that's the reason why I've had such a good year."
A brand new NAL stop in Fort Worth brought an enthusiastic crowd to the Will Rogers Coliseum, and they cheered on the sport's best athletes, along with some local newcomers. Anderson Lima (BRA) set a big but fair track that saw rails fall throughout. First to jump on the evening, Kristen Vanderveen (USA) delivered with an early clear round before the class quickly leveled out. Ultimately, seven other riders would join her for the shortened track, including Swail and Foster, who won Washington's (USA) leg in October.
Those two riders, the two leaders in the NAL standings, would battle it out for top honors. Swail and Count Me In set a standard that put immense pressure on their competitors, stopping the timers in 33.18 seconds. Last to go, Foster gave great chase and used her horse's immense stride to her advantage. The duo narrowly missed the win with their 33.27-second time.
"We all have our numbers in the jump-off. For me, it was a nice six [strides between the first two fences]. Then I had a nice rollback turn and got eight strides to the double," Swail detailed. On the rollback [turn] to the vertical in the middle of the arena, I caught a hot one, and that just about was the reason that, thankfully, Tiffany didn't catch me."
Swail maintains a comfortable lead in the NAL standings with 63 points; he has earned points in every World Cup event he has jumped this season. Foster sits second with 59 points, while Natalie Dean (USA) is third with 41 points.
The North American League takes a brief reprieve for the holidays before returning at another new stop in Puebla (MEX) on 26 February 2022.
As three-time Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin said tonight, there’s nothing quite like a big win in front of the home crowd. The 36-year-old athlete and the brilliant little gelding Gio certainly gave spectators a treat when sweeping to a last-to-go victory at the fourth leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2021/2022 Western European League in London (GBR) with a test that simply sparkled.
The horse was sold following the pair’s spectacular summer of success that included taking team and individual bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July and team silver and Freestyle bronze at the FEI Dressage European Championships in Hagen (GER) in September, but were re-united for one final performance together at their home fixture this week. And the crowd were treated to an exhibition of precision and partnership that earned a personal-best Freestyle score of 89.040 tonight.
Runner-up spot went to Dujardin’s Tokyo team-mate Charlotte Fry riding Dark Legend, while Germany’ Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain slotted into third.
First
Wandres, who rides for Hof Kasselmann in Hagen where the 2021 European Championships were staged, was the first to score over 80 percent and that mark could have been higher but for a mistake in the two-tempi changes. Fourth-last to go, Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Atterupgaards Orthilia followed him into the ring and looked set to pose a strong challenge, but the pair who were members of the Danish European bronze-medal-winning team were eliminated at the very end of their test for blood in the mare’s mouth.
Britain’s Fry was next in and raised the bar with a fabulous performance from Dark Legend, the 13-year-old gelding with which she won the European U25 Championship title back in 2018. It has been a dream year for this 25-year-old rider who, with the 12-year-old stallion Everdale, competed alongside Dujardin on the British teams in Tokyo and Hagen, and tonight Dark Legend showed he wasn’t to be outdone when moving to the top of the scoreboard with just two left to go.
But when the penultimate British duo, Richard Davison and Bubblingh, put 76.910 on the board then it was all eyes on Dujardin and Gio who were always expected to make a big impact, and they didn’t disappoint. The little chestnut horse seems to take everything in his stride, and although still a relatively unexposed 10-year-old he continues to grow in confidence and ability. Yesterday he was convincing winner of the Short Grand Prix and tonight he listened to everything he was asked to do and presented a glorious picture of a great athlete who is really comfortable in his own skin as he executed a truly exacting test.
In Tokyo he earned a mark of 88.513 for Olympic Freestyle bronze, tonight he bettered that by more than half a percentage point with a score of 89.040 that included 10 maximum scores of 10 and multiples of 9’s and 9.5’s while Dujardin gave another of her masterclasses of sensitive and professional riding.
Special
“He truly is a very special horse. This year he did his very first Olympics, his very first Europeans and now he’s just finished off by winning the World Cup here at the London International Horse Show. What a legend!”, she said tonight.
Like most athletes, she thrives in front of a home crowd - “there’s nothing like riding at home and having your own crowd cheering you on. I’ve really missed everyone and I’d like to thank you all very much for coming and supporting!”, she said during the prizegiving ceremony.
And she’s really pleased with how Gio has developed. “He has come on so much and so quickly this season, and finishing the year with two personal bests here in the Short Grand Prix yesterday and the Freestyle tonight is amazing. He has shown what a great horse he really is!”, she added.
However he’ll be going back to his new owner, British junior rider Annabella Pidgley, now. Dujardin said the new partnership is “magical to watch - she (Annabella) is an amazing up-and-coming rider, so next year is going to be very exciting!”, she pointed out.
Incredible
Meanwhile Fry said she also really enjoyed performing in front of the London crowd tonight. “It was incredible - even before you ride your test the crowed is cheering for you. It’s a wonderful feeling and I don’t think the year could have ended up any better!”, she said.
And Frederic Wandres was happy too. He found it a struggle to make the trip due to both Brexit and Covid regulations, but he was determined it would happen. “We really wanted to be here - I have such good memories and I really wanted to get Duke of Britain here again!”, said the 34-year-old athlete who, with the same horse, previously won the London leg of the series in 2018 which seriously boosted his profile.
Today’s third-place finish has further enhanced the firm lead he had already established on the Western European League leaderboard and, going into the fifth round of the eight-leg series in Amsterdam (NED) next month he carries 65 points and looks well set for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2022 which will take place on his home soil in Leipzig (GER) next April.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
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