FEI World Cup Dressage, Stockholm, Sunday 28/11/2004

Triumph for Danes as personal best puts Helgstrand in the driving seat

Andreas Helgstrand and Blue Hors Cavan claimed their second successive
victory in the FEI World Cup Western European League with a sparkling
freestyle performance in front of an enthusiastic audience of over nine
thousand.

The Danish pair, in performing "their best freestyle to date", saw off a
challenge from the hotly tipped Spanish combination of Beatriz
Ferrer-Salat and Beauvalais to claim first prize of a Mitsubishi
Outlander, on a score of 79.47%. " I hope I can keep it, I need a new
car" said the winner.

Cavan, who also won here in 2000 and 2001 with his previous rider Lars
Petersen, now holds the record as the Globen Arena's most successful
dressage horse. "He could not have gone better today, he was working
with me all the way", said Andreas Helgstrand, who only started riding
Cavan at international level in May this year. "It was daunting to
start riding a horse with such an impressive record", he added, "but he
had a great grounding and he has no bad points." The combination is
currently standing second in the league on 40 points and well on the way
to a place for April's FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas. Helgrstrand
also intends to start his promising younger stallion Don Schufro in the
World Cup next year.

Ferrer-Salat, team silver and individual bronze medallist at the Athens
Olympics, finished one and a half per cent in arrears. She was happy,
but noted that although the arena has a great ambience the atmosphere
was hot for the sometimes spooky Beauvalais. Olympia is her next outing,
having opened her account with 17 points and ninth place in the current
standings.

It was a great day for the Danes as Per Sandgaard and Zancor also
performed their best ever freestyle for third place on 76.37%.
Sandgaard, who is based in Sweden, only started riding the 13-year-old
gelding three years ago. "He was only at elementary level in dressage
and had only done five shows", said Sandgaard. " He was for sale at the
time - though he isn't now - and he was and still is very sensitive. It
took time to get close to him and we are still developing our
relationship." The Danish rider, on 15 points and standing joint 11th
with Germany's Isabell Werth and Holland's Sven Rothenberger, is now
encouraged to try for a ticket to Las Vegas. Their freestyle was a crowd
pleaser to a medley of music from the 1980's: " That time was the
partying period of my life, and I'm happy every time I ride to that
music." Sandgaard added.

Without Jan Brink, whose star stallion Bjorsells Briar is being brought
back slowly to work following a knock to his knee, former World Cup
champion Louise Nathhorst placed highest for the Swedish home side in
eighth place on the stallion Guiness, but she was only just ahead of
Brink's fiancée Minne Telde, who had a super ride on the sometimes tense
Bjorsells Sack for ninth. The top twelve riders all scored over 70 per
cent. Ground jury President, Sweden's Birgitta Bergsten commented: "
Almost all the horses went better today, being calmer than they were in
yesterday's grand prix."

The next leg of the FEI World Cup dressage takes place in Maastricht (NED), on 11-12th December. Germany's Ann-Katrin Linsehoff, who placed
fourth in Stockholm on Renior-UNICEF, still heads the standings on 50
points.

Results:
1) Blue Hors Cavan (Andreas Helgstrand, DEN) 79.47
2) Beauvalais (Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, ESP) 77.95
3) Zancor (Per Sandgaard, DEN) 77.95
4) Renoir Unicef (Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, GER) 74.60
5) Amando II (Gina Capellmann-Luetkemeier, GER) 74.00
6) Albano (Heike Kemmer, GER) 73.65
7) Esprit de Valdemar (Jon D. Pedersen, DEN) 73.20
8) Guinness (Louise Nathhorst, SWE) 73.15
9) Bjorsells Sack (Minne Telde, SWE) 72.40
10) Donatha S (Ellen Schulten-Baumer, GER) 70.97