2005 World Cup Finals

Clash of the Baby Titans; Anky van Grunsven Claims Seventh World Cup Title

April 24, 2005

Olympic dressage champion Anky van Grunsven claimed her seventh World Cup Title in her career with a new world record score of a 86.725% for her kur to music aboard the 11-year old Hanoverian gelding Salinero (by Salieri x Lungau). The master beat her student Edward Gal in the freestyle final on Saturday April 23, 2005. Edward Gal scored 85.225% aboard the freshly KWPN licensed stallion Lingh (by Flemming x Columbus).

It was a true "Clash of the Baby Titans" in the Thomas & Mack center in Las Vegas. 13-year old Lingh and 11-year old Salinero were a league of their own at the World Cup Finals and the number one and two places could equally have been interchangeable.

Gal rode a super sonic Lingh who was truly magical in his magically choreographed freestyle. "The music, his cheekbones, the horse's fabulous movements, it was truly fabulous," Lita Dove reported for Eurodressage. "The piaffe, the passage, the half passes, everything was wonderful plus the extra that makes it magical. It was dancing in the one tempi's. Fantastic!" His 85.225% score was a personal record for Edward Gal and it was a very challenging mark for Anky to beat. At the Olympics she already rode 85.8% so it was feasible.

Anky van Grunsven is not the double Olympic Champion for nothing. Her timing and "fingerspitzengefühl" on a horse are out of this world and she continues to prove that in every major league competition. "Salinero was ten times better than in the Grand Prix," Dove wrote. "The horse was of course at the line, but the changes stayed uphill and expressive. Perhaps he's tight, but this is truly a quibble, and I felt that she was not exactly accurate in the pirouettes, but one can quibble forever about a step here and there." Anky scored 86.725% and claimed her seventh world cup title in her career.

Anky's Vegas' World Cup victory was not gratuitous, she had to fight for every point and fortunately for dressage competition in general, there is a new rider who can challenge the world's dressage leader. "Edward Gal took freestyle to a new level of theater and technicality," Dove stated. " Salinero had some tiny imperfections and technically/musically he was not better than Lingh. Nevertheless, Anky is a fabulous rider on a fabulous horse."

Judge at C , Uwe Mechlem said, “it was very difficult to find the winner. The level of riding was unbelievably high. After seeing each ride, you think it can’t be beaten, then the next and the next. It is frustrating but exciting.” Judge Mariette Withages said, “I thought this was more difficult to judge than in Athens because of the level and the small differences between riders.”

For Eurodressage correspondent Lita Dove "Gal on Lingh was magic. I loved his music. The horse was in every way equal to Salinero and perhaps a bit looser. If one wants to debate, Salinero's collected walk could have been better. Obviously, for four of  the judges, Anky had a bit more magic, except for Axel Steiner, who had her third. His order was Lingh, Brentina, Salinero..I tend to agree."

Mechlem said Van Grunsven’s music and choreography set her apart from the rest. “In the end, I gave her a 10 for music. The combination of horse and music couldn’t be better. The style of the music fit the horse and the movements were in the right moment. Anky did it perfect.”

Text by Lita Dove and Astrid Appels - Photos copyrighted Dirk Caremans
No Reproduction Allowed

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