Today, she won in the seven-year-old qualifier at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, presented by Matthias Schlamminger GmbH, with 80.177 percent: Exceptional mare and double world champion Quinn G. Will she win her third title on Sunday? Ilegro took second place in the qualifier with 77.634 percentage points, while TSF Gaspard ND came third with 77.075 percent.
“I've been dealing with the pressure for two months,” laughs Fiona Bigwood. The pressure of bringing a double world champion to the start of a World Championships for the third time. The British Olympic rider bought the mare before her first World Championship title, she says: “Hardly anyone knows that.” But the first time she sat on her, she immediately thought: “Wow, what a horse!” Through working with her every day, she has built up a very intense relationship with the mare. “I know her inside out! And she has such a great character. I could send my mother out cross-country with her, it wouldn't be a problem.”
In preparation for the World Championships in Verden, she rode the mare three to four times a week, spent a lot of time outside with her, kept her busy in a playful way and improved her fitness. “They have to deliver two top rounds here at the World Championships, so you can't start preparing three weeks beforehand, you have to start much earlier.” Quinn only competed in one tournament before the World Championships this year. “She doesn't need it more often. Of course, she's seven and there can always be something that distracts young horses, but she was so good to my aids today and the flying changes were all really good. I rode a bit on the safe side, but it was great fun. And afterwards she leaves the arena completely relaxed on a long rein – that's how she is. You can only enjoy that.”
The Quaterhit daughter is also a very complete horse with remarkably consistent scores. 8.4 for trot and canter, 8.7 for walk, 8.6 for submission and 8.8 for perspective. In the technical score, which is awarded by the judges at H and B, Quinn and Fiona Bigwood received 73.214 and 75.893 percentage points. The all-round talent was bred by the Geervliet breeding community from a Fassbinder dam.
“...he has a lot in common with Valegro.”
Charlotte Fry rode his sire Inclusive in Grand Prix sport, she has ridden several of his “relatives”, offspring of his dam's sire Negro, and his dam Jalegrofleur is a full sister to Olympic champion Valegro: Ilegro. The dark bay was bred by Mr and Mrs van Olst and also grew up at the van Olst stable in the Netherlands. However, head rider Charlotte Fry has only been in the saddle of Ilegro since January; until then, a stable colleague had taken over the training of the stallion. “We have already built up a great partnership in a short space of time and I think he has a lot in common with Valegro – that's fantastic. Ilegro took a little longer to develop, but we always knew he was something special,” explains “Lottie” Fry. "He is probably a little greener than most of the other seven-year-olds here, he hasn't seen much yet. So I had no idea how he would cope with the World Championships arena (Horse24 Arena) and the atmosphere here, but he gave me an incredible feeling.” He has so much power and energy, such a great character and he loves to work. “The most important thing for me is that the horses love their job.” And when she wants to give him a special treat, ...I kiss him on the nose – he absolutely loves it. It's really sweet." With a 9.7 for his trot, Ilegro achieved by far the highest score of the day. Overall, the individual scores for the quality assessment were 7.0 for walk, 8.8 for canter, 8.2 for submission and another 8.8 for perspective. The technical score for the runner-up was 68.036 and 72.50 percentage points.
The quick learner – Gaspard
He is the first Trakehner since 2017 to catapult himself directly into a World Championship final: TSF Gaspard ND. The His Moment son did not manage a completely faultless round today under Cecilie Hedegaard, resulting in a technical score of 67.321 and 70.179 percentage points. In the quality assessment, the Trakehner stallion was even just ahead of Ilegro with 85.40 percent, compared to 85 percent. Like Charlotte, Cecilie has only been in the saddle of her World Championship partner since January: “In January, he couldn't even do flying changes,” the rider smiles. “He has developed so quickly and now here we are – it's unbelievable. He is very intelligent, really enjoys the sport and loves to perform.” She said she felt very good in the arena, but that there is still room for improvement. “I was really excited, it's my first World Championships,” admits the 24-year-old Dane. “For example, I rode really big circles. There's always something to improve.” The World Championship finalist was ridden by Dr Angelica Lauritzen, is owned by Nicole Derlin and had brought an extremely large cheering crowd with him to Verden. Gaspard's dam's sire Imperio showed how it could be done: in 2008, he won the silver medal at the World Championships for five-year-olds under Anna-Sophie Fiebelkorn, followed by the bronze medal a year later, and seven years later he travelled to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with Hubertus Schmidt as a replacement horse. But before Cecilie and Gaspard start thinking about the Olympics, they first have the World Championship final in the Horse24 Arena in Verden on Sunday at 11 a.m.
World Championship highlights
Real World Championship flair in Verden. Photo: Hannoveraner Verband
Exciting Sunday
“We saw a lot of good horses at a high level today,” summed up the chief judge of the competition, Henning Lehrmann. “What will make Sunday very exciting is that there weren't two or three horses that stood out from the rest. In that respect, small details could decide the outcome on Sunday. Many horses are at a very good level, but none of them stand out clearly.”
Real World Championships flair
“It's just great fun to accompany the horses on their training journey,” emphasises riding master Dorothee Schneider. “Positive feedback from above is very important so that the horse realises: ‘Wow, I did that well.’ Then they are even more motivated.” Training horses is the passion of the two-time Olympic team champion, and the World Championships for young horses have a very special charm for her. “I've competed here in Verden many times.” Among other things, she won two of her three World Championship titles here with Sezuan. "A lot has been rebuilt here, the conditions are excellent, the World Championship arena is great and the spectators are enthusiastic. It has real World Championships flair."
