Charlotte Dujadin and Valegro swept the board at Jumping Amsterdam at the weekend (30-31 January), adding a freestyle win to their grand prix victory.
After winning the grand prix by 8.5% with 86.14%, they extended their lead over their rivals to 11.5% in the kür in the sixth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup dressage 2014/2015 Western European league. Their score of 93.9% was just 0.4% short of the world record of 94.3% at Olympia.
Their wins scooped them €13,700 and the pair were awarded 47 top marks of 10.
Since Olympia in December, Charlotte has been on holiday in New Zealand for three weeks, and Carl Hester has been riding the 13-year-old gelding by Negro x Gerschwin.
Having now competed in two World Cup legs this season, the defending champions have secured their place in the final in Las Vegas in April.
“Carl kept Blueberry [Valegro] ticking over while I was away in New Zealand; I’m always so grateful to him,” said Charlotte. “[In the grand prix] I was really jet-lagged and I was terrible, I was so angry with myself for the way I rode.”
Continued below…
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro win Amsterdam dressage grand prix [VIDEO]
Replay the dressage grand prix action from Amsterdam, including Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro's winning test
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Valegro will not have another outing before the finals in April.
“He won’t be doing anything until then,” added Charlotte. “He isn’t the kind of horse that needs competition all the time, so our next outing will be Las Vegas [in April], and after that we’ll be concentrating on getting ready for the European Championships.”
The Europeans take place in mid August in Aachen, Germany.
In Amsterdam, the same five horses filled the top places in both the grand prix and the freestyle. The Netherlands’ Danielle Heijkoop (Siro NOP) took the runner-up spot ahead of Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (Unee BB) in third, and Dutch riders Diederik van Silfhout (Arlando NH NOP) and Hans Peter Minderhoud (Glock’s Flirt) claimed fourth and fifth places.
Current Reem Acra FEI World Cup dressage 2014/2015 Western European league standings after round six:
1. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl GER 71
2. Danielle Heijkoop NED 60
3. Fabienne Lutkemeier GER 54
4. Hans Peter Minderhoud NED 50
5. Agnete Kirk Thinggaard DEN 49
6. Sonke Rothenberger GER 47
7. Edward Gal NED 40
7. Isabell Werth GER 40
9. Adelinde Cornelissen NED 37
10. Valentina Truppa ITA 34
