Britain’s Lottie Fry continued her incredible run of form with the Van Olsts’ hugely exciting 11-year-old stallion Glamourdale, as they landed a double win at Compiègne CDIO5*, France.
Lottie and Glamourdale, who as a combination rose to 21st in the world rankings this month and now look set to climb higher, saw off strong opposition to win both the grand prix and grand prix special at the Lord Leatherdale x Negro son’s first five-star show.
They achieved a personal best grand prix score of 79.44%, which meant they surpassed Isabell Werth, second on 76.87% with DSP Quantaz, and Patrik Kittel, third on Touchdown with 76.04%.
Lottie described the grand prix as “his best test so far”. It wasn’t perfect, with a hiccup in a pirouette, but the overall impression and elegance this pair display in the arena is superb. The canter is Glamourdale’s highlight, and he received 10s from the judges for the two-time changes and extended canter.
“He enters the ring and knows exactly what he has to do. He’s even better than in the warm-up; he likes to show off, he likes the crowd. We made small mistakes here and there and a big mistake in the pirouette, and we have things to work on, but it’s very exciting for the future. I feel there is a lot more to come. We’ve reached 79%, but when we solve these technical details it will go even higher,” said Lottie, who has three very exciting horses to campaign for the dressage World Championships this summer in Herning, Denmark.
The following day, the pair once again topped the podium, with 76.64%. A few mistakes crept into their grand prix special; Lottie said: “I felt he was a bit more tired today, maybe a bit less connected. We had some small misunderstandings but I’m really proud of him.”
There was sad news for the British Nations Cup team, however, as Fiona Bigwood opted to retire Hawtins Delicato in the grand prix, meaning elimination for the team, which also featured Dan Watson and Butterfly IV. Sweden lifted the Nations Cup trophy, having done so here in 2018 and 2021.
The Brits also enjoyed super results in the CDI3* classes, with Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca winning the grand prix on their first outing since 2020. They went on to finish third in the special, while Charlotte Dujardin and nine-year-old Imhotep, competing at his first international, improved on their grand prix fourth to claim second in the special with 76.06%, behind Patrik Kittel and Blue Hors Zepter.
Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep at Compiègne CDIO5* 2022. By PSV Photo
“He’s such a lovely horse and this is a great start to his international career,” said Charlotte of the Everdale son, known as Pete, who is owned by Carl Hester and Coral Ingham.
Lottie Fry collected a third and fourth with Dark Legend in the CDI3* grand prix and special, and she also finished third in the freestyle with Inclusive, her up-and-coming grand prix horse.
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