Good start in Hagen!
On Thursday afternoon, Blue Hors rider Nanna Skodborg Merrald kicked off Horses & Dreams meets Sweden with two top placings in the CDI4* Grand Prix and the CDI1* Prix St. Georges on breeding stallion St. Schufro and Danish Warmblood-gelding Touch Of Olympic!
Horses & Dreams meets Sweden, CDI Hagen, 2023
Great performance in the Grand Prix from St. Schufro
Despite the cold weather, which brought both rain and cold winds, Nanna Skodborg Merrald continued her recent wave of success as she got off to a strong start with a beautiful 2nd place on breeding stallion Blue Hors St. Schufro (by St. Moritz Jr./Blue Hors Don Schufro, breeder: Joachim Wahlers) in the CDI4* Grand Prix. Together, they rode an exceptionally good program, where only the part of having to stand still in the halts in the gusty wind cost them some points. But the duo’s key competencies, the trot-work and the canter pirouettes, made up for it, as they received beautiful 9s from the judges! And as the last pair in the field, they secured 2nd place in the class with 75.848%, just behind German Sönke Rothenberger, who took the day’s win on the Danish-bred Fendi!
With this result, the pair has of course qualified for Saturday’s Grand Prix Special!
Touch takes the lead and 2nd place in the Prix St. Georges
Blue Hors Touch of Olympic L (by Blue Hors Don Olymbrio/Fidermark, breeder: Anja and Jan Petersen) has come to work with his sire, Don Olymbrio, at CDI Hagen, where Don O is participating in the CDI4* Grand Prix, while Touch is competing in the CDI1* Prix St. Georges.
And with the Danish Warmblood-bred gelding Touch Of Olympic, Nanna Skodborg Merrald rode another faultless program on Thursday afternoon. This time the judges rewarded her with 74.17% and a long-standing preliminary win, which could only be surpassed by German Frederic Wandres, who achieved 74.29% on Quizmaster FRH.