Dinja van Liere victorious in CDIO5* Grand Prix
A convincing victory for Dutch rider Dinja van Liere and Hermès in Thursday's CDIO5* Grand Prix. With a lead of nearly three percent, Van Liere took the win over Sweden's Patrik Kittel and Blue Hors Zepter. American rider Ashley Holzer came in third place with 329 Valentine. After Thursday's result, the Dutch and the American teams are now in joint first place in the FEI Nations Cup.
It was a competition at a very high level, featuring many young and very talented horses who were given the great experience of riding in a five star arena. Both Dinja van Liere and Dutch team captain Alex van Silfhout were very pleased with Hermès' performance today. However, after having ridden a personal best with this horse, Dinja still would have preferred to cross the 80 percent marker. "We were so close, Hermès felt great, he is in top form and just keeps getting better. If I can just improve on some tiny things, we should be able to get there."
Patrik Kittel and Blue Hors Zepter have not been a combination for very long. "We are getting to know each other more and more, but in any case I think he is a horse without limits. The things we can still improve on are more a thing for me to work on.''
Ashley Holzer was happy to be in Rotterdam. Holzer, formerly competing for the Canadian national team, thanked the organisation for inviting her and thanked the American team for their support. "I feel honoured to ride for the team. I'm also thankful for the opportunity to ride here. My mare is sensitive and still a little green. She started the test a bit spooky, but she quickly settled down and trusted me."
Today's results put the Dutch and American team in joint first place for the FEI Nations Cup. "It's an honour to be able to compete against the Dutch team. They are amazing, and have always been amazing. We'll have to wait and see what happens on Saturday, but we're ready for it. Game on!"
Team captain said that he too is curious to find out what happens next in the FEI Nations Cup. The competition will resume on Saturday with the Grand Prix Special starting at 16:00 (CET) and the Grand Prix Freestyle at 19:10 hours.
photo credits: Jessica Pijlman