Friday April 22, 2005

Edward Gal Wins Grand Prix at the 2005 World Cup Finals

By Charlene Strickland

The murmurs of appreciation escalated as through Edward Gal's ride. By his canter pirouettes, appreciation was a buzz throughout the Thomas and Mack arena. When he turned Geldnet Lingh down the centerline for the final passage, the 10,000 spectators could barely control their excitement.

Lingh's test showed a talented horse exquisitely ridden. Even before the bell rang, Lingh showed off an excellent piaffe. His movement was uphill, with true engagement in the piaffe.

The judge's marks, displayed on the arena's four-sided “Jumbotron” video screen, reflected the quality of the test. The 9's started immediately, in collected canter, and Lingh earned straight 8's in passage and transitions. Along with impulsion, he displayed willingness to respond to Gal, despite the arena's electric atmosphere.

Gal admitted he was nervous seeing the crowd when he entered through the Budweiser gate. “When I started riding, it felt really good. He was responding to small aids.”

He added, “Even in my pirouettes, I could hear the crowd say, 'Wow,” so I thought, 'That must be good!' At the end, on the centerline, I started smiling. For me, it felt so good already.”

Only a tense walk marred Gal's test, with the pirouettes the real crowd pleasers. After his salute, Gal leaned forward to rub Lingh's crest, obviously thrilled with his Dutch stallion and the score of 78.625.