Friday April 22, 2005

Edward Gal Wins Grand Prix at the 2005 World Cup Finals

Turnabout for the Teacher

In Las Vegas, Gal bested his friend and teacher, Anky Van Grunsven. They didn't ride together on the Dutch team at the 2004 Olympics, which Gal missed due to his horse's lameness. She won the individual gold medal there, and in Las Vegas, Gal took the blue ribbon.

Van Grunsven joked about Gal being “impolite” about winning the class. “He asked me to help—I helped, I did it for free. So I told him he's going to get a bill!” Her horse, Keltec Salinero, took second with 78.00—not even a point more than Gal.

In the start order, Van Grunsven had drawn last to go, right behind Gal. The crowd had cheered local hero Debbie McDonald, second to ride just after 1:00 PM. When Salinero entered the arena three hours later, expectations were high.

The Dutch gelding displayed superior activity at the trot, with lofty action in knee and hock. His elegance in piaffe earned the only 10 awarded that day, along with plenty of 9's.

Van Grunsven admitted to “a big mistake in the one tempis.” Her horse didn't complete the 15 required changes, which dropped her score. “Salinero can do better than this, but I was very pleased with my ride.”

The Grand Prix is the qualifier for the Freestyle, which is the single class to determine the champion at the World Cup. “Everyone rides the same test, so you can evaluate them,” said judge Marianne Withages. She emphasized the importance of the Grand Prix as a “classical test.”