Andreas Helgstrand and DWB-bred Queenparks Wendy (Sezuan 2 x Blue Hors Soprano) were the clear winners this morning in the CDI3* Grand Prix Special. A beautiful conformation that the best dressage horses of the WC for Young Horses emerge at a later age again. In 2019 the by Kurt Gosmer bred Wendy secured the bronze medal in the final for five-year-old horses at Ermelo.
Scoring 75.648%, the Danish rider created a 3.5% gap with his biggest rival in the second position, Sister Act MT OLD (Sandro Hit x Royal Diamond 5) of Dorothee Schneider. This ten-year-old mare was bred by Silke Pelzer and is owned by Gestüt Vorwerk. Besides, she is also a familiar face as she competed at the WC for Young Horses three years in a row, always finishing among the best six. The third prize was awarded to Florine OLD (Foundation 2 x Lauries Crusador xx) of Elisabeth von Wulffen. This chestnut was bred by Klaus Gustenberg and is ridden by Germany’s Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock.
Flawless test
Queenparks Wendy of Helgstrand Dressage and Chateau de Fontaine is merely eight years old. “I have only ridden a few Grands Prix with her so far and today marked our debut in the Special”, tells Helgstrand. “We are here for training I wanted to give it a try, I know she is an extremely good horse, so I was hoping for a solid result, but I never expected to do so well in our very first special. She had a nearly flawless test. There is plenty to improve upon, but already seeing such a percentage pop up on the scoreboard is amazing”, shares Helgstrand.
Fiery lady
Three years ago, the jury in Verden was also convinced by the qualities of Queenparks Wendy. They awarded a 9 for her forward and expressive trot 9, another 9 for her active walk, the ultimate 10 for her uphill canter, a 9.5 for submission and 9.6 for perspective. Yesterday, Helgstrand placed second behind Charlotte Fry aboard her KWPN stallion Everdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro). “Her character is unbelievable. She is a fiery lady and is always ‘on’, but she also knows how to curb her temperament. She is focused and simply does the job well. She is so cooperative. I have known her since she was a foal, so I know her inside out, she is simply amazing.”
Jovian
Having plenty of talent, Wendy only has to gain more experience. She lacked a bit of confidence in the prize giving ceremonies, especially when crowd bursts into applause. “It was my very first prize giving with her”, explains Helgstrand. “Previously, she always entered the same class as Jovian (KWPN, 2019 world champion of the five-year-old horses). He often won so I then rode the prize giving with Jovian. This weekend featured a lot of firsts for her, including the lap of honour.”
Find all the results here.
Photo: Dirk Caremans/ Hippo Foto Media
