Stuttgart – Her score of 86.775 per cent handed Helen Langehanenberg (Germany) the win in the Grand Prix freestyle on Saturday afternoon. It is the second highest freestyle score ever recorded in Stuttgart’s Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle. In 2009, Edward Gal was awarded 87.800 for his performance on Totilas. With a capacity 8,000 crowd looking on, the team silver medal winner at the Olympic Games in London repeated her win in Friday’s Grand Prix. The comfortable victory today on the 12-year-old stallion Damon Hill NRW has moved the German up to sixth (26 points) in the current Reem Acra FEI World CupTM Dressage 2012/2013 ranking.
Behind Helen Langehanenberg in second and third were Kristina Sprehe (Germany) and Italian Valentina Truppa – the same riders as yesterday. Kristina Sprehe was given 82.275 per cent for her ride on Desperados FRH whilst Valentina Truppa and her 11-year-old gelding Wallach Eremo del Castegno finished with 80.600. The Italian is currently leading the Western European League after winning in Lyon a fortnight ago.
Afterwards a delighted Helen Langehanenberg said, “I was happy with the way things went yesterday and today it was even better!” As for Damon Hill she said, “He was so active and fresh, he just loves to show off.” Kristina Sprehe had a much better feeling than yesterday saying, “Desperados was more relaxed and performed a better piaff-passage-tour today.” The new leader of the World Cup ranking Valentina Truppa was also pleased, “It was a good test today despite a few mistakes in the canter.”
The Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle was a World Cup venue again for the first time after a 23-year break. Trond Asmyr (Norway), the FEI Dressage Director, added: “We had no doubts Stuttgart would do a good job.”
