Wednesday, 26 March 2014 CDI5*-W ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED)

First World Cup win for Ed & Frits!

What a wonderful weekend in their promising dressage career for GLOCK rider Edward Gal and GLOCK’s Undercover. The elegant Ferro son and his sensitive rider have grown closer to form a unique team, as they demonstrated with a brilliant World Cup win – the first in their career together!

The dressage stars travelled with their top horses to 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands for the last round before the grand final of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage. Here at the CDI5*-W Indoor Brabant from 20 to 23 March was the last chance for them to gain valuable World Cup points and therefore also qualify for the grand final in Lyon.

Although competition was fierce, GLOCK rider Edward Gal and GLOCK’s Undercover proved to be in a class of their own. The 44-year-old rode a superb Grand Prix on Friday with the KWPN gelding concentrating well all the time, which earned him tens for piaffe and nines for flying changes, pirouette and smooth transitions giving him a total score of 81.040%. It was to be a well-deserved victory!

On Sunday you could have heard a pin drop when Eddie and Fritsie rode in for their Freestyle to music, with the first bars of Joost Peters’ Secretum Revelatum playing. The two only had one little mistake in extended trot, and it was simply because GLOCK’s Undercover wanted to go forward. “He always wants to go forward, that’s what’s so good about him,” said GLOCK rider Edward Gal beaming after the successful Freestyle. “But now he’s also much more relaxed. He’s even beginning to actually stop at the halt, which is good news. And he’s now at ease when riding out in spite of all the clapping.”

The pirouettes in a tight circle sent tingles down the spine, the smooth transitions testified to trust and great equestrian skill, while the perfectly timed piaffe showed the joy of working together – and the whole Freestyle was simply breathtaking. They got tens no less than ten times, many nines and with a total of 86.700% Edward Gal and GLOCK’s Undercover took their first World Cup victory. “Winning in your home country is simply a dream! Today the feeling was back that I used to have a long time ago with another black horse. I’m really happy,” said Edward Gal smiling at the prize giving. The audience gave him standing ovations, not just for that!

GLOCK rider Hans Peter Minderhoud and the expressive stallion Johnson also picked up good placings this weekend. In the Grand Prix on Saturday the two were awarded 70.900% for their performance and finished seventh in the strong starting field. Their Freestyle to music on Sunday was nothing short of sensational, giving them 77.975% for fifth place. A great achievement for the pair that only started competing at international Grand Prix level recently!

After this last exciting qualifying leg of the Western European League, it has now been revealed which of the strong contenders have qualified for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in Lyon (17 to 21 April). They include two GLOCK riders: Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud!