Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour's triumph in the Lövsta Top 10 Dressage Grand Prix: "Happy to nail it"

Dinja van Liere’s Hermes N.O.P. seemed to thrive in the spectacular arena, taking the lead by three percentage points after their ride with a total result of 76.435. Next up was Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who came to Stockholm with Mount St John Freestyle. The two have been a pair for just over a year, steadily getting to know each other. Inside the arena, they performed a harmonious ride, earning an impressive 81.609 percent.

There was a tense wait for the final rider, Isabell Werth with Wendy de Fontaine, a pair fully capable of performing at the highest level in these events. After a program where many things clicked, but where there was also a couple of mistakes, Werth finished in second place with 79.152, and the victory went to Denmark.

“She felt really, really comfortable today. I’ve had a few competitions where I missed my changes, so I’m mostly happy to have nailed the new key for the changes in today’s ride. I think it was the best canter program I’ve ever done,” Laudrup-Dufour said at the press conference.

Riding into the Strawberry arena in Stockholm is something truly special, she explained.
“This arena is wonderful, and this show, in general, is really something special. It’s great for us to showcase fantastic sport and to push each other to get better. It’s a perfect end to the year for me to be here with Freestyle. I can’t always say I’ve shown her a new arena because she’s been to many places, but it was fun to show her this one for the first time. She was more comfortable than ever when she entered the arena,” said Laudrup-Dufour.

Second-placed Isabell Werth praised her horse, who was a bit too fired up on the day.

“I hadn’t originally planned to go to Stuttgart before this, but I took her there so she would have something more before coming here, and then she was even hotter here,” Werth said with a smile.

“She was really on fire today, so that’s something I need to handle. Of course, I made my mistakes, but there’s no doubt that my horse is amazing. She felt fantastic, and I just need to keep her a bit more relaxed tomorrow.”

Dinja van Liere had the opposite experience, presenting a Hermes who was more relaxed than perhaps ever before. The usually quite hot stallion seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself in the arena.

“I was quite pleased with him. Sometimes he can be a bit hectic, but today he was really relaxed. I always want to give him more relaxation in the arena, and today I managed that,” said Dinja van Liere.

The best home combination was Patrik Kittel and Forever Young, who finished fourth with 73.913 percent.

“I thought she might have a chance to come here and gain some good experience, and I’m so happy with the result. She was good in the contact and very uphill throughout the test, and when the audience starts clapping on the centerline, it’s an amazing feeling to ride here,” he said.

Ahead of tomorrow’s freestyle, Cathrine will use the same program she performed at the Olympics, with a few small changes.

“It’s a freestyle that’s very special to me. I’ve made a few small changes to the choreography and used some of Kyra’s (Kyrklund) crazy lines that she did with one hand. It’s been a challenge, but now I know Freestyle much better, and in Herning, it felt like she really knew the lines,” Laudrup-Dufour said.

Full results: https://online.equipe.com/star...