Double second place for Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Kismet at the Mariakalnok World Cup

Just 14 days after the World Cup Final in Fort Worth, Sandra Sysojeva has already sent her ten-year-old Millennium daughter Maxima Bella back on the hunt for points in Mariakalnok. And it worked. The piaffe-passage specialist won both the Grand Prix (76.457) and the World Cup freestyle (82.560) at the Western European League event.

That was not really surprising. The two were by far the most experienced pair on the starting list. In the two years that the mare has been allowed to compete at Grand Prix level, she has made 53 starts and competed in two World Cup finals, the Olympic Games in Paris and the European Championships in Crozet.

Second place twice for Kismet

The two horses once brought into the sport by Charlotte Dujardin, Kismet and Imhotep, who both also competed in Mariakalnok, Kismet with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Imhotep with Diana Porsche, who is actually Austrian but now rides for Hungary, so it was more or less a home match.

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Kismet showed in Mariakalnok that they are on their way to becoming a well-coordinated team – even if the single changes were their downfall in the freestyle today and a stumbled change crept in during the zig-zag traversals. But they are a very elegant pair and the mare impresses with her light-footedness. The highlights of their freestyle included the strong trot, the traversal shifts, some of the piaffe, the pirouettes and the double changes. At times, one would have liked her to work a little more honestly from back to front over the back to the hand. In the reinforcements she does this with confidence and then it becomes clear what is still possible. But in the strong walk, for example, Kismet curled up rather than following the yielding hand. However, she remained safely in time, even in the collection. In the Grand Prix she scored 72.304 percent and came second behind Maxima Bella. In today’s freestyle they were already aiming for the over 80s club with 79.270 percent. That was also second place.

World Cup premiere of Imhotep with new rider

Diana Porsche and Imhotep took a good year to get to know each other (during which time Porsche also became a mother). Now they have their first starts behind them, were victorious twice in Motesice and made their World Cup debut in Mariakalnok, where they finished fourth twice (71.370 and 74.280 percent respectively). The chestnut has always tended to be absolutely upright, which is also clear under his new rider. But the powerful piaffe-passage tour of the now 13-year-old KWPN gelding by Everdale scores points.

Third place stays in the family

A few weeks ago, we reported on the accident involving French rider Camille Judet Cheret. Last weekend in Gössendorf she was back at the start for the first time and continued this weekend in Mariakalnok. In the Grand Prix she had to make do with fifth place with her Johnson son Herelja Higgins (70.870). Here it was her partner Corentin Pottier on the reliable Totilas son Gotilas du Feuillard who completed the top three with 72.109 percent. The two swapped places in the freestyle. Camille rode her 14-year-old gelding to third place with 74.320 percent. Corentin finished a close fifth behind Porsche and Imhotep with 74.270 percent.

You can find all the results from Mariakalnok here.