Rotterdam Grand Prix goes to Marieke van der Putten and Zantana RS2 OLD

Okay, it was on home turf. But the victory that Marieke van der Putten and Zantana RS2 OLD secured against the British World Cup champions Becky Moody and Jagerbomb at the Rotterdam Grand Prix was decisive. With a score of 77.957 percent, the Dutch duo prevailed over the British pair. All five judges placed Van der Putten and Zantana at the top—and four of them will also be on the judging panel in Aachen: Ulrike Nivelle as Ground Jury President, Kurt Christensen, Maria Colliander, and Clive Halsall. The fifth judge was Dutchman Maarten van Heijden, who will be on site in Aachen as a reserve in case one of his colleagues is unable to serve, etc. It was therefore an important victory for van der Putten and her 12-year-old Oldenburg mare, a daughter of Zonik bred by Gestüt Lewitz, who scores points with her incredible mechanics, though one often wishes for more suppleness and relaxation—an area in which she has, however, improved.

Today’s result was a personal best for both of them, and Van der Putten was thrilled: “She’s a great horse, and she made me feel great during our test. She’s getting better with every competition.”

A kick in the butt at Moody’s

Becky Moody’s home-bred 12-year-old Jagerbomb is competing in Rotterdam in his first tournament since the World Cup Final in Texas in early April, where the pair confidently claimed the title. The Dante Weltino son looked quite fresh and motivated; he needed a little coaxing only in the piaffes, but as always, he showed exemplary contact. Moody was still not entirely satisfied: “I didn’t have the best ride. I made a few silly mistakes, and Jagerbomb wasn’t as attentive as I would have liked.”

That said, there was one moment she was very happy with: “If he had piaffed in the test the way he did at the moment the audience started clapping during the placement, it would have been significantly better.” In the end, the pair scored 75.282 percent, placing second.

Moody is already looking forward to the free skate. “I heard it’s a sellout. It’s a fantastic stadium, and with the stands packed, the atmosphere will be electric. That will really work in Jagerbomb’s favor. Above all, I see it as a kick in the butt to do better on Saturday.”

Newcomer in third place

However, two of the five judges placed the Dutch newcomer in second place: nine-year-old Mauro Turfhorst—who, like Zantana, is also a son of Zonik—with his trainer, World Championship bronze medalist Dinja van Liere. Last year, the pair had already won the Small Tour at the CHIO Aachen. Even then, Van Liere said the stallion was a natural Grand Prix horse. This is his first season at the S*** level, and Rotterdam was his biggest appearance to date after they had already won silver at the Dutch Championships 14 days earlier—behind Marieke Van der Putten and Zantana. Now they are well on their way to not only competing in their first Grand Prix in Aachen in a few weeks, but also doing so at their first championship.

The stallion demonstrated his potential in the collected movements, but his hind legs were not always even during the piaffe-passage sequences, and he could have been a bit more engaged in the extended trots. The pair made a minor mistake when breaking into a canter from the passage. Otherwise, however, they delivered a very correct and positive performance with an appealing side view. Score: 75 percent.

Dinja van Liere said, “I’m very happy with my horse and my performance. We had a small mistake during the transition to the canter, but that was mainly my fault. Did I have any expectations for today? Before the test, I told my groom that I’d be happy with 73 percent and very happy with 75 percent. So I’m very happy.”

A total of 23 pairs are competing in the Rotterdam Grand Prix, though none are from Germany.

You can find all the results here.