Hurrah for Hughes in Aachen

Gareth Hughes has returned from Aachen CDI3*/CDI2* in Germany (29 – 31 May 2018) with an emphatic double victory to his name. Partnering Anne Keen’s Don Carissimo (pictured in 2016) he won both the Grand Prix for Freestyle and the Freestyle with scores of 72.69% and 76.25% respectively.

In Monday’s 30-strong Grand Prix, Gareth and ‘Darcy’ presented a solid Grand Prix test to take the class ahead of Maria Caetano with the Lusitano, Coroado, for Portugal. The Portuguese partnership was awarded 70.50%.

The following night under floodlights in the iconic Deutsche Bank Stadium, the British pair delivered a freestyle performance to music from the soundtrack of the 2017 box office hit The Greatest Showman to win with a score of 76.20%.

Their technically demanding floorplan showed off some lovely highlights from the gelding. The performance was fluent and confident with super passage half passes smoothly switching to half pass the opposite way and, in canter, extensions to lovely, controlled one-and-a-half pirouettes. Darcy looked focused and assured however an expensive mistake in the one-time changes, which have a coefficient of two, kept their score in check. Despite the error, the quality of their work was such that they secured the class with an exciting score of 76.25%.

Warwickshire-based Gareth (47) has formed a formidable partnership with the Don Crusador x World Cup III 13-year-old during their two years together. Early on in their partnership they won the Grand Prix Special at the 2016 Roosendaal CDI3* and last year they earned top Grand Prix results at Bolesworth CDI, a competition Gareth heads to later this month with his other top ride, Classic Briolinca.

Laura Tomlinson and Duval's Capri Sonne Jr enjoyed promising results. The Rhodium x San Remo stallion, who made his Grand Prix debut at Hunters Equestrian earlier this month, showed great potential with fourth place in the Grand Prix for Special and eighth place in the Special with scores of 68.34% and 68.851% respectively.

Results of the British riders:

Grand Prix for Special
1st Shelly Francis with Danilo, 72.261% (USA)
8th Laura Tomlinson with Duval's Capri Sonne Jr, 68.348% (GBR)

Grand Prix Special
1st Shelly Francis with Danilo, 73.745% (USA)
8th Laura Tomlinson with Duval's Capri Sonne Jr, 68.851% (GBR)

Grand Prix for Freestyle
1st Gareth Hughes with Don Carissimo, 72.696% (GBR)
4th Richard Davison with Bubblingh, 70.413% (GBR)
6th Lara Butler with Rubin Al Asad, 69.957% (GBR)
22nd Louise Bell with Into The Blue, 65.457% (GBR)

Grand Prix Freestyle
1st Gareth Hughes with Don Carissimo, 76.250% (GBR)
4th Lara Butler with Rubin Al Asad, 73.950% (GBR)
6th Richard Davison with Bubblingh, 72.775% (GBR)

Intermediate A
1st Alexandra Sessler with Chilly Jam, 72.157% (GER)
5th Lara Butler with Kristjan, 68.480% (GBR)

Intermediate B
1st Alexandra Sessler with Chilly Jam, 70.925% (GER)
4th Lara Butler with Kristjan, 69.950% (GBR)