News
Emile Faurie and Bellevue impress at Stuttgart CDI-W
- Written By: British Dressage | Joanna Bowns
- Published: Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:48
Emile Faurie and Bellevue made a good impression to finish 11th in the Grand Prix and 15th in the Freestyle at Stuttgart CDI-W in Germany (15 – 19 November) - the third leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League.
Achieving 70.969% for 11th place in Friday’s Grand Prix to comfortably qualify for the Freestyle, Emile and the 12-year-old Oldenburg mare, pictured above, presented a stylish freestyle performance awarded 74.320% from the judges panel of Magnus Ringmark (SWE) at E, Ulrike Nivelle (GER) at H, Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN) at C, Henning Lehrmann (GER) at M and Monique Peutz-Vegter (NED) at B.
Emile and Bellevue, a relatively new partnership having first competed together in September 2022, represented Great Britain at Kronenberg CDI3* 12 months ago, and were well-placed at London CDI-W, Bellevue’s first indoor show, soon after. The Bordeaux x Brentano mare, who Emile co-owns with Diana Rose, is low mileage having had two foals, which she carried herself, before coming to the UK at the beginning of last year. Nonetheless, she has taken to top level competition like a pro.
“I was thrilled with her,” commented Emile. “She’s very inexperienced having done a maximum of eight Grands Prix. This was only her second big indoor show and the atmosphere was incredible, so it was a huge ask. We had a blip in the changes in the Grand Prix, and she was a little intimidated by the occasion, but she’s got this incredible temperament - she’s such a trouper.”
Riding to an original piece of music composed by Tom Hunt, the British pairing, drawn first to go on Saturday night, set the competition underway with a promising score of 74.320%. “My programme is quite easy – I’ve not done a complicated programme as I wanted to keep her confidence and give her a nice experience,” explained Emile, “and she was gorgeous and mistake-free. I was over the moon.
“She’s low on mileage but the great thing about her is that she doesn’t have any weaknesses, and there’s so much more to come,” he added.
Both the Grand Prix and Freestyle were won by the home nation’s Isabell Werth with the 17-year-old Westphalian gelding, Emilio (Ehrenpreis x Cacir AA), owned by Isabell’s long-time supporter Madeleine Winter-Schulze. Last to go on Saturday night, the pair cruised to an outstanding 86.880% for a Freestyle showing great partnership and musicality in front of an appreciative crowd.
The strength of the Grand Prix, which saw no fewer than 13 combinations achieve +70%, meant that a couple of uncharacteristic but costly mistakes kept Lewis Carrier and Diego V, pictured above, from qualifying for the next stage of the competition. Nonetheless, Lewis (26) and 15-year-old Diego V (by Spielberg) acquitted themselves well on their World Cup debut to earn a solid score 67.391%.
Results – top five and British placings
CDI-W Grand Prix
1. Isabell Werth and Emilio, 76.109% (GER)
2. Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, 75.587% (DEN)
3. Andreas Helgstrand and Quuenparks Wendy, 73.130% (DEN)
4. Emma Kanerva and Greek Air, 73.022% (FIN)
5. Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot, 72.587% (GER)
11. Emile Faurie and Bellevue, 70.696% (GBR)
19. Lewis Carrier and Diego V, 67.391% (GBR)
CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle
1. Isabell Werth and Emilio, 86.880% (GER)
2. Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, 81.340% (DEN)
3. Patrik Kittel and Bonamour, 81.340% (SWE)
4. Emma Kanerva and Greek Air, 80.375% (FIN)
5. Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot, 80.115% (GER)
15. Emile Faurie and Bellevue, 74.320% (GBR)
Photography
Emile Faurie and Bellevue © DigiShots
Lewis Carrier and Diego V © Stuttgart German Master/Markus Bechert
