Swedish Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli convincingly won the prizes of the main show jumping classes at the Helsinki Horse Show. Zanotelli won the grand prix on Saturday and the show jumping world cup on Sunday as the culmination of the event.
Zanotelli announced after the basic track that he will ride the mare Kalinka van de Nachtegaele in the rerun with the throttle down. The victory overtook Germany by a good second to Gerrit Nieberg and to Janne Meyer-Zimmermann.
Zanotelli was the favorite of many viewers in the replay, but the winner had a meltdown after the race.
– I’m still in some kind of bubble and I’m trying to figure out for myself how I managed to win both races here, Zanotelli marveled at his double championship.
– I was also lucky today, because so many small details have to be successful in order to get such a result. And there were other fast horses on the track today.
World Cup leader Norway by Victoria Gullis was sixth in the competition. Zanotelli is in the Cup of Switzerland By Bryan Balsiger after third together with Nieberg.
Sensitive, victorious and a little difficult Kalinka
Zanotelli praised Kalinka as an ideal horse.
– The horse is sensitive and really wants to win, Zanotelli described.
– Previously, it was so nervous that I only started riding at that time six months ago. But now I have a feeling it’s going to be a show jumping superstar.
Zanotelli has ridden 12-year-old Kalinka for three years.
– I like somewhat difficult horses, Zanotelli confessed.
– The best thing is when you finally get the horse’s trust and feel that after that the horse will give everything on the track. I have now reached exactly that situation with Kalinka. I feel like it wants to win when I take it to the track.
Jasmin Seppälä enjoyed the experience
Jasmin Seppälä was 27th as the best Finn with his horse Captain. Maiju Mallat jumped with E Belissi to 32nd place. Entered the competition as the Finnish favourite Anna-Julia Kontio was disqualified due to the wrong course when he mistakenly jumped the eighth hurdle instead of the fourth.
The Horse Show World Cup was the first for both Seppälä and the Captain stallion.
– It was a good feeling to start the competition, because Captain is calm in all situations and it had been jumping well all week, Seppälä said.
The competition started awkwardly, but Seppälä took responsibility for the falls at the second and third hurdles.
– At the beginning, I spilled in from the line and we came too close to the obstacles, Seppälä confessed.
– After that, the cheer went up and the final track went great.
After the competition, Seppälä was in a good mood and richer in experience.
– In this sport you only learn by doing and I think I learned a lot from this. You just have to ride hard on these tracks of the bigger classes, Seppälä stated.
The continuation should be easier, because he already knew in advance that the World Cup in Helsinki would be as difficult as possible.
– This competition is extra challenging in that the Helsinki track is small and the competition is right at the beginning of the hall season, Seppälä reminded.
Högberg dominated dressage
Dressage at the Horse Show also became a perfect Swedish party, because Jeanna Högberg won all three races at Astoria. On Sunday, he crowned his full success in an entertaining elimination race, in the final of which he defeated the rider of G-Renzo Tuominen’s cloud.
Almost 52,000 spectators visited the Horse Show over the course of five days, which is the event’s audience record.
WORLD CUP COMPETITION, HELSINKI
1. Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli SWE 34.13
Kalinka van de Nachtegaele
2. Gerrit Nieberg GER 35.16
Blues d’Aveline CH
3. Janne Meyer-Zimmermann GER 35.44
Buettner’s Minimax
4. Thomas Ryan IRL 35.62
Springfield
5. Gilles Thomas BEL 36.08
Luna van het Dennehof
…
27. Jasmin Seppälä FIN
Captain
32. Maiju Mallat FIN
E Beliss
Anna-Julia Kontio and Jay Jay van de Mottelhoeve were disqualified due to the wrong track.
Read also: