Lottie Fry and Glamourdale won back their 2022 title when they topped the London Horse Show dressage freestyle results this evening.
Britain’s world champions and Paris Olympic double bronze medallists scored 86.645% to finish more than 3% clear of their nearest rivals in the FEI Dressage World Cup freestyle, presented by Bret Willson Dressage International Ltd and supported by Horse & Hound. It was a triumphant comeback after a surprise third-place finish in the grand prix yesterday for Lottie and the black stallion, who belongs to his rider and Van Olst horses.
Lottie said she didn’t feel she had a point to prove after the grand prix, elaborating: “I watched my grand prix back 100 times and until the misunderstanding in the pirouettes, I was literally like, ‘How can it be better?’ So I really went in there today excited because he’s on top form. There were some little blips, which we practised in the warm-up. He’s so cool, he’s such a professor when he goes in there and when he hears the crowd he grows. I don’t think there’s any horse in the world with that much presence and that much ‘look at me’. He’s really something special.”
The rider had multiple pirouettes to negotiate in her floor plan today after her glitches in that movement yesterday.
“I have six in there and before, I was thinking, ‘Is that a good idea?’ But he nailed them and after the last one, I let out a little breath, but it was also like it didn’t feel like he was going to let me down – he never lets me down. So it was just a very good feeling.”
Lottie performed fairly early in the second half of the class so had a long wait before her win was confirmed.
She explained: “It’s a little relief when you win – you’re already very happy. There’s nothing more you can do. So winning is just the extra icing on the cake when you already know that he’s done his best and when he was feeling like he was feeling, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Lottie added that Glamourdale had a break after Paris, chilling out and breeding, before building back up to London.
She said: “We really took the pressure off and he just feels so much stronger. He’s really bulked out. He was very fresh. But you know what? I don’t mind. I love it. The fact that he’s that happy to be in there and that excited, it’s only a plus for me, even if it causes tiny mistakes here and there. For me, that’s what it’s what all about, that he’s loving it.
“I guess now it’s not about achieving, but it’s just about enjoying it with him. We both absolutely love it and competing him is one of my favourite things to do in life. When he’s enjoying it like that, I just feel like we have so much more to give, and he’s improved so much already since Paris. This was just a happy end of the year, and for me, a feeling that I’m not going to forget for a long time.”
Isabel Freese repeated her second place from yesterday’s grand prix for Norway when she finished with 83.27% on the Totilas son Total Hope OLD, owned by Oivind Bache, Lone Boegh-Henriksen and Paul Schockemöhle.
Isabel, a London first-timer, had eight weeks out of the saddle after Paris for planned surgery to replace a disc in her neck.
She said: “I know my horse very well and I trust him and he’s been in good shape. My groom took beautiful care of him when I was out and I think it was good for both of us having the break. It’s the perfect end of the year.”
Isabel Freese riding Total Hope OLD into second in the freestyle at London 2024. Credit: Peter Nixon
The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere, another London debutante, improved on sixth yesterday with third tonight on Jan Pieter Dalsem’s Hartsuijker.
“Today, I was very happy with my horse,” she said. “He really felt great. He had a little bit of tension in the warm-up because of all the noises that were around, but when he came in the arena, he actually relaxed and he felt so safe and so easy. It was just an easy ride and I could chill out a little bit.”
Becky Moody, yesterday’s winner for Great Britain, suffered disappointment when it wasn’t her night tonight and she finished fourth with her home-bred Paris Olympic team bronze medallist Jagerbomb, who she co-owns with Jo Cooper.
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