The great Dutch master, Jerich Parzival, claimed maximum points for The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen at the second leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2014/2015 Western European League in Lyon, France tonight. Belying his 17 years, the big chestnut gelding who carried his rider to a double of series victories in 2011 and 2012 and who was runner-up at the opening leg of the series in Odense, Denmark two weeks ago, produced a lovely performance to post the highest score of 80.300 in the Grand Prix Freestyle. But the Dutch duo, who also claimed team and individual Freestyle bronze at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy two months ago, were closely followed by Germany’s Fabienne Lutkemeier and D’Agostino FRH in runner-up spot while another former FEI World Cup™ Dressage double-champion, Germany’s Ulla Salzgeber, slotted into third with Herzruf’s Erbe.

There were some very bright lights shining tonight, with an eye-catching performance from fourth-placed Danielle Heijkoop and Kingsley Siro for The Netherlands and a strong result for Sweden’s Patrik Kittel partnering the promising 10-year-old mare Deja who finished fifth.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season so far, however, has been the emergence of Denmark’s Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and the 11-year-old Jojo AZ as a real force to be reckoned with. The pair, who finished fourth in the Dutch Championship earlier this year, lined up sixth in round one at Odense, and they showed that was no fluke when doing exactly the same this evening when, once again, they left some very big names in their wake.

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