The KWPN-approved stallion Las Vegas (Ferdaux out of Dalia Delin ster PROK by Wynton, bred by J. Deenen of Heijen) is after a remarkable performance at the KWPN Stallion Show earlier this year the favorite for the title in the Pavo Cup. Today, the stallion had a strong start. Ridden by Franka Loos, he won the semi-final with 90.8 points. The judges were the Grand Prix and young horse specialists Hans Peter Minderhoud and Emmelie Scholtens. 

“I really enjoyed sitting behind the judges desk for once,” exclaims Emmelie. “I have done it before during other young horse competitions, but the Pavo Cup is something special. To be here with Hans Peter gives an extra dimension, because we have both been successful in the Pavo Cup in the past and therefore have a lot of experience in the ring. The quality over the entire the day was very good, in general we have seen many talented and lovely horses that were well-presented. Among the top five, the completeness of the horses was decisive. Of all these horses the basis was very solid and the transitions were well ridden, the middle group showed some errors in this department. You can clearly see these riders are well on their way training wise and essentially, it’s all about the education of young horses. Hans Peter and I loved to see a rider working on the basis in the test. The young rider such as Jill Bogers and Robin Heiden really stood out for me too, it is remarkable that such young girls can already present a horse so well and are on the right path in their training.”

Las Vegas

Las Vegas, at the time passing his performance test with 90 points, is in the lead of the intermediate rankings: a great start for the final on Sunday. And hopefully, a good practice for his performance in the German Verde at the end of this month, where the combination represents the Netherlands at the World Dressage Breeding Championships for Young Horses. “This one was an outlier, literally and figuratively. Las Vegas is a huge horse with immense power in his body. Everything comes easy to him; this horse has a natural aptitude. He was very work-willing and focused, so the overall image was also very nice. He is naturally uphill and has a beautiful posture. It’s up to Franka to manage it all and she does it very well. The walk is pure but could maybe be more spacious; he excels in everything else.”

Ferguson offspring

Las Vegas stayed ahead of two Ferguson offspring, the first is Lightning Star RR (out of Daily Enjoy elite pref IBOP-dres sport-dres PROK by De Niro, bred by Titan Wilaras of Riel) with Kristen Brouwer. Kirsten, that also rode sire Ferguson for years, is enthusiastic about this elite mare, with whom she scored 86 points in the IBOP last year. “This mare stood out primarily in her light-footedness and the ease. She has three good gaits and a superb walk. She was presented very well, in a lovely sympathetic image. For higher points, she could be slightly more active in the hind leg.” Lightning Star was followed closely by another Ferguson-offspring, Lord Platinum (out of How Pretty Platinum ster by Bretton Woods, bred by Titan Wilaras of Riel). Curo Benitez Sanchez guided him to solid score of 87.8 points. “He looks like Lightning Star, another complete and work-willing horse. This horse has an incredible walk with lots of space. He exudes ease, that makes him a joy to watch.”

Four and five

Fourth was Labarron (For Romance out of Afanory ster PROK by Tuschinski, bred by L.M. Bergers-Ketterink of Braamt) ridden by Dinja van Liere with 85.2 points. “This is a high-blooded horse, personally I love horses with some blood in them. He was rather tense in the beginning, but it is a horse with loads of potential. He is very light-footed and showed a lovely connection.” Dinja also saddled the Trafalgar-son Leonidas (out of Gaishia elite sport-dres PROK by Alexandro P, bred by R.G. Nijenhuis of Wilp) that scored 85.0 points. “Dinja truly brought diverse horses today, this is a totally different horse from Labarron. Leonidas is a powerhouse. He stayed nicely uphill, that sometimes hindered his back use a little.”  

Final

The twenty top placed five-year-old horses have qualified for the Pavo Cup final this Sunday, that starts at 10.40hrs. The final takes place at the National Equestrian Centre in Ermelo and the entry is free. If you’d like to come watch, you must order free tickets in advance. In addition, you must bring proof of identification and a corona entry pass to Ermelo. More information about the program and entry to the KWPN Championships, can be found here. 

Results