Monday December 9, 2002

Surprising Rankings at CDI-W Maastricht (NED)

Monica Theodorescu Finally Tops The Field

The CDI World Cup Qualifier of Maastricht produced strange rankings in both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle. The MECC Indoor Arena of Maastricht has always been the distracting scene for horses. Spooky and tense dressage mounts constituted again the regular cast for the 2002 edition of the CDI-W Maastricht, The Netherlands.

The Grand Prix was surprisingly won by Monica Theodorescu aboard Renaissance Fleur. Scoring 70.04%, Theodorescu placed first with her dapple grey Trakehner mare by Tuareg. Even though Theodorescu had a strong ride with traversal movements as highlights, her victory was essentially granted due to the mediocre performance of Anky van Grunsven with Gestion Salinero.

Theodorescu, who won the World Cup Finals in 1993 and in 1994 aboard Ganimedes, has never been in the spotlight since 1997. Her performances with Arak xx, L'Etoile and Renaissance were nice, but never earth-shattering. However, it seems that Renaissance Fleur will finally put her back on the map.