Charlotte Dujardin has re-entered the top 10 on the world dressage rankings for the first time since 2016 with Valegro.
Charlotte and her current top horse, Emma Blundell’s nine-year-old Fidermark mare Mount St John Freestyle, rocketed from 69th up to 10th position in the latest rankings update on 1 August.
Freestyle is in just her first year at grand prix but is currently unbeaten at the level, raking in points from her CDI wins in Joosland, The Netherlands, in April, Windsor in May, Bolesworth in June and her most recent outing to Hartpury in July. There, she posted 77.44% to top the grand prix, and 80.51% for victory in the mare’s second ever grand prix special.
Charlotte is no stranger to the top of the world rankings — she occupied the top spot from 2012 until 2015 with Valegro, until the Negro gelding was retired from competition in 2016.
Germany’s Isabell Werth remains at the top of the 2018 rankings with just six weeks to go until the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon, USA (11-23 September). She holds the top spot with her triple gold medallist from the 2017 European Championships, Weihegold OLD, but has moved into the second spot with Emilio 107, with whom she won both the grand prix special and the freestyle at Aachen CHIO5* last month, and eighth with Don Johnson FRH.
It is, however, Bella Rose 2, ranked number 268, who is Isabell’s first choice of ride for WEG. The 14-year-old Belissimo mare returned to competition in July after nearly four years out, and is unbeaten so far on her comeback.
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The second-highest ranked Brit is Emile Faurie with Delatio; they have risen three places to 27th after a successful Aachen. Lara Butler, who also performed well in Aachen, has risen to 33rd with Rubin Al Asad, with Hayley Watson-Greaves and Rubins Nite sitting just behind in 36th. Carl Hester and Hawtins Delicato occupy number 128 after just six international tests together.
Completing the top 10 are the USA’s Laura Graves and Verdades (third), Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Atterupgaards Cassidy (fourth), Germany’s Dorothee Schneider with Sammy Davis Jr (fifth) and Helen Langehanenberg with Damsey FRH (sixth), Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Deja (eighth) and Holland’s Edward Gal with Glock’s Zonik (ninth).
Don’t miss our full preview of the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, on sale Thursday 30 August
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