Marieke van der Putten won the strong national Prix St. Georges for the Onori Fashion & Gifts Prize at Jumping Amsterdam on Thursday evening. Of Kuvasz RS2 (v. Glamourdale), Van der Putten scored 72.794%. The second combination that exceeded 70% was Adelinde Cornelissen with Luqiedo (by Aqiedo). They came second with 71.275%. Dinja van Liere drove Lowlands OLD (by Millennium) with 69.216% to third place.
“I never expected that I would win here,” says Marieke van der Putten after the award ceremony. “It was a really strong field and as the first starter my score was not so high that you think you will win. But quite a lot happened, the RAI is a difficult hall for some horses. But with Kuvasz RS2 you don’t have that problem at all. He will go through fire for you.”
Grote entourage
Yet Kuvasz also found the RAI hall quite exciting. “It was his first time indoors in such a large entourage. I had some garlands and some things that could really be improved. His leaning is one of his strong points and he consistently passes the test. I can always keep it very beautiful in front of me. Every step in trot and canter is the same. That’s a real plus for him.”
Future horse
After several successes in 2022, Van der Putten kept the stallion at home for a while. Last December the duo returned to the ring and obtained a ticket for Jumping Amsterdam at the Subtop competition in Houten with the top score of 77.868%. “He hasn’t been well for a while. He had problems with his stomach and intestines. The training with him went very quickly, he is a very willing horse. I deliberately took him out for a year so that he could have time to recover. For me it is really a horse of the future. He has a lot of potential for higher work. I think it is very important that he gets the time.”
Towards the Heavy Tour
The rider is happy to ride in Amsterdam. “I think Jumping Amsterdam is a fantastic competition. It is always very busy for the horses. Of course they also learn a lot from this. It really is a Dutch party,” continues Van der Putten, who will train with Kuvasz for the Heavy Tour. “After this I will take the time to work with him towards the Grand Prix. I feel like he’s really ready for this. I hope to start him Grand Prix at the end of this year.”
Bron: Horses.nl / Jumping Amsterdam
