Articles: Horse News
Laura Kraut and Cedric Finish Second in 200,000 Longines Grand Prix Port of
Rotterdam
Laura Kraut and Cedric earned the second place award in the 200.000 1.60m
Longines Grand Prix Port of Rotterdam. Photo By: Erin Cowgill.
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Rotterdam, The Netherlands - June 25, 2012 - The stakes were high on Sunday,
June 24, as the Longines GrandPrix Port of Rotterdam got under way. For many
of the competitors it was the final opportunity to qualify for the 2012
London Olympics. The USA's Laura Kraut and Cedric stole the spotlight as
their success continued from their victory earlier in the week in the
23,000 1.55m Syndicaat van de Rotterdamse Havenbedrijven Prix.Kraut guided
Cedric, owned by Cherry Knoll Farm, to the second place finish in the
200.000 1.60m Longines Grand Prix Port of Rotterdam, only .04 seconds behind
the Netherland's Marc Houtzager and Sterrehof's Tamino.
The morning saw 50 horse and rider combinations gather at the Concours
Hippique International Officiel (CHIO), as they vied for the top finish in
the 200.000 Longines Grand Prix. The course, designed by The Netherland's
Louis Konickx, saw 20 clear first-round efforts, but his short track proved
the most challenging, seeing only six double-clear efforts.
Kraut and Cedric navigated the course with flashes of brilliance as they put
down an excellent round. The duo succeeded with short turns and a strong
pace, stopping the clock in 30.55 seconds. It seems as though the pair is
unstoppable as they go neck and neck with the best, and consistently come
out on the top.
"He was outstanding this week, I couldn't be more pleased with him, he
didn't put a foot wrong," Kraut described. "In the jump-off he was great! It
was a good jump-off track for us because there were a lot of short turns. He
was really good, jumped fantastic, and did everything I asked of him."
Houtzager tripped the beam only .04 seconds quicker than Kraut. The pair
went midway through the jump-off, and followed their plan perfectly. "I went
quick, I could have a been a little bit quicker around the first turn, but
it was a very difficult turn. I just took a little extra time there and
that's all it was," Kraut explained. "Cedric was also jumping so high, that
sometimes he loses a little bit of time that way as well, which I am not
going to complain about."
Kraut continued, "To be fair, I didn't watch anyone else go. I knew what I
was going to do. I had my plan. It was a difficult jump-off, not many were
even clear. I was really pleased, he was great!"
The next stop for Kraut and Cedric will be the World Equestrian Festival
CHIO Aachen in Germany, one of the word's most prestigious equestrian
events.
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