Young dressage riders from across the UK gathered in Lincolnshire for this year’s Sheepgate British Dressage Under 25s Dressage Championships, 19 – 24 August.

This was the Championship’s thirteenth birthday which, thanks to the generosity of 2013 sponsors, had a total prize fund in excess of £10,000 up for grabs for riders who had gone to compete in over 40 classes ranging from prelim to advanced, including FEI Pony, Junior and Young Rider tests.

Amber Barton, Maisie Scruton and Jessica Knapton took FEI titles in the Pony, Junior and Young Rider sections; Amber in the Pony Individual on her 14.2hh chestnut gelding Doctor Little, Maisie in the Junior Individual with her fiery mare Hot Chocolate and Jessica in the Young Rider Individual on her Dimaggio gelding Di Spirito.
The Under 25s Championships titles were won by Amelia Moncrieff (Preliminary), Harriet Kipping (Novice) and Daisy Coakley (Elementary); Daisy taking not only first place with Judy Firmston-Williams’ six year old KWPN mare Cleopatra II (pictured above) but also clinching second spot on the seven year old gelding Bing who is co-owned by Judy and Aimee Witkin.

Bing, by Trento B, had remained unbeaten under Daisy up until this point and both he and Cleopatra will compete against each other again in September at this year’s Espayo National Championships.

The famous Derby Trial classes took place over the six day competition with every rider that entered taking part in two qualifying classes on their own horses. The combined score from these qualifying classes produced four finalists in each section (Pony, Junior and Young Rider), who then went on to compete in the final ‘ride off’. Here they rode the same test on their own horse and then each of the other three finalists’ horses. This really was a test of rider skill, adaptability and empathy and the Pony Derby was won by Charlotte McDowell while Emma Littlewood and Zara Myers took the Junior and Young Rider Derby titles respectively.

British Dressage Junior and Young Rider selector, Islay Auty, who attended the Championships, said “I honestly cannot put into words how fantastic this event was; I have been going to the Under 25’s Championships for ten years and over that time it has evolved phenomenally.

“Sarah and the team at Sheepgate have, through their hard work and dedication, provided all young riders with an opportunity to experience an extended competition atmosphere, which they wouldn’t be able to access elsewhere without going through a selection process.

“The environment was fabulous; extremely welcoming, and the facilities for riders, spectators and judges were second to none.

“Sheepgate provided British Dressage with the opportunity to showcase the development of youth dressage in the UK and we were privileged to see polished riders across all sections over the six days, with good positions and work that is clearly building correct and solid foundations for their own progression through the levels.

“Sheepgate certainly showed us that the future is looking very bright for dressage in the UK!”

Results for Monday 19 August
Dengie Horse Feeds Medium 69
1st Maisie Scruton & Rembrandt DDH, 74.85%
2nd (joint) Lucy Pincus (Sheepcote Don Calisto) & Beth Barnett (Zantino II), 74.24%
The Sheepgate Tack and Togs Team Competition
1st Lucy Pincus & Sheepcote Sandmartin , 68.97%
2nd Zara Myers & Steadhall Renaissance, 67.59% 
3rd Samantha Gualtieri & Sandros Dancer, 67.24%

Equestrian Australia in conjunction with the Saddleworld Dressage Festival wish to announce that the Rising Star Pony Finals will be held once again at the Dressage Festival, Victoria 2013.

The ‘Rising Star Novice Pony Championship’ is a promotional competition to provide a pathway for junior riders aged 10 to 16 years to FEI Pony Test competition.
The ‘FEI Pony Test Championship’ will showcase up and coming junior riders aged 12 to 16 years competing on ponies that have been educated in accordance with the training Scale and put them on track to higher levels of competition in the future.

 Jill Cobcroft an A level judge, judge mentor, retired FEI judge and strong supporter of Pony Dressage, has continued her generous sponsorship of the event.
 The Saddleworld Dressage Festival will be held at the Werribee National Equestrian Centre from 28 November – 1 December 2013.

They will be joining the following horse and rider combos.
Brandi Benedict and Fly Girl  from Lovettsville, VA

Brendan Curtis and Flavius MF from Silver Springs, MD
Jontelle Forbus and Velluto from Staunton, VA
Molly Xanthopoulous and Eclipse ISF from  Frederick, MD 

The inaugural forum will be held September 14-15, 2013, hosted by the New England Dressage Association, at Apple Knoll Farm, in Millis, MA. The forum will be led by internationally renowned sport horse development experts, and educators, Scott Hassler, USEF National Young Dressage Horse Coach, and Ingo Pape, one of Germany’s most respected breeders and horsemen. Also added, a Saturday night reception with appetizers and cash bar will be hosted by NEDA at the Verve Hotel in Natick from 6:00-9:00pm. Hassler & Pape will make a brief presentation and answer questions.

Preregistration ends August 30th! There will be a limited number of auditors allowed, so please sign-up asap!
Walk-ins will be available if seats are available. (no lunch)

ATTENTION ALL SPORT HORSE OWNERS, TRAINERS AND BREEDERS:
The purpose of this program is to bridge the gap between the current USDF Sport Horse In-Hand Program and the USEF Young Horse Program. Those interested in other sport horse disciplines are encouraged to audit, as attending this program can be beneficial to anyone involved with young sport horses.

“The USDF is excited to bring this much needed educational opportunity to the USDF membership and the dressage community, as well as other sport horse disciplines,” added Katherine Robertson, USDF SeniorEducationPrograms Coordinator.
For more information about the new USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Program, contact the USDF office at shprospect@usdf.org, or call(859) 971-2277.

NEDA Liaison for this program is Elizabeth Preston.

HorsUs.
The last set of 16 sets of medals at the ECCO FEI European Championships in Herning has been awarded yesterday afternoon. In the Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championship three sets of medals have been awarded with the last one being the individual Grand Prix Freestyle.
Dutch Adelinde Cornelissen and her handsome chestnut Jerich Parzival pulled off a beautiful performance with tremendous highlights such as superbly executed piaffe-pirouettes which are a speciality of this pair. Parzival looked relaxed, and their school book performance was rewarded with a score of 86.393%.
– It has been a great week. I came to fight for the team, and then I got two individual medals on top of the team medal. I am very happy, and it has all been very emotional, says Cornelissen after claiming her second individual bronze medal in Herning.
 
Valegro and Charlotte Dujardin rode their London 2012 freestyle where Charlotte shows Valegro’s strength in difficult transitions and not least his extraordinary extended trot. Her routine has a high degree of difficulty, and yet, she and Valegro make it look so easy. The audience absolutely loved it and cheered Charlotte and Valegro with standing ovations as they left the arena. The applause rose to new heights when the score of 91.25% was announced. Judge at C Mr. Leif Törnblad said that this was the highest score he had ever given.
– I had a fantastic ride today. Carl had decided that I should give Valegro a day off yesterday. Normally I would hack him but I think it worked really well. Today he came out and felt really on form. Going into the arena I felt so relaxed, and I was probably the best on key with the music I have ever had, on timing with everything. It was really perfect and I could not have asked for anything more from my horse, said Charlotte, the new European Freestyle Champion.
 
Last rider Helen Langehanenberg had initial problems with the piaffe but repaired it and showed lovely lateral trot work with her stallion Damon Hill NRW who has three gaits of a rarely seen high quality. The walk was regular, through the body and ground covering and the canter work fluent and uphill though. The German pair scored 87.286% which secured them the silver medal.
– I had a great feeling again today. I am just so proud and thankful that “Damie” gave everything once again. He has had a brilliant week in Herning, we both had so much fun and despite two little mistakes we really enjoyed our freestyle.
 
The sport at the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013 has been outstanding, and a total of 61,500 spectators have visited the showgrounds in Herning. The show is over now, and it has been showered with praise from all directions.
– We can look back on a fantastic championship here in Denmark. On behalf of the FEI I thank the artists: horses and riders, and of course the team around them, as well as the organisers of the show, said Frank Kempermann, chairman of the FEI Dressage Committee.
 
Gold – Freestyle: Charlotte Dujardin/GBR and Valegro – 91.250%
Silver- Freestyle: Helen Langehanenberg/GER and Damon Hill – 87.286%
Bronze – Freestyle: Adelinde Cornelissen/NED and Jerich Parzival – 86.393% 

British Dressage. It was the finale to the ECCO FEI European Championship everyone had hoped for.  There was tension, there was drama, there were tears and certainly plenty of smiles as the dressage elite of Europe battled it out for the crown of European freestyle champion.  In the end, it was Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin who had the edge with Carl Hester and Roly Luard’s Valegro and they now have two individual European titles to add to their Olympic collection.  Their final score of 91.25% was just shy of the World Record she yearned for but enough to give her a nearly four percent victory over Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg with Damon Hill NRW.  Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival finished in bronze.
The first British rider in was Michael Eilberg with Jon and Julie Deverill’s British bred Half Moon Delphi and there couldn’t have been a better test to get the competition under way.  With lively Hispanic music set to some great passage work, the crowd were right behind them, as they began to clap in time to the music.  ‘Maggie’ wasn’t distracted; she seemed to enjoy the support.  Unfortunately, Michael’s music started a bit late so some improvisation was needed but a score of 72.232% brought an amazing week for the debutantes to a euphoric end.
Michael said; “When my music started late, I got behind and I had to find my way round.  It was certainly freestyling in the freestyle!  She has an aura about her and music is lively so I guess the crowd wanted to get behind her – I loved it.  She’s been awesome this week and really tried; she certainly felt raring to go today.  Her score shows we got good marks for the bits we did well so it’s promising.”
Carl Hester rode with his normal artistic gusto and captivated the crowd with his medley of music from London 2012 prepared by Tom Hunt.  It was a brave choice as the test contains plenty of piaffe which hasn’t been his strongest feature this week but Carl had every faith in the stallion which he jointly owns with Sasha Stewart.  He managed to break the magic barrier with 81.696 which gave him sixth overall.
Before rushing off to warm Charlotte up he commented; “I was happy with him today – he really tried.  And, we both enjoyed it!  His passage was spot on and I really wanted to break the 80% barrier so mission accomplished.”
Adelelinde was the first of bookie’s favourites to go and she once again proved Jerich Parzival is a force to be reckoned with a polished 86.393% to set the scoreboard alight.  Her compatriot Edward Gal followed with Glock’s Undercover but a few mistakes left them on 84.911%.  All eyes in the packed grandstands were then on double Olympic Champions, Charlotte and Valegro.  Even though many had seen their London freestyle, either live or on video, it was still a privilege to see what many hold as the best freestyle music and plan ever.  It was expertly executed with only one small worrying moment when she caught his side with her leg and he leapt.  91.25% was the score and the crowd erupted in praise of a master display.
An ecstatic Charlotte said; “What else can I ask of him?  Today felt better than London; really he felt fantastic!  Over the three tests, every time he went in he gave his best.  He’ll have a nice long holiday now and we’ll start making plans for the future after that.”
With two German combinations to come, it was an agonising wait but the youngster Kristina Sprehe and Desperados couldn’t quite match the experience of those at the very top but 81.875% would be enough to leave them fifth overall.  The final duo was Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW who have pushed Charlotte all the way this week.  Again a few mistakes crept in and gold slipped away but the mark of 87.286% was still astonishing and gave them the silver medal.
Britain topped the medal table across the three disciplines, finishing with a total medal haul of 17 – ten of these gold, including two team gold medals.
Chef de Mission, Will Connell commented; “Following the successes of London was always going to be very challenging but I think that Herning has demonstrated London was certainly not a flash in the pan. Perhaps one of the most pleasing aspects has been the success of those rider horse combinations that were not in London. Although it might not be blatantly obvious to all exactly how vital the UK Sport Lottery funding is, it will have been impossible to do what we did as a British team in Herning without it. Finally we are nothing without the horses, and the horses are only with us because of the owners, the whole nation owes them a huge debt of gratitude”.
The British equestrian teams are supported at their respective Championships by the UK Sport Lottery funded World Class Programme.

Britain’s para-equestrian dressage riders rounded off their trip to the ECCO FEI European Championships with a top drawer performance to claim five medals – three gold and two silver. Today was ‘dancing’ day when the riders perform their own floorplan to music and it was great to see a supportive crowd come to watch.
Our first rider was early in the day, when the showground was just waking, which suited Grade II combination Natasha Baker and Cabral having been unsettled by a buzzing arena on Thursday. Just second to go, Natasha had decided to stay with her music score which she used in London, as it’s a popular choice for the judges and spectators. A brave entry in walk, a square halt and straight into canter left the judges in now doubt of her determination for that gold. A final score of 77.65% placed them higher than rival Angelika Trabert of Germany (who had gone in first). It was then a painful wait to see if Natasha could stay on top. Her second German challenger, Britta Napel, looked in fine fettle with her long-standing partner Aquilina 3 but they fell short with 73.250% and a third European Championship gold was Natasha’s.
On realising her victory, Natasha commented; “I can’t believe it I really can’t. I thought on Thursday that I’d be stone last. I really did not expect it at all. He’s just got better each day but he’s still not got as good as I know he can be which is a little bit frustrating for me. He’s just an amazing horse and I know that there’s so much in there but I haven’t been able to show it off but hopefully I’ll get the opportunity next year in WEG (World Equestrian Games) to do that. It’s been a happy end to a very tricky week!”
After her test, she said; “He was more motivated in there today and I had more control. He was still a little on his toes but it was positive energy! He was listening but it still wasn’t my best but it was the best test of the three days. I’m always more relaxed on freestyle day; I love my music and so does he. I have to say a huge thanks to Michele (Assouline, the British para team trainer) as I couldn’t have got through the week without him. JP is such a special horse; he’ll have a week off when we get home and then we’re competing at the Nationals before a longer holiday. I’ve got two new horses waiting for me at home which is exciting.”
The Grade Ib’s then stepped into the limelight and Ricky Balshaw was determined to go home with another medal around his neck. The favourite, Pepo Puch of Austria, had an early draw and scored 79.2% so Ricky knew exactly what he needed to do. Riding The Lady Joseph Trust’s LJT Enggaard’s Solitaire, Ricky attacked his test from the onset, riding every movement for every mark possible. A score of 76.8% wasn’t enough to secure gold but one judge did award them 80% which bodes well for the future. Denmark’s Stinna Tange Kaastrup continued her good run with a third bronze with new ride Steffi Graf.
A happy but slightly disappointed Ricky commented; “He felt great today. He had more trot today than previously so I got ahead of my music but threw in a circle or else I’d have ended up in the judge’s box at C! It’s a personal best score so I’m over the moon with that and the fact that one of the five judges had me to win is awesome; I’ll take that! To come here and beat Pepo (Puch) was always a big ask but give it another year, and who knows?”
It’s been a great battle between compatriots Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham all week and both are music maestros when it comes to freestyle day, so it was going to be close. Sophie made a conscious decision to put together new music as she wanted to keep her London masterpiece sacred; “I had it specially done for London and I want to preserve that memory, it would be wrong to use it again,” she explained. So it was an upbeat piece for her own Janeiro 6, or Rio to his friends, to suit his clockwork walk. Sophie rode with her normal pinpoint accuracy which she puts down to her ‘mathematical brain’ and a final score of 78.1%, which included three 80%+ artistic scores, flashed up on the board. It was then down to team stalwart Anne, who has competed in 11 out of 13 British teams since the Athens Paralympics in 1996, to see what she could do with spotted LJT Lucas Normark, owned by The Lady Joseph Trust. ‘Lucas’ has really impressed this Championship and the Genesis medley that Anne had put together suited him perfectly. It was nip and tuck but Anne’s final score was 77.35%, just a fraction behind Sophie.
Sophie commented; “I would have liked to have broken 80! My trainer said it was the best test I’ve rode to date so I’m really pleased. I love being with the other disciplines, it’s created a bit of an atmosphere; I thought it was really good for Rio – as a competitor I always need to challenge myself. It was a bigger crowd than normal here at these Championships which was great, and I’ve managed to watch some of the dressage and jumping, which has been great.
“It was a great ride. I thought Anne might just do it, she rode a lovely test. I did the best I could – I’ve got a great horse and I was so glad I could show him off here to the crowd”.
Anne said; “I was really pleased with him, he was just fantastic. I was really happy with my test; he just gets better every time we come out. The team morale is really good, all very happy and everyone’s very supportive of each other, which extends across the nations, not just within the British camp”.
The Grade IV freestyle proved the showdown of the day with some expert riding and beautifully presented tests. Dutch rider Frank Hosmar set the bar with a 76.9% and it was for the others to follow. No one came close until Sophie Wells stepped up with her towering gelding, Valerius. The duo are in great form having won at Inter I level a few weeks ago and they’ve wowed everyone this week. Today the petite rider, having been inspired by her team-mates’ performances throughout the morning, threw caution into the wind and went for it, making use of Valerius’ extravagant paces and willing nature. All around knew it was a special performance but not many expected the 80.25% that flashed up on the board. Gold was Sophie’s.
She commented afterwards; “It feels amazing – I’m just so proud of him. It was a big event but I was able to take risks today which paid off and I could go for the bigger marks. I’m so proud of my boy”.
After five fantastic days of competition where, for the first time, para-equestrian dressage featured alongside their able-bodied equivalents and showjumping to much praise from competitors, officials and spectators, Britain tops the medal table with 11 medals, seven gold and four silver.
Chef d’Equipe David Hunter summed the successful week up in saying; “I couldn’t have asked for better results, they were a dream. The new horse and rider combinations have excelled and the established combinations were outstanding. I’m hugely grateful to everyone who puts in so much effort – riders, grooms, the support team and particularly the owners.”
The British equestrian teams are supported at their respective Championships by the UK Sport Lottery funded World Class Programme.

Germany claimed team gold for the 22nd time at the Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championship in Herning, Denmark. In a tense battle, it fell to reigning Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Champion, Helen Langehanenberg, to clinch it with her last-to-go ride. And she did so with cool conviction when steering the brilliant Damon Hill to a score of 84.377 which gave her country a narrow advantage over the silver medallists from The Netherlands while the defending champions from Great Britain had to settle for bronze this time around. Just 1.111 points separated the three medal-winning nations in this super-tight battle of the giants.

Despite the fact that they didn’t repeat their historic 2011 victory, the British had plenty to celebrate along with their well-earned step on the podium, as Olympic double-gold medallist, Charlotte Dujardin, produced a stunning test from Valegro to break the Grand Prix world record once again. She set the previous record of 84.477 percent at Olympia in London (GBR) last December, but today the 28-year-old rider raised the bar even further when posting a colossal 85.942.

Strong Performances

Germany already had a substantial lead following strong performances from Fabienne Lutkemeier and Isabell Werth yesterday, while Denmark and The Netherlands lay close together in second and third places.

Today’s action kicked off at 08.00 and was fascinating from the outset, Sweden’s Patrik Kittel demonstrating his professionalism with a lovely test from Toy Story when second into the arena. The 13-year-old gelding’s summer holiday was disrupted last Monday when stable-mate, Watermill Scandic, had to be withdrawn after picking up an injury in Herning. The call went out for Toy Story as replacement so the big bay horse was loaded into the lorry at Kittel’s base near Munster, Germany and although perhaps a little surprised to find himself trotting up in front of the veterinary panel the following morning, he quickly got down to work and breezed calmly and comfortably to a mark of 73.283 this morning.

Then came Great Britain’s Carl Hester and Uthopia, with much weight on their shoulders. A disappointing opening effort from Gareth Hughes and DV Stenkjers Nadonna was followed by a commendable 72.264 from Michael Eilberg and Half Moon Delphi yesterday, but it would take two big scores from team-mates Hester and Dujardin to keep British team medal hopes alive as they were in seventh place as this morning’s action got underway.

Uthopia began with his signature flamboyance, and with 9 awarded for their first extended trot things were looking very promising indeed. But the stallion struggled in piaffe and broke in the two-tempi during a performance of highs and lows, and the London 2012 Olympic Games team gold medallist’s score of 75.334 seemed to have dashed all hope of a team podium placing.

Swept into Lead

Then came Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover who swept into the individual lead with a score 81.763. The promise this horse has shown in recent months suggested a big result very soon, and the Dutchman’s control and accuracy produced seamless transitions and powerful passage and piaffe, good enough to earn a 9.5 average score at the start of the test. Putting 81.763 on the board the pair promoted The Netherlands to the top of the team table, and now it was up to the rest to topple them.

Germany’s third-line rider, Kristina Sprehe, wasn’t entirely happy with her test with Desperados FRH. “He got too hot for me in the arena which gave us some mistakes in the piaffes” said the talented 26-year-old after posting 75.061 which didn’t alter the standings but was a very solid score.

Britain’s Dujardin arrived into the arena to a hush of expectation. Was she riding for a good individual score now or could she actually keep her side in the medal race by producing something very special? It has been a turbulent year for herself and Hester due to uncertainty about the future of both of their horses, but she put all that to the back of her mind as she steered her Olympic partner, Valegro, to a breathtaking performance that included glorious extended trot and fabulous piaffe. The scores kept soaring and as she posted an amazing 85.942 the knowledgeable spectators gasped with delight. She had broken her own Grand Prix world record and the British were right back in the race.

Something of a Storm

The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival have been through something of a storm this season. The great chestnut gelding who clinched gold in both the Grand Prix Special and Freestyle at the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam (NED) underwent an operation for a heart condition earlier this summer but has made a remarkable recovery, and they did themselves proud today with a score of 80.851 to bolster the Dutch position. “I was really happy with Parzival. It’s only a few months ago that he wasn’t so well. I didn’t expect him to be here because of his heart problem, and he just went in and did it” she said.

But Langehanenberg and Damon Hill could oust the Dutch from the top of the medal table if they could achieve a score of 83.964 percent or better. As the elegant partnership set off in the closing stages it was all hanging in the balance, and spectators anxiously watched the score monitors as they executed each movement. The stallion was elevated and attentive throughout the test that included some magical extended trot, and when 84.377 went up on the board there was a roar of delight. Germany would take the gold ahead of the Dutch in silver and the British in bronze medal position while the host nation of Denmark would finish just outside the medal placings in fourth.

Nice Shine

Isabell Werth knows a thing or two about winning medals, but today’s golden collection had a particularly nice shine to them. “We came here with the dream of gold but we knew we would have a hard fight. Helen did such a great job, I think she had the ride of her life until now, it was really fantastic that we can all have the feeling of team gold, it’s something very special and great to share with the younger riders” she said looking at team-mates Lutkemeier and Sprehe. “Maybe this was a piece of European Championship history here today, the best we’ve ever had” said the multi-medalled German veteran who added, “and Germany is back!”

Langehanenberg knew that she had given it her best shot today and was delighted it paid off. “I just knew I had to ride for a lot of points and that it wouldn’t be easy but we gave everything and tried our very, very best. Dami (Damon Hill) did a great job to really fight for me” she said.

German Chef d’Equipe, Klaus Roeser, said “The Netherlands and Great Britain put us under big pressure but it was amazing sport, absolutely fabulous”, and no-one was arguing with that.

Dutch Chef d’Equipe, Wim Ernes, said “we tried for gold but the Germans were better today. We had two riders over 80 percent and I’m very satisfied with my riders, and the team is very happy with the silver medal” while British team manager, Richard Waygood, congratulated the other teams. “It was a great competition today and obviously Charlotte was super. I’m thrilled to bits with our performance” he pointed out.

Continues to Astound

Dujardin meanwhile continues to astound. “I had a fantastic ride, I went in there and I wanted to enjoy it. I only did two competitions with Valegro this year and this was a bit like the Olympic Games, coming through the tunnel into the arena, but he feels even better and stronger this year than last year” she said this afternoon. She put in a lot of work since her performance in the pilot FEI Nations Cup™ Dressage series at Hickstead (GBR) a few weeks ago. “Carl murdered me after that, and told me I needed to sharpen up! I knew today that if I didn’t I’d be murdered again when I came out of the ring, but Valegro is an amazing horse – he gives me more and more confidence every time” she added.

And asked if there is a limit to the scores she can achieve with her wonderful horse, she replied with a typically upbeat answer and almost an air of surprise. “No, there’s no limit, I’m going to keep going – there’s 100 percent out there somewhere and we are going to find it!” she declared with conviction.

Today’s individual leaderboard showed her at the very top followed by Langehanenberg in second, Gal in third, Cornelissen in fourth and Denmark’s Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Anna Kazprzak in fifth and sixth places. But as the top-30 go through to tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special they all start again on a zero score, so Dujardin has another opportunity to chase that ultimate scoreline.