American Steffen Peters took a step toward defending his 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach title by winning the Grand Prix test with a record-shattering score of 81.383%. Not only is that a personal best result in a CDI Grand Prix for Peters and Akiko Yamazaki's 14-year old KWPN gelding, it is also the highest score ever attained in a WDM Palm Beach Grand Prix.
"I started to have the feeling I got from Ravel tonight in the last couple of weeks," said Peters after his decisive victory over the international field of 16 competitors. "I had this feeling at a show two weeks ago in California, but I had to risk it a bit more here. Ravel feels even stronger than last year and more supple. It was a blast to ride."
Finishing in second place behind Peters was Great Britain's Charlotte Dujardin riding Valegro, a 10-year old KWPN gelding co-owned by Carl Hester and Roly Luard. Dujardin's score of 78.468% was nearly three points behind Peters, but it was a full five percentage points higher than the third placed pair, Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven of Sweden on Antonia Ax:son Johnson's 13-year old Rhinelander gelding Favourit, with a score of 73.255%.
The WDM Palm Beach is Dujardin's North American debut. For Peters and Vilhelmson-Silfven, their placings in the Grand Prix are identical to the 2011 WDM Palm Beach on the same horses, though the scores are higher than a year ago. "I think we had so many good horses in this class," said FEI five star dressage judge Gary Rockwell, president of the ground jury.
The 2012 WDM Palm Beach Grand Prix has also set records for spectators, with well over a thousand people in the stands and at ringside VIP tables on Friday afternoon. For the first time ever, USEF Network live streamed the entire competition in High Definition not only for the web, but also for smart phones. People from all over the world - from Canada to Germany to Japan - logged in on computers and mobile devices to watch the event.
"I was really pleased with the number of spectators who came today," said Noreen O'Sullivan of Wellington Classic Dressage, which is the Official Show Producer of the WDM Palm Beach.
"It's a wonderful statement about the state of our sport." A completely full Jim Brandon Equestrian Center is expected for Saturday afternoon's sold out Grand Prix Special and the evening Grand Prix Freestyle. Eight pairs from the Grand Prix, including the top three from the Grand Prix, have opted to enter the Freestyle, while the remaining eight will compete in the Grand Prix Special.
Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Links
Scores 2012 CDI West Palm Beach
Status 2012 WDM Palm Beach Lowered to Four Star CDI Event!