Brits Reap Rewards on the Cote d'Azur at the 2013 CDI Vidauban

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2013 CDI Vidauban

British riders have amassed an impressive total of 13 wins at the Vidauban CDI3* Spring Tour in Southern France, 27 February – 10 March 2013. Carl Hester and Dances with Wolves dominated the big tour on their international grand prix debut. Carl and Dances with Wolves, stable name ‘Golly’, won three out of four Grand Prix tests they competed in.

The duo started their campaign with second spot in the first week’s Grand Prix for Special. The 24-strong class was won by Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and Delgado, a horse who is now back to full fitness following an injury which sidelined them from London 2012. Carl and Golly, Aram Gregory’s powerful German gelding (by Donnerschwee), went one step better in the more technically demanding Grand Prix Special to head the leader board with 74.47%. This set a precedent for the second week’s CDI which saw the pair secure the Grand Prix for Special and the Grand Prix Special with 72.80% and 73.50% respectively.

Young Brit Phoebe Peters (13) was outstanding in the Pony divisions. She and SL Lucci, Tracy Peters’ 11-year-old Danish-bred gelding, were untouchable. They kicked off the first week with a 73.54% Pony Team test victory over the Netherlands’ Demy Kurstjens and Ciske Van De Beekerheide. Phoebe and Lucci later went on to head the Pony Individual with 72.92% and post a personal best of 80.33% to claim the Pony Freestyle. Week two they claimed a second hat-trick - 74.31% to top the Pony Team test, 75.36% for the Pony Individual and 75.90% for the Freestyle.

Peter Storr and Belmondino “Phoebe was the talk of the show,” said pony team trainer Peter Storr, who travelled to the Provence venue both as trainer and to compete himself. He contested the small tour with Susan Singer’s Fabioso, an 11-year-old German gelding by Flammengold, and the big tour with Belmondino, a 13-year-old Beltain-sired gelding, also owned by Susan.

Peter and the elegant Fabioso filled third spot in the first week’s Prix St Georges, third in the Intermediate I and second in the Intermediate I Freestyle. During week two, they notched up second in the Prix St Georges and a 73.73% Intermediate I victory. “He was brilliant,” said a delighted Peter, “He’s a real little winning machine – test after test he’s foot perfect.”

Belmondino showed promising form too. He and Peter were seventh in the first week’s Grand Prix for Special (67.38%) followed by twelfth in the Special (64.79%). The second week they improved on their Grand Prix Special with 67.50% for eighth. “It’s only his second season at grand prix and he’s progressing well,” said Peter.

Usually, visitors to Vidauban enjoy balmy days and early spring sunshine – but not so this time! “We arrived to three inches of snow. It was bitterly cold with no sunshine the first week,” said Peter, “and the second week we had torrential rain! The surfaces held up well though and we had the indoor school to work in.”

Peter Storr The two-week tour proved to be a valuable experience for the younger riders: “It was so good for them to be in that environment – the environment of a grand prix show,” said Peter. “It was a great learning curve and a chance to promote ourselves before the Europeans. The judges were very impressed by the standard of riding.”

Another rider to raise the flag for Great Britain was Amy Woodhead. Amy rode Pardon, her 16-year-old KWPN stallion to win the opening day’s Young Rider Team test with 68.77%.