Adrienne Lyle was back in the winner's circle for the Grand Prix Kur, a World Cup Finals' qualification class, at the 2014 Palm Beach Dressage Derby in Wellington, Florida, on Saturday evening 1 March 2014. Lyle (USA) and Wizard topped the class with a score of 76.525%, just edging out second place finisher Mikala Gundersen (DEN) and My Lady, who finished on a score of 76.125%. Cesar Parra (USA) and Van the Man were third with a score of 74.000%.
Mary Ann and Walter McPhail, co-founders of the now 31-year old Palm Beach Dressage Derby, were pleased to see their beloved competition find a home in Wellington.
"We're very happy that the derby has evolved again, and that we're here on this beautiful showground, and we want to thank Mark Bellissimo and all the people that have made it possible for us to be here. We appreciate it," Mary Ann McPhail expressed.
Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, was equally happy to have salvaged the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.
"It's such an amazing legacy event in this area. The whole crew that was behind this should be proud that they did this. They were the inspiration for dressage in this community, and it's a leadership role in this country," Bellissimo remarked.
Bellissimo also thanked Allyn Mann of Adequan for believing in his vision of creating a world-class dressage facility in Wellington, a vision that now includes the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.
"I think [the McPhails] are the inspiration and vision behind dressage [in Wellington]. I'm honored to be able to continue that vision for them with our team," Bellissimo explained.
Lyle acknowledged that Wizard was a little on the hot side for their freestyle, but their test still went incredibly well.
"He was very hot tonight, but when you can hold it all together like that, it just gives you a phenomenal feeling. He's like no other horse I've ever sat on. The power and elasticity he can offer when he's on like that is amazing," Lyle described.
There's a thin line between incredibly expressive gaits and having problems when he's hot, which Lyle is sure to carefully manage.
"He does stuff brilliantly when he's like that, and I think it's important for the judges to see him when he's on his 'A' game and doing the impressive stuff like that. So I think it's a fine line between him getting the quality and expression out and still keeping it under [control]," Lyle explained.
Earlier in the season, Lyle described Wizard as feeling his best ever, a statement she still stands by as the gelding starts to show his consistency. "I still believe he is doing better now than he ever has before, and what's been the biggest thing for him is now he's being consistent, and I think that's where he lacked," Lyle commented. "He's getting very workmanlike about it now."
After Friday's test, Gundersen said she would trust My Lady's energy a bit more and really push her for the freestyle, a choice she felt paid off despite a few minor mistakes.
"I pushed her a little bit harder than I've done before in the freestyle, and it paid off. I had a couple little mistakes because of that also, but that's what happens when you try harder. You take some risks, but in general I'm really happy. I'm very pleased with the score, it's the highest score we've had so far, so we're definitely going in the right direction," Gundersen outlined.
Both rider and horse truly enjoy the freestyle, which Gundersen feels continues to improve as her horse gets stronger.
"She needs to get a little bit stronger still. We have some difficulties in the freestyle that I need to get a better score. Eventually once she's stronger and can do the lines better and more secure, the scores will go higher," Gundersen outlined. "The music is fantastic. Everybody loves it, I love it, the mare loves it. The choreography is just a little bit difficult still, so we have some little things."
Parra also felt his horse was on an upward trajectory and is eager to see where Van the Man will go from here after making a few adjustments to his program.
"We tried to change a little bit the warm-up. We're working now with Robert Dover and are looking more at different aspects. I respect his input and I think every time you change the team it takes a while to adjust, but I think we're looking forward now to keep going up. It's a horse of great quality and great fun, and I really love riding him and enjoy him very much," Parra detailed.
Despite a challenging warm-up, Parra put his trust in Van knowing he often does better during the test than warming up. Riding Van has become a true joy for Parra, and he felt the test was overall very well executed.
"I trust him a lot in the ring. I love the freestyles. I've done many freestyles in my life, and I really enjoy the music. Besides [the half pass to the left], he was pretty on. He was very light, very easy to ride." Parra said.
Text by Laura Cardon - Photos © Astrid Appels
Photos of the 2014 CDI-W Palm Beach Derby can be ordered by emailing us at info@eurodressage.com
Related Links
Scores 2014 CDI-W Palm Beach Derby
Martin and Lagoy-Weltz Top Small Tour Classes at the 2014 Palm Beach Derby
Tinne Vilhelmson Coasts to 2014 Palm Beach Derby Grand Prix Victory
Photo Report: Horse Inspection at 2014 Palm Beach Dressage Derby Brings Back Memories