Estonian Grete Puvi, French Alexandre Ayache and Italian Valentina Truppa took home the trophies in the big tour classes at the CDI 3* in Nice, France, on Easter weekend 4 - 6 April 2015. Eighteen combinations were entered for the Grand Prix after which the group then split up in two for the Special and Kur.
The Estonian Grete Puvi, who relocated from Germany to the south of France over a year ago and went back to her maiden name Puvi (formerly known as Grete Barake), surfaced at the top aboard her gifted 15-year old Dutch warmblood Talent (by Lennard x Voltaire) with a score of 70.220%. Puvi went on to finish second in the Kur to Music with 73.00% and rode two personal best scores that weekend.
Italian Valentina Truppa made her come back at this small CDI in sunny France with her number one, Eremo del Castegno, a 14-year old Italian warmblood by Rohdiamant x Weltmeyer. The bay got injured in the late autumn but has now returned to fitness as well as the competition arena, though not yet at full force because he scored 70.020% in the Grand Prix to finish second behind Puvi. Truppa surfaced back at the top in the Kur with 74.900%, which is still a stretch from her usual freestyle score average, which lies between 77 and 80%.
Truppa also brought along her loyal Chablis, the 18-year old Danish warmblood by Castro II x Leonardo, that took the 26-year old Truppa from Young Riders level in 2007 all the way to senior Grand Prix. The chestnut gelding scored 68.700% in the Nice Grand Prix to rank third and was fifth in the Special with 65.098%.
Puvi's life partner, French Grand Prix rider Alexandre Ayache, steered the 11-year old chestnut Hanoverian Lights of Londonderry (by Londonderry x Weltmeyer) to victory in the Special with 68.137% after placing fourth in the Grand Prix with 67.000%. The Special was ridden in stormy weather conditions. Monaco based Bernadette Brune became the runner-up on the Dutch warmblood stallion Valeron (by Sandro Hit x Houston) with 66.353%.
At small tour level there was a mixed field of winners. Brazilian Joao Marcari Oliva and the 12-year old Brazilian bred Lusitano stallion Xama dos Pinhais (by ) topped the leader board in the Prix St Georges with 70.395%, while German Bernadette Brune aced the Intermediaire I aboard her 13-year old Trakehner stallion Kasimir TSF (by Ivernel x Charly Chaplin) on a score of 69.553%. The kur to Music went to Swiss Virginia Lundin on the 10-year old Oldenburg bred Sir Rubinstein (by Sir Donnerhall x Rubinstein) which Lundin acquired last year from Bernadette Brune.
Related Links
Scores 2015 CDI Nice
Bernadette Brune on Spirit of the Age OLD, Her Once in a Lifetime Horse
Grete Puvi Gearing Up for 2015 World Dressage Masters in Vidauban
Valentina Truppa Wins World Dressage Masters' Kur at 2015 CDI Vidauban
Ayache and Lights of Londonderry Submitted to French A-Dressage Team