Victory in the Grand Prix at the 2016 CDI 4* in Wellington on Wednesday 16 March 2016 went to Laura Graves (USA) and her own Verdades with a score of 76.28%, adding another excellent performance to their growing collection of top finishes so far this season. In a top three sweep for riders representing the United States, Allison Brock (USA) and her long time partner Rosevelt earned second place with a 74.080%, while Kasey Perry-Glass (USA) and Goerklintgaards Dublet finished in third place receiving a 72.660%.
Temperatures in South Florida worked their way well past the 30-degree mark, but Graves and Verdades performed a smooth and relaxed test, which Graves was pleased with, noting, “He is not known to be a hot weather horse. He is such a big guy, but he really carried me through. We had a couple of mistakes in our changes, which is not typical for us, but I’m not really concerned. I was most excited with the fact that we’ve been training very regularly.”
“Every time we ride, we have eyes on us thanks to the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize Grant that I was able to receive this year. I’m now feeling that more often than not, I’m riding my new training, not my old training. Feeling that in the ring and having the reflection in the test mirror your warm-up, or at least starting to, is really exciting for us,” she continued.
Allison Brock and “Rosie” also had a terrific day back in the CDI arena after taking a short training-focused hiatus from competition. Brock discussed her decision to take some time away from competition arena with the 2002 Hanoverian stallion (by Rotspon x Lauries Crusador xx) owned by Fritz and Claudine Kundrun. The pair focused on their communication together in hopes of bringing their performances to the next level, producing accurate and powerful tests.
“He was really good and I was a bit worried about the heat today, as I’m sure everyone was. I have not been out in about a month, and I really felt like after the last show, I thought he went better than ever, but I was taking a lot more risks which were turning into mistakes,” explained Brock. “I really decided to stay home and work on our communication and firm that up. A little bit, I’ve been in the same situation as Laura, in that we’re riding constantly with eyes on the ground and tightening things up. It’s hard to not be in the ring and then just come out, but I really felt like in this case, with this particular horse, it was in his best interest to do it like this. I took the risk of holding out, and it clearly paid off today. He was happy to go, he was happy to be here, and it was the first time that my warm-up carried through to my test. I’m really proud of him,” she noted.
Riding first down the centerline in the Grand Prix CDI 4*, Perry-Glass and Goerklintgaards Dublet set the tone for the large class, which had 18 entries, and led for majority of the afternoon with their score of 72.660%. While riding a bit more conservative today, Perry explained that the consistency she continues to see from “Dublet” is incredibly motivating for her, as the two are contesting only their fourth Big Tour CDI competition together.
“It feels good because I know that I can eventually push for more. This is only his fourth CDI at this level, and it’s about keeping his mind happy and healthy. I think once I feel like the right time to push for more, I can,” she said. “Today, I think our test was really consistent and very clean, but it was a bit more on the conservative side. I think that, personally, it had to do a bit with the heat and a little bit too long of a warm-up, but he felt great. I had rideability today, which is what I really strive for with him because he can be a bit looky and tense. He was with me and happy, and I just feel so honored to be sitting up here with these two.”
The camaraderie and positivity streaming through Team USA this season in Wellington has been evident and in testament to the confidence the riders have been giving each other throughout the season. Brock spoke to the stabling arrangements for this week’s competition, in which Graves, Perry-Glass, and Brock are all stabled in adjacent stalls in the same FEI barn, as a symbol of support and motivation for one another.
“It started with Lisa Wilcox, who we all love. She’s just the best person you can ever be in a barn aisle with. She’s so inspiring and has done everything, just gives a really positive energy. We all decided that after the 5* here, we needed to have a barn name to put on the entry forms. We couldn’t come up with one and Lisa said, ‘All for one and one for all,'” explained Brock. “We’re all barn mates under that name and I think that shows how we all feel about each other and what it means for us to be competing together. I think it’s an incredible atmosphere, and it’s pretty cool because it isn’t always that way. We are all about supporting each other.”
Leida Collins-Strijk and Don Tignanello Win the Prix St Georges
Leida Collins-Strijk (NED) and her own Don Tignanello, a 2005 Hanoverian gelding (by Don Vino out of Atlantica), have been nearly unbeatable in Small Tour classes this season at AGDF and capped today with another victory in the Prix St. Georges receiving a 72.982%. Collins-Strijk piloted her second mount, Zantros, to second place with a score of 71.623%. Kevin Kohmann (GER) and Fritz San Tino, owned by Melanie Pai, earned their first top three finish in CDI competition this season with a 70.833%.
Text by Carly Weilminster, edited by Eurodressage
Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Link
Scores 2016 CDI Wellington