Saturday night at the 2016 Central Park Horse Show featured a fantastic display of world-class dressage with a win for Ireland’s Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K in the $75,000 Grand Prix Freestyle. Sweden's Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Denmark's Mikala Gundersen completed the freestyle top three.
Eight personally invited rider-and-horse combinations were sourced to compete at the inaugural CDI New York, but the only American duo - Charlotte Jorst and Nintendo - were eliminated from the Grand Prix after the horse had been medically treated by a non-FEI vet. Seven pairs moved to the Grand Prix freestyle under the lights of Wollman Rink in New York City on Saturday evening 24 September 2016.
With a high score of 77.051%, the win went to Ireland’s Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K, who were also the winners of the Grand Prix CDI on Friday. Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfen (SWE) and Lovsta Stuteri’s Paridon Magi took the second place finish for the second day in a row, as well as the second year in a row, earning a score of 76.650%. Third place honors were awarded to Denmark’s Mikala Gundersen aboard Janne Rumbough’s My Lady with a score of 72.400%.
Freestyle winners Vancouver K and Judy Reynolds represented Ireland in this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and then had a short break before making the journey to New York City for the opportunity to compete at this one-of-a-kind event. The 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding sired by Jazz, and owned by the rider’s parents Joe and Kathleen Reynolds, performed consistently to win back-to-back classes this week.
“It is kind of surreal really,” Reynolds remarked on the achievement. “I was probably a little bit more nervous tonight because I wanted to win again. I knew we had the capability of doing it, so I wanted to produce the performance of the night and I put more pressure on myself. I think it is fantastic. I certainly didn’t think this was going to happen when I came over here. For Ireland it is quite historic. I don’t think anybody has ever won two classes in one weekend at a CDI, so it’s nice to have done that.”
Reynolds got her start riding in Ireland and moved to Germany after college to continue training at a higher level.
“You essentially never stop learning; every day you still learn something new with these horses,” Reynolds detailed. “I am a believer that you need to compete against people who are better than you to be better, so when I was finished with college I made the decision to move to Germany. I had been quite successful in Ireland, and went to Germany and started at the bottom again, and I had to work my way back up. You were just against the best of the best, and it forced you to be better, so I kept going and it has gotten us where we are.”
To prepare for Saturday night’s freestyle, Reynolds actually watched video of her performance at the Olympic Games with Vancouver K.
“I watched back the freestyle from Rio so I could get a feel for the most recent version that we have ridden,” she noted. “I noticed that I could improve on a couple of timings. Tonight he wasn’t being quite forward enough for me, so I had to make up some time in a couple of corners to stay on music, but I didn’t really change anything as such.”
The pair’s next stop is the Dressage at Devon CDI-W in Pennsylvania since they are already in the U.S.
“We keep going next week at Devon. We are here, so we are going to make the most of it,” Reynolds detailed. “To be honest, I felt a touch rusty this week, so I think next week will be better. I will be looking forward to that and then we will continue our World Cup campaign. Then, depending on how it goes, we might be back in America for the Finals.”
Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven had a great night with Paridon Magi and also spoke of her freestyle performance on Saturday.
“I was actually very proud of him today. I thought he was really working with me and right on the aids,” Vilhelmson-Silfven remarked. “I was spot on the music where I wanted to be, so I had a great feeling and a great ride. I have been riding him in competition for a year, and I get to know him more and more. I am learning how to warm him up and how to make myself ready with him. Today was the first time I felt like I had a really good feeling.”
Third place finisher Mikala Gundersen had a fun first experience competing in Central Park with her mount My Lady this week and was happy with her result on Saturday night as well.
“I was just so excited to be here,” Gundersen stated. “I really enjoyed the whole thing, and the venue, and I am so excited to be in this horse show. My goal was to go in there and have fun. My Lady was a little rusty – we haven’t shown for a while. She was a little sucked back, but other than that I am proud of her for going in there and doing so well.”
by Lauren Fisher, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Sportfot
Related Links
Scores 2016 CDI New York
Judy Reynolds Wins Grand Prix at Inaugural 2016 CDI New York
Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro To Give Freestyle Demo at 2016 CDI New York