Laura Graves and the 15-year old Dutch warmblood Verdades took their second victory gallop of the 2017 season and her first World Cup qualification points in the Grand Prix Freestyle at the 2017 CDI-W Wellington in Florida on Friday 27 January 2017.
Graves (USA) and her own 2016 Rio Olympic Games mount Verdades (by Florett As) topped the leader board once again tonight, with a show stopping performance and a score of 80.728%. Graves’ and Verdades’ performance marks the sixth time that a score of 80% or above has been recorded in Wellington, and the pair holds three of those scores.
“This horse has a heart of gold, and he loves to come out here. There is nothing that I can really take credit for. I’d like to say that he was born this way and maybe I’ve nurtured it or not taken it out of him, but he’s just a magical character,” said Graves, who also won the Grand Prix. “It certainly feels good to start the season on an 80%. That’s been our goal by the end of a lot of our previous seasons, so that’s great. It just feels so good to be back here."
The second place finish of the night was awarded to Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén (SWE) and her mount Paridon Magi, a 2003 Swedish Warmblood gelding (by Don Primero x Napoleon) owned by Lövsta Stuteri, with a 77.517%.
“I was very pleased with Magi today. I just wanted to make sure the judges were awake, so I drifted a little from my floor plan in the beginning to scare them a bit,” she joked. “Because of that I couldn’t get the highest grade myself, but the horse was super tonight. It’s a great atmosphere to ride in here, so it was nice.”
Arlene “Tuny” Page (USA) and Woodstock, a 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding (by Havel) rounded out the top three with a score of 74.020%.P age echoed Graves’ appreciation for the current state of competition.
Judge Lee Tubman said of the new Degree of Difficulty scoring used in the freestyle, “The new system that has been established, (and) overall I think this will work very well. I’m happy to have been a part of it tonight and to have a better understanding, and I look forward to working with it again in the future.”
The night also featured a special retirement ceremony for two-time Olympic PRE stallion Grandioso (by Adelante x Sevillano IX), owned by Kim Boyer. The stallion competed for the Spanish team with rider Daniel Martin Dockx (ESP) at the London Olympics in 2012, and then again at Rio in 2016.
Other classes of the day included the Young Rider Team (CDIY) and won by Codi Harrison (USA) and Katholts Bossco, a 2007 Danish Warmblood gelding (by Don Schufro x Michellino) owned by Harrison, with a score of 69.763%. Victory in the Under 25 Intermediate II went to Juan Matute Guimon (ESP) and Dhannie, a 2007 Hanoverian gelding (by Don Crusador) owned by Yeguada de Ymas S.L., with a score of 68.000%. The Junior Rider Team class awarded the win to Natalia Bacariza Danguillecourt (ESP) and Rihanna, a 2008 Brandenburger mare (by Relius x Akzento) owned by Yeguada de Ymas S.L., with a score of 67.730%. The winning score for the Intermediate I was captured by Lindsay Kellock and Royal Prinz, a 2001 Oldenburg stallion (by Royal Diamond x Dream of Glory) owned by Teresa Simmons, with a score of 70.132%.
by Carly Weilminster, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Links
Scores 2017 CDI-W Wellington
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2016-2017 World Cup Circuit