The 23-year old Australian Grand Prix Katherine Farrell stood her ground in the senior Grand Prix division, winning her first major international Grand Prix level victory in the World Cup qualifier kur to music at the 2019 CDI-W Werribee on 23 March 2019.
The CDI-W Werribee is also known as Dressage & Show Jumping With the Stars and presents an action packed programme with the National Championships for young dressage horses and ponies as well as an educational masterclass; this year featuring Swedish WEG team rider Therese Nilshagen.
Top level dressage kicked off with the CDI-W Grand Prix class in the outdoor arena, which drew a large crowd of spectators but just 10 competitors. Former Australian team rider Maree Tomkinson made a strong international Grand Prix show debut on her rising star, the 9-year old Hanoverian mare DMJ Donna Elena (by Don Schufro x Brentano II). They topped the board with a promising 69.652% in the Grand Prix leaving Katherine Farrell and Luxor behind them. Farrell posted 67.196% for second place and had 2019 CDI Bawley Point kur winner Fiona Selby and her 16-year old German bred Tacita (by ) behind them in third place with 67.109%.
Farrell and the 17-year old Hanoverian Luxor (by Londonderry x Argentinus) went on to win the Kur to Music on Saturday 23 March with 67.725%. They edged out Dirk Dijkstra and the 18-year old Dutch warmblood AEA Metallic (by Metall x Gabor) by a fraction of a point, as Dijkstra became the runner-up with 67.720%. Pauline Carnovale and the 18-year old Dutch warmblood Urestan (by Florestan x Partout) were on their heels in third place with 67.030%.
Farrell and Luxor are a long-standing partnership. The Farrell family scouted Luxor at Hof Kasselmann in Germany almost ten years ago. The chestnut gelding is bred by Bernhard Menke and was competed by Miriam Henschke and Maria Burczyk and lastly by Bianca Kasselmann in 2010 before selling to Australia. The gelding was first shown by Daniella Dierks, but Kate and Luxor made their international debut in 2013 at young rider level. In 2014 Kate and Luxor competed in their first senior CDI Grand Prix classes, including the 2015 Pacific League World Cup Finals in which they finished third. As of 2016 and through 2018 they alternated between Under 25 classes and senior division tests. The CDI-W Werribee was her first show of 2019.
Photo © DJWTS
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