Australian WEG team rider Mary Hanna and her second Grand Prix horse Umbro have won the Grand Prix on Friday 23 January at the 2015 Pacific League World Cup Final held in Boneo, Australia. It was the perfect prelude to Saturday’s Pacific League Final Freestyle for four-time Olympian Hanna.
Hanna, who is the reigning Pacific League Champion and who will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins when the Freestyle gets underway on Saturday evening, has been campaigning Umbro (by Jazz x Juventus) in Australia after she returned home from an extended stay in Europe that culminated in her riding Sancette at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in August.
Hanna has made the short trek to Boneo from her Bellarine Peninsula base with the 14-year old KWPN gelding Umbro. They were the only combination to score greater than 70 percent, receiving a mark of 70.620% in the Grand Prix.
New South Wales rider Sue Hearn and her 13-year old Australian warmblood Remmington (by (River Dance) were second and the pair continues to improve with each outing scoring 68.620% for their test, which is a personal best Grand Prix score for the duo.
In their first competition since returning from the 2014 World Equestrian Games, Maree Tomkinson and the Oldenburg mare Diamantina (by Diamond Hit) placed third with a score of 68.360%.
With the main event still to come and the winner of the two most recent CDI-W Freestyles in Heath Ryan (Regardez Moi) also in the field, the competition for the title remains wide open.
After winning the 2013/14 League Finals on Sancette, Hanna went on to represent Australia at her fourth World Cup Final. Should she be successful once more Mary will be offered the chance to represent Australia at the upcoming 2015 World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April.
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores 2015 CDI-W Boneo
All Star Line Up for 2015 Pacific League World Cup Final in Boneo
2014-2015 Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final Awarded to Boneo Park