Heath Ryan will be looking to secure an historic seventh win in the Grand Prix Freestyle event at the 2015 CDI 3* in Sydney held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre at Horsley Park on 7 - 9 May 2015. More than 200 competitors from around the country and overseas are expected to travel to Sydney.
The Sydney CDI is one of the few events in Australia that features an international ground jury from Prix St Georges level right through to Grand Prix, and the feature event – Saturday night’s Grand Prix Freestyle to Music – is shaping up to be a sell-out yet again.
Ryan has confirmed he will compete his magnificent black stallion, the 19-year old Regardez Moi (by Rubinstein), in the Grand Prix Freestyle event, defending the title the combination took out in 2014. Heath has lifted the Grand Prix Freestyle trophy six times - more than any other rider in the event’s 22-year history – with four of those wins achieved on board Regardez Moi.
“Regardez Moi is getting older and it’s only a matter of time before he has to retire, but in the meantime he is getting better and better and winning more than he’s ever won in his whole life,” Ryan said of the 19-year-old. “He’s won over 50 Grand Prix, and I think that’s the most winning Grand Prix horse ever in Australian history. But it’s always about doing better than what you’ve done before. So for me it’s really exciting but it’s a race against time, and I think everyone else is just wondering when will it end?”
Eight judges will travel from Germany, the USA, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Belgium, South Africa and France to assist their Australian counterparts during the competition, which Ryan said was important for local riders to gauge how they are progressing in terms of global standards.
“Certainly there is a group of Australians now that can seriously claim to be able to train horses to Grand Prix and ride a Grand Prix test without a mistake,” he said. “That’s a big benchmark to have met. The CDI is the most likely event in Australia to have foresight in terms of bringing the most influential judges and officials to bear. That’s really critical, especially bearing in mind that the sport tends to be so subjective. We have to be exposed to the best operators in the world, digest what those people have to say about our performances and use that information to guide our progress. It is an accuracy game at the top, and the Sydney CDI brings the most accurate information we get all year to the competition arena, and as top competitors the accuracy of that information is critical.”
But the event isn’t just about the old hands, with Australia’s future equestrian stars competing in the CDI-Y, or Under 21 Grand Prix competition. Riders under 25 will compete against each other in the Under 25 Tour, and the NSW Young Horse Championships will also be held over two days culminating in an exciting final on Saturday.
Related Links
Historic Win for Heath Ryan at 2014 CDI Sydney
Caroline Wagner Claims Grand Prix Victory at 2014 CDI Sydney
Sydney Saddles Up for Hong Kong at 2008 CDI Sydney