Tarjan, Bertschinger, Tate, Dueck and Simonson Win at the 2022 Palm Beach Derby

Shows

2022 Palm Beach Dressage Derby

In an already thrilling week 8 of the 2022 Global Dressage Festival (GDF) in Wellington, FL, Saturday’s competition at the Palm Beach Derby CDI-W continued to deliver high-quality sport. Alice Tarjan (USA) and her own Serenade MF put the exclamation mark on the day, donning the blue ribbon sash for the Grand Prix Special 4*.

Tarjan and Serenade MF on a Roll

From the 14 starting combinations, Saturday’s winning presentation mirrored that of Thursday’s qualifier, but all top three competitors improved upon their scores. Canada’s Naïma Moreira Laliberté entered the stadium with KML Inc’s Statesman, a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Sandro Hit x Brentano II, for a lovely test scoring 70.851% to finish in third place. Last to go was Benjamin Ebeling (USA) and Indeed. Ebeling continued his successful week, guiding Vantage Equestrian Group II LLC’s 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Hofrat x De Niro) to a second-place finish with a score of 71.276%.

None could match Alice Tarjan, however, who laid down a beautiful test for a 73.149% to resoundingly lead the way with Serenade MF, a nine-year-old American Hanoverian mare by Sir Donnerhall I x Don Principe that Tarjan purchased as a foal and has brought along herself.

“I’m happy, but I’m also kind of surprised,” admitted Tarjan. “You know the horse has the ability to do it, but you don’t expect her to do it so soon maybe.”

Serenade MF was the youngest horse in the class, and this week marked the mare’s first CDI competition. While she has an obvious talent for the movements, her even-keeled character has been her strongest asset.

“The horse is the most reliable of all the horses I have. She goes in and does the job every time, and she’s so honest,” continued Tarjan. “She has the ability to do all the movements pretty well too. The pirouettes and the piaffe are good, and she has a nice trot and canter to start with.”

On Thursday, Tarjan was tempered in her excitement about the day’s success noting that everything is a work in progress. Today, she explained that is actually what she enjoys most.

She said, “I just love training the horses and riding them. I go home and try to build on what we have here. I’m really happy with how she showed here. It’s probably the best show that the horse has had. It’s getting better every time out, and you learn something.”

Tarjan’s other two grand prix mounts in Donatella M and Candescent are by comparison more complicated and hotter rides. Serenade MF is unaffected by the environment, which Tarjan feels the benefits of in her tests.

“[Serenade MF] is just so consistent. She’s so low key!” laughed Tarjan. “She couldn’t care less and is so easy. I would bring that horse anywhere in the world.”

Bertschinger and Tate Win

In the FEI Intermediate A CDI2* class which featured a single rder, Switzerland’s Barbara Bertschinger rode to a new personal best on Sonnenberg’s Solisco CH, a 14-year-old Swiss Warmblood by Sancisco OLD x Brentano II. Bertschinger’s consistent performance from start to finish with the gelding she both bred and owns earned a score of 67.765%. That is the second personal best for this pair in as many weeks, improving on last week’s second place finish in the FEI Intermediate A CDI3* class with a score of 65.323%.

Of the 15 starters in the FEI Intermediate I CDI1* class, Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) set the tone, leading off with a score of 70.088% aboard Cristina Danguillecourt and Yeguada de Ymas S.L.’s Baltasar de Ymas. Gomez Molina and the eight-year-old CDE gelding by Vitalis x Superior II made an impression in the half passes and extended canter, picking up 8s from each of the judges.

Gómez Molina sat atop the leaderboard until Jessica Jo Tate (USA) guided Ilene Boorman’s Romeo to a personal best to come away with the win. Romeo, a 10-year-old American Oldenburg gelding by Harmony’s Rousseau x Opus, had an overall strong performance, highlighted by the pirouettes and the trot tour for an overall score of 70.412%. Katrina Sadis (USA) rounded out the top three with her 10-year-old Oldenburg mare Belloona by Belissimo M x Wolkenstein II, finishing with a score of 67.118%.

**Dueck and Angelika MW Win 1* PSG, Simonson Wins 3* Small Tour**

Earlier on Friday afternoon, Canadian Shannon Dueck won the 1* Prix St Georges on Angelika MW.

From the 19 starters in the Prix St. Georges CDI1*, it was the youngest horse in the pack — the only seven-year-old — who emerged triumphant. Shannon Dueck (CAN) rode her own, Elizabeth Ferber, Kathy Putnam and Julie Skinner’s talented Franziskus daughter Angelika MW to 69.588% at the mare’s second CDI. This marked their first international win, just a day before the mare’s actual seventh birthday. Two American riders joined Dueck on the podium: Tiffany Silverman and Vincenzo 14 produced a personal best of 69.382% to claim second, with Jessica Jo Tate slotting into third on Romeo just 0.02 percentage points behind.

Christian Simonson (USA) and Zeaball Diawind continued their winning streak at small tour, capturing the Intermediate I CDI2*, presented by CabanaCoast. First to go down the centerline, the 19-year-old rider posted an unassailable 70.392% to lead the class from the front on Christina Morgan’s 10-year-old gelding by Fürstenball. Luuk Mourits (NED) climbed a place from his finish in the previous day’s Prix St. Georges to take second with 69.657% on Harmony’s Sarotti OLD. Kristina Harrison-Antel (USA) claimed third on I Felix with 68.873%.