After not quite finding top form at the 2015 CDI Wellington 5* two weeks ago, Steffen Peters and Legolas were in their winning groove again and dominated the Grand Prix Freestyle at the 2015 CDI-W Burbank on 20 - 22 February 2015. The West Coast 2015 CDI season got off to a hotly-contested start on Friday as top riders and horses from the U.S. and Canada sought valuable qualifying scores for this year's World Cup Final and Pan American Games.
Peters and Akiko Yamazaki's Westfalian gelding Legolas (by Laomedon x Florestan II) began their conquest with a Grand Prix win on a score of 77.880%, which was a personal best. The pair edged out Kathleen Raine and Breanna (by Brentano II x Weltmeyer) with 71.280%
"Our ride today felt wonderful and I was thinking to myself, 'boy this is one of his best goes ever', and I hoped the score would reflect that," noted Peters. "He was so beautiful to ride and soft in my hands, and when he's like that I know I can really go for it. It was a wonderful ride. We've competed here at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center for many years, and there's so many wonderful memories here. It's a special place and it's good to be home."
In the Grand Prix Special, Raine ruled the day, just like in Florida at the 5*. Not opting to ride the World Cup qualifying kur to Music, Raine dealt with little competition to snatch the trophy. The pair recently returned to California from a successful European tour with a stopover in Florida. With a solid score of 70.765% and the unanimous victory from all five judges over second-placed Beatrice Marienau and her KWPN gelding Stefano (by Gribaldi x Actueel) on 68.078%.
Despite Breanna's extensive travel schedule over the last few months, Raine had no doubt the elegant mare was up to the task. "She is so fit right now, and she's an easy traveler who settles easily into wherever we go, so she's not tired at all," Raine explained. "In the Grand Prix we had a few mistakes that were costly, but I was happy overall with how she felt. Today I felt like we were a little more on the money - she got a little spooky for a moment but came right back to me and it was a consistent and clean ride. It's good to be back and I really enjoy the shows here in California because it's great competition and obviously we have a lot of top riders here."
Peters surfaced back at the top in the Grand Prix Kur, which was as qualifier in the North American League for the 2015 World Cup Finals set in Las Vegas in April. Steffen and Legolas posted a 80.825% score. Jan Ebeling and the Hessian bred Rassolini (by Rubioso N x Silvano N) stepped up to the plate and finished second in a distance with a solid 75.050% score.
Photos © Terri Miller
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