Laura Graves (USA) and Verdades clinched another Grand Prix Freestyle victory at the 2016 CDI-W Wellington in Florida on Friday 18 March 2016, earning a 79.475%. Kasey Perry-Glass (USA) and Goerklintgaards Dublet followed Graves to the winner’s circle, finishing in second place in their first Grand Prix Freestyle test together with a score of 75.750%. Juan Matute Guimon (ESP) and Don Diego captured a well-deserved third place finish, receiving a 73.225%.
Graves and Verdades entered the arena with new freestyle choreography and music, but the same consistency and fluidity for which they’re now known. Graves has worked hard to find the right gear for “Diddy” this season, and it seems the pair is right on the mark moving into an important part of this year’s season.
“You know, with as much experience as this horse has now globally, he’s recently become very sensitive to the atmosphere. We do for him what we can in relaxation, but like I was saying after the Grand Prix on Wednesday, his confidence has to come from me,” explained Graves. “I have to give him the cues, and he needs to be certain of what I’m asking him. For tonight, I thought it was a big accomplishment personally, riding through that tension and having him step up to the plate.”
The pair now has a mutual understanding of what the expectations are in the ring, and their partnership has continued to flourish. Graves and her own 2002 Dutch Warmblood gelding (by Florett As) have become one of the most consistent Grand Prix pairs for Team USA over the past two years since their debut at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Caen, France, in 2014.
Both Graves and Perry-Glass have been in consistent training with U.S. dressage legend Debbie McDonald, with both riders referencing their strong relationship with her as a major factor in their performances so far this season.
“Debbie’s gift is that as a trainer, she can feel what you’re feeling as a rider. It takes a weight off of you that you don’t realize exists. She just gives you that feeling that you’re never alone and what you’re feeling is normal. You’re going to train through it and you’re going to, like she said to me tonight, come out on the other side. She just gives you this confidence to ride well,” explained Graves, regarding her time with McDonald.
Perry-Glass exited the ring in tears after completing her first Grand Prix Freestyle aboard Goerklintgaards Dublet, a 2003 Danish Warmblood gelding (by Diamond Hit x Ferro), that she has campaigned to the top of the Large Tour leaderboards all season long.
“I came out crying,” she acknowledged. “He’s just so awesome, and I’m so lucky to have him. We’re growing up together and respecting each other more and more. We’re learning from each other, and I couldn’t ask for any more. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with him. Last year in the Intermediaire I Freestyle, he would get really hot and I pretty much had no control. I knew that once the music started, that was the horse I was going to have,” she said. “The consistent training with Debbie [McDonald] and the support from her has really helped his confidence and my confidence. He stayed with me the whole time and there are small places that we can clean up, but this is our first time out there and I’m so proud of him.”
As for their first freestyle beneath the lights, Perry-Glass felt their ride went just as planned and she’s motivated to continue their progress.
“Adrienne Lyle did the choreography. She’s been such a great friend and a great supporter of us. I worked with Tom Hunt, who does Charlotte Dujardin’s music. I’ve been working with him for a while, and we have a good relationship. I wasn’t sure what type of music I wanted for Dublet and I was like ‘Yes, this works!’ There are obviously some things that we will have to tweak and enhance, but I’ll start with a 75%,” she laughed.
The young Juan Matute Guimon performed a brilliant and nearly mistake-free test about Don Diego, a 2003 Hanoverian gelding by Don Frederico. In their best freestyle test to date this season, Matute was very pleased with their ride and felt the progress they have made this season has been defining in their career together.
“Little by little we’ve been building the confidence in the Grand Prix together and this is our second season at this level. It was a very exciting start to the season, but I think tonight is really the highlight so far,” commented Matute. “I’m very happy, and I’m very excited. I enjoyed the test a lot. It was pretty much mistake-free, which is a big deal for us right now in our second year at Grand Prix,” continued Matute. “Being dynamic and being able to adapt to every situation is very important. What can I say, I’m sitting here next to these two beautiful riders, and it was just a great night.”
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Alcazar Win 3* Grand Prix Freestyle
Katherine Bateson-Chandler (USA) and Alcazar, a 2005 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Jane Forbes Clark, found themselves atop the leaderboard in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 3* with a score of 72.425%. Bateson-Chandler and Alcazar have been hard at work this season, also training with Debbie McDonald, to improve their presence in the arena before heading back to England to compete in Europe this summer.
P.J. Rizvi (USA) and Breaking Dawn followed in second place with a 70.600%, while Anna Marek (USA) and Unico G collected third place honors with a 67.275%.
“In my last couple of freestyles I’ve had mistakes in my flying changes. I was bound and determined today, even if I had to turn myself inside out, to not have mistakes in my changes, which I managed to pull off,” laughed Bateson-Chandler. “I was really happy with that. He’s going to have a couple of nice easy days before the next CDI. To be honest, when I’m not here at the show I don’t really ride him in the ring that much. I’m lucky to have a farm with a big track and a grand prix field,” explained Bateson-Chandler, on how she keeps Alcazar fresh and ready to compete. “We’ll have a little break after the next show here and then we’ll head back to England.”
P.J. Rizvi and Breaking Dawn earned their highest FEI CDI score this afternoon with their 70.600%, which Rizvi noted is a huge accomplishment for the pair, as this is their first competitive CDI season together.
“This is so far our biggest accomplishment together. For me, the heat is brutal, but for Edward, my horse, it’s the most amazing thing because my usual struggle with him is that he’s extremely forward and we have mistakes in the changes because he gets a little bit ahead of me,” she said. “Today I felt like he was a bit more backed off, and he was really attentive to me. I was super thrilled today.”
Rizvi rides to the same music that her trainer, Ashley Holzer, used with Breaking Dawn at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. It is very sentimental for Rizvi. She said, “What we did, because Edward had a long rest period after the Olympics, is we changed the choreography to be more difficult, but used the same music. I love really funky music, but I tend to dance too much during the test, so I need very stable music. I think it suits him, and the bagpipes really accent his piaffe and passage.”
Traveling down from Ocala, FL, to compete in Wellington, Marek and Unico G are finding a rhythm, which has left Marek feeling very positive about their progress and direction for the rest of the season.
“We come down about four hours to show here for the weekend and then go home. We definitely struggled with the heat a bit this week, but today I was really proud of him because I felt like I had more horse than yesterday,” she commented. “I swear though, the music always pumps him up and he’s ready to go. We had fun riding today’s freestyle, and we just made it a little bit more difficult so there were a few little bobbles. I rode my first freestyle on Unico. Over the last year, we got comfortable with that choreography while I learned to ride the freestyle. We just started to change it a bit more difficult. I wanted something a bit dramatic for him. We’ve had a long road and to me it tells a great story."
Francis and Doktor Top Grand Prix CDI 3*
Shelly Francis (USA) and Doktor collected a win on Thursday afternoon 17 March 2016 in the Grand Prix 3*. Francis and Doktor won with a score of 70.180%. Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (USA) and Rassing’s Lonoir, in their second FEI Grand Prix start together, earned second place with a 69.940%, while Laura Tomlinson (GBR) and Unique took third place with a 69.100%.
Francis and Doktor entered the ring late in the order, and moved fellow American LaGoy-Weltz out of the top position, which she held for majority of the class. Displaying consistent relaxation and rhythm in their tests, Doktor’s presence in the ring is progressing, according to Francis.
“I’m hoping to improve his self-carriage a bit, so that I don’t have to sweat so much,” she laughed. “He was very good, and he’s getting much better about not making as many mistakes in the test. The pirouettes today were very good and steadier. The piaffe and passage were nicer, but today he was in between hot and tired. He felt awesome, and he’s just going better and better.”
Francis, who was suffering from a migraine during her test, said that Doktor really stepped up to the plate in the ring today and covered for her feeling a bit less on her game than usual. She explained, “I didn’t feel very good at all during the test, and he just kept on going.”In just their second CDI competition at Large Tour together, LaGoy-Weltz and Rassing’s Lonoir, who were very successful in Small Tour classes last year at AGDF, proved that they’re a combination to watch at the Grand Prix level this year and are becoming comfortable and confident with the movements at Grand Prix level.
“He moved into Grand Prix at the beginning of Florida at the National level, and I’ve been thrilled with how focused he is and how relaxed he is with the work,” said LaGoy-Weltz. “It’s like he’s almost found his own and now it’s time and strength building. This is his sixth Grand Prix ever, so I’m pretty thrilled.”
Tomlinson has had a successful two weeks aboard both of her Grand Prix mounts, Rosalie B and Unique, owned by her parents, Dr. & Mrs. Bechtolsheimer. She found a confident and rideable horse beneath her today in the ring, as Unique, one of her greener mounts, concluded one of her best tests yet.
“[Wellington] is the first time that she’s been able to do a few Grand Prix shows in a row, which has helped us massively. She was a different horse to ride today than she was when she first got here. There are still parts of the test where she looks too big and not together to show off what she can really do and get those marks that she could get,” elaborated Tomlinson. “From a rideablity point of view, I’m thrilled. It’s really the best she’s been to ride, and she’s trying very hard for me. She’s obedient, and she’s never going to say no to anything. I’m thrilled with our progress and I feel like we also have a lot to build on as well."
Text by Carly Weilminster, edited by Eurodressage
Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Links
Scores 2016 CDI Wellington
Graves and Verdades Rise to Top 2016 CDI Wellington Grand Prix