Germany’s Anja Plönzke & Le Mont d’Or Record 1st USA Win, Capturing Florida CDI3* Freestyle

13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Germany’s Anja Plönzke & Le Mont d’Or Record 1st USA Win, Capturing Florida CDI3* Freestyle
Anja Plönzke and Le Mont d'Or. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

LOXAHATCHEE, Florida, Mar. 25–Anja Plönzke of Germany recorded her first win in America in riding Le Mont d’Or to victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle at the IHS Champions Cup CDI3* Sunday.

Anja said it “was great to hear the German national anthem for the first time that I have been here” after she and the 13-year old Oldenburg gelding (Landjuwel Gold x Wie Andrea x Wie Weltmeyer) scored 72.200 per cent for the victory with Florida-based Mikala Gundersen of Denmark and My Lady second on 71.175 per cent, Canada’s Diane Creech on Devon L third on 70.525 per cent and Marina Parris-Woodhead of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, and Pandorra fourth on 65.375 per cent.

Only four combinations started the class before virtually no spectators, another in a winter-long decimation of freestyles in Florida and California as a result of U.S. Olympic qualifying criteria requiring no freestyles that left organizers struggling to attract entries and spectators despite record prize money.

Anja began competing Le Mont d’Or at Grand Prix in 2009 and participated in the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach in Florida the past three years. Although she was here for WDM in January, she returned to compete in two CDI3* events and the Global Dressage Festival CDI5*, the only CDI5* in North America this year–with its $120,000 (€90,000) in prize money later this week.

The horse “is in a good mood,” she said, as they did no shows in Germany after WDM and plan no shows when they return home at the end of March until the CDI5* in Munich.
The competition this weekend, she said, “was a little bit smaller than a normal CDI3*, but the footing was good and it was nice.”