David Marcus & Chrevi’s Capital Climb in Olympic Rankings with Canada Classic CDI3* Victories
13 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on David Marcus & Chrevi’s Capital Climb in Olympic Rankings with Canada Classic CDI3* Victories
BURLINGTON, Ontario, May 19–Less than five months since becoming a Canadian citizen, David Marcus and Chrevi’s Capital took a giant leap Saturday to claim a place on his new nation’s Olympic team when the pair won the Canada Classic CDI3* Olympic Grand Prix Special with the highest score for the Special of any Canadian so far in qualifying for the Games in London this summer.
The pair scored 72.356 per cent to surpass the results for the Special of Canada’s three-time Olympian Ashley Holzer who leads the Canadian team rankings with her 2008 Beijing mount Pop Art and her new star, Breaking Dawn, as well as all the other combinations pursuing the goal of being one of the three members of the Canadian team. A squad of four combinations is likely to go to Europe, based on results, ahead of the Games.
Jacqueline Brooks and D Niro, who were ranked behind only Ashley on her two horses before this weekend, were second in the Special on 69.758 per cent and improved her average.
Cesar Parra, seeking an invitation to the U.S. selection trials aboard Van the Man, was third on 66.644 per cent. Coupled with his Grand Prix result and a score from a previous competition, that may leave him short of his goal. But there is one competition of qualifying to go–the pair are entered in a CDI3* in New Jersey next weekend.
The Grand Prix and Olympic Grand Prix Special are critical for the Olympic team competition at Greenwich Park, with London’s skyline as a backdrop and an easy subway ride from the Olympic Village in the heart of the city.
The Grand Prix of about 50 combinations will be held Aug. 2-3 and the Special two days later that will decide the team medals.
This weekend’s Canada Classic belonged to David, 31, and the 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Chrevi’s Lavallo x Indira Gandhi x Weinberg) owned by Deborah Kinzinger, notching not only the first victory for the pair at Grand Prix, but two first places at the show. Their result in Saturday’s Special came a day after the partnership posted a personal best score of 68.681 per cent in winning the Grand Prix.
A calculation by dressage-news.com–unofficial and not confirmed by Equine Canada–boosted their average of the top four scores to 68.772 per cent from an average of 67.251 per cent of their three scores before this CDI.
Of the other combinations with the required four scores, Jacqueline Brooks and D Niro will have an average of about 69.17 per cent, keeping them ahead of all contenders except for Ashley and her two mounts.
After David and Chrevi’s Capital average of 68.772 per cent, Diane Creech and Devon L, who withdrew this weekend, average 68.499 per cent and Pia Fortmuller and Orion are on 68.066 per cent.
Both classes were judged by three Canadians and two foreign judges, an “exception” permitted by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) for competitions outside Europe where three foreign judges are required.
With the Grand Prix and Special results they now have five qualifying scores–the best four will count–and plan to compete next week at the Kentucky Dressage CDI3* in Lexington, and raise the bar for other combinations seeking to qualify before the Canadian team qualifying cutoff date of June 18.
Before this show, they were on the fringes of qualifying for a place on Canada’s Olympic squad along with a half-dozen other combinations seeking a ticket to London.
Although David moved from Omaha, Nebraska, to attend McMaster University when he was 18 years old, the Grand Prix career with Chrevi’s Capital is only as old as the Canadian citizenship he was awarded last Christmas.
Before this weekend’s first CDI in David’s new homeland, the pair’s international resumé was made up of seven events on the Florida winter circuit that showed steady progression of improving scores and reliability–starting with scores in the low to mid 60s and placings in double digits to second place in the Wellington CDI5* Special at the end of March.
They took a detour last month to officially display Canada’s maple leaf on saddle pad and jacket for the first time when they were on the team in the CDIO3* Nations Cup, but they had to drop back to small tour for the event.
Results:
