Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén & Don Auriello Log Personal Best in Winning Wellington CDI-W Grand Prix Special

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Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén and Don Auriello setting a new high mark for the pair in the Grand Prix Special. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén and Don Auriello setting a new high mark for the pair in the Grand Prix Special. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 2, 2014–Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén on Don Auriello won the Palm Beach Derby World Cup Grand Prix Special Sunday with a personal best score in their last competition before going to the World Cup Final in Lyon, France next month as the top ranked rider in the Western European League.

The six-time Swedish Olympian and the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding scored 77.804 per cent for the win, beating their previous best result of 77.688 per cent set a year ago in Florida.

Americans Caroline Roffman and Her Highness O, riding their first Grand Prix Special, placed second on 70.373 per cent while Lisa Wilcox and Denzello were third on 70.020 per cent.

Tinne and Don Auriello will be competing in their third World Cup Final and with the experience of coming after the warm Florida winter expects to have a different horse.

“You’re in this heat, and then go indoors in Europe again,” she said. “He’s totally different there. He gets hot. He gets totally excited. Here he’s a bit laid-back, and I have to get him awake. So I have to switch from one to another.

“But on the other hand I almost like the hotness now, when he has the routine. In the beginning it was scary, but now I like it because I think he gets even more expressive. I hope that it will be the perfect combination.”

Caroline Roffman and Her Higness O in their first Grand Prix Special at the Palm Beach Derby. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Caroline Roffman and Her Higness O in their first Grand Prix Special at the Palm Beach Derby. © 2014 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Caroline and Her Highness competed at small tour in Europe last summer, but this was the first international Grand Prix show for the pair.

Despite a few green errors, she said, she was grateful for the 11-year-old Hanoverian mare’s attitude.

“She always tries, sometimes too much,” said Caroline of Wellington. “I was also trying maybe too hard, maybe mistakes were silly on my part. She’s so honest, she just wants to do it for you. It’s a fun feeling to have a horse that’s always trying so hard, so I’m very happy with her.”

Although the World Cup Finals and World Equestrian Games to be held in Normandy, France in August were the championships all riders dream about, those are not goals for this year.

“I don’t want to blow her mind,” she said. “It’s not fair. She needs to take it easy and get confident, and me too, and then see what happens.”

Results:

Grand Prix Special
E: Warren – USAH: Dichmann – DENC: McMullen – CANM: Yukins – USAB: Gardner – GBR
RiderCtznHorse     /Breed/Sex/AgeERk.HRk.CRk.MRk.BRk.TPl.
Vilhelmson-Silfven, Tinne SWE Don Auriello /HANN/G/12 78.333 1 77.647 1 76.863 1 77.745 1 78.431 1 77.804 1
Roffman, Caroline USA Her Highness O    /HANN/M/11 68.235 3 71.961 2 70.882 3 69.706 3 71.078 2 70.373 2
Wilcox, Lisa USA Denzello  /HANN/G/11 70.196 2 68.922 3 70.980 2 70.490 2 69.510 4 70.020 3
Blitz, Heather USA Paragon         /DWB/G/11
 67.843 4 67.255 6 67.255 6 67.941 5 70.294 3 68.118 4
Dvorak, Tom CAN Viva’s Salieri W                   /HANN/S/13 65.882 7 67.549 4 67.353 5 65.196 7 68.725 5 66.941 5
Layne, Kelly AUS Von Primaire /KWPN/G/12 66.078 6 67.451 5 66.667 7 67.451 6 65.980 9 66.725 6
Hickey, Christopher USA Douglas Hilltop          /Bad-Wurt/G/14 65.392 8 65.882 7 67.843 4 63.431 10 67.647 6 66.039 7
Cordia-van Reesema, Eliane USA Jewel’s Adelante            /SWB/G/14 67.549 5 64.902 9 65.294 8 65.000 8 67.255 7 66.000 8
Vaughan, Joanne GEO Elmegarden’s Marquis            /DWB/G/15 63.922 10 64.314 11 65.000 9 68.333 4 66.078 8 65.529 0
Barisone, Michael USA HF Victor         /TRAK/G/12
 64.902 9 65.098 8 63.039 11 64.804 9 65.882 10 64.745 0
Mc Cusker, Sharon USA Wrigley            /KWPN/G/11
 63.431 11 64.510 10 63.824 10 63.333 11 63.824 11 63.784 0
Rumbough, Janne USA Junior               /PRE/G/12
 59.216 12 60.196 12 60.098 12 59.902 12 60.784 12 60.039 0