Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

VERDEN, Germany, Aug. 9, 2014–David Marcus rode Chrevi’s Capital to a personal best score and second place behind the United States’ Steffen Peters and Legolas in the CDI3* Grand Prix for the Canadian team’s last competition before the World Equestrian Games begining in just two weeks.

David and the 14-year-old Dansh Warmblood gelding were scored 72.300 per cent for second place while team mate Belinda Trussell on Anton scored 69.720 per cent to tie for 10th place.

The two other Canadian team combinations of Karen Pavicic on Don Daiquiri and Megan Lane on Caravella did not show though their national federation declared the event as “mandatory,” which was confirmed by Special Advisor Desi Dillingham to dressage-news.com at Hickstead, England last week. She said the determination to make it mandatory was made during the Florida winter circuit.

There was no explanation for the absence of two combinations, but both riders were at Verden–their horses were not.

Both said their horses were fit and sound and planned to be at the WEG in Normandy, France for dressage competition beginning Aug. 25.

Jacqueline Brooks on D Niro, the team reserve is not in Europe to fill a place on the team if there is an injury. Nations Cup teams can have as many as four combinations but only three scores count.

The focus Saturday was on David on his 2012 Olympic mount and Belinda on Anton, the 14-year-old gelding she competed for Canada at the World Games in Kentucky in 2010.

Anton was sidelined for a year with an injury but the pair returned to international competition on Florida’s winter circuit this year achieving their best results in five years on the Big Tour.

David said after the Grand Prix the personal best scored performance was “very exciting.” Their previous best Grand Prix result was 71.213 per cent at the Devon, Pennsylvania World Cup event almost twe years ago.

“I know there are still points left in that horse,” he told dressage-news.com. “I have never thought he was maxed out. I feel like there are improvements to be made. It was not was a perfect test, but I’m very happy with the test and the result.

“For me, it’s been a consistent program with him since London to prepare for these world championships. This was exactly what I wanted to do–compete at a big show at Aachen (Germany) where he was very respectable then come to one more show before the WEG where I could have a nice result like today for my confidence and his. This was exactly what I was hoping for.”

He believed a horse could peak only so much before a show, and the goal of the Verden competition with 31 starting combinations including Olympians from Germany and the United States as well as himself and Belinda (Athens in 2004) “was just to go in and put in a clean test.”

“Today,” he said, “I didn’t push for lots of brilliance. I rode for an accurate, clean test. We’ll now start to build him up for the WEG and hope for an even better result.”

David and Chrevi’s Capital were coached by Oded Shimoni, who is based in Wellington, Florida and also has been the trainer for Megan Lane on Caravella that have seen them become one of Canada’s top partnerships this year, finishing at the top of the official rankings.

Oded helped him most days during the Florida circuit then when he returned to Canada Nicholas Fyffe, an Australian and his partner, helped him every day on the ground. Since coming to Europe he has been helped by the highly respected Jan Bemelmans between visits by Oded.

“I’ve had lots of help to make sure I’m not left on my own,” he said. “At this level if you’re looking for one or two more points it makes a difference to have constant help on the ground.”

Oded will be on the ground in France when David and the his team mates go into training camp 10 days before the world championships.