Anders Dahl & Wie Atlantico Win, Morgan Barbançon Debuts Girasol for 2nd at Saumur CDI3* Grand Prx
10 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Anders Dahl & Wie Atlantico Win, Morgan Barbançon Debuts Girasol for 2nd at Saumur CDI3* Grand Prx
SAUMUR, France, Sept. 25, 2015–Denmark’s Anders Dahl on Wie Atlantico claimed victory while Spain’s Morgan Barbançon debuted Girasol for a close second place in the Saumur CDI3* Grand Prix Friday.
Anders and the 16-year-old Hanoverian scored 70.920 per cent that was the second highest Grand Prix result on the horse he began riding two years ago. The gelding had been partnered by his wife, Fiona Bigwood on Great Britain’s silver medal team at the 2010 World Games and was ridden by Juan Matute, now based in Wellington, Florida on the Spanish team at the 2007 European Championships.
Morgan Barbançon’s first international competition on Girasol earned the pair 70.880 per cent just seven weeks after taking over the ride on the 14-year-old Baden-Württemberg mare from German Olympian Nadine Capellmann.
Nadine had competed Girasol for five years hoping the mare would be a successor to her 2008 Olympic team gold medal mount Elvis but it did not work out and she decided to give another rider a chance.
The 23-year-old Morgan took over the ride just weeks before the European Championships where she competed Painted Black for the last time but to lead the Spanish team to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Germany’s Bernadette Brune on Spirit of the Age OLD was third on 69.800 per cent.
Results:
