Steffen Peters & Rosamunde Lead All American Sweep of Wellington CDI3* Grand Prix
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By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 10, 2016–Steffen Peters on Rosamunde led an American sweep of the top places in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Wednesday with Kasey Perry-Glass emerging as an U.S. Olympic team prospect after just two Big Tour performances.
Steffen who is competing both Rosamunde and Legolas at this Diamante Farm CDI3*/5* event, one of the richest in the world, scored 75.380 per cent. The score was shy of the personal best Steffen and the nine-year-old Rhinelander mare posted two weeks ago at Los Angeles near his home in San Diego, California.
Shelly Francis of Loxahatchee, Florida and a 1998 American World Games team rider, placed second on Danilo with a score of 72.240 per cent.
Kasey Perry-Glass, based in Wellington after moving from California last year, was third on Dublet, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, on 71.020 per cent in only the second CDI Grand Prix since starting Big Tour in January (see separate story).
Steffen said he felt a “bit of pressure” coming to Wellington after the success of the pair in California, “but it felt just as good as in Los Angeles. It was a very clean test but there’s always room for improvement.
“Clearly in the one tempis she was swinging quite a bit. We were on 81 per cent after the trot work and then it went up again after the one-tempis.”
Thirty-nine combinations from 14 nations were on the start list for the CDI3*, but the Florida-based Australian Kelly Layne withdrew Udon in the warm-up when the horse coughed repeatedly.
Among the starting combinations were some new partnerships.
Laura Tomlinson rode Rosalie B and said she was excited she may have a horse that could give her a shot at making the British team for Rio de Janeiro.
The 10-year-old Westfalen mare that Laura was riding in a competition for the first time since the horse was bought two months ago from Klaus Balkenhol, her trainer who bred Rosalie, scored 67.900 per cent.
Laura, British team gold and individual bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games, said she was “thrilled” although the mare was a “little antsy” going into a competition arena as a partnership for the first time. It was also the first Grand Prix for Rosalie–Anabel Balkenhol, Klaus’s daughter and a German Olympian, rode the horse to Small Tour.
Chris von Martels, Canadian Pan American Games team silver and individual bronze medalist on his Small Tour horse, and 14-year-old Westfalen gelding placed 13th on 66.700 per cent.
Divertimento was trained and competed by Sweden’s six-time Olympian Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén but has selected Don Auriello, her World Games and European Championship mount, as her Rio ride.
Charlotte Jorst of Reno, Nevada came fifth on Kastel’s Akeem Foldager in the duo’s first CDI in Florida after an unsuccessful start in California last year. Charlotte bought the horse a year ago. It had been ridden by Andreas Helgstrand on the Danish team at the 2013 European Championships.
Sarah Daehnert rode the former British championship team horse in their first CDI for a score of 61.620 per cent.
The British-bred 14-year-old Hanoverian mare ridden for Great Britain by Michael Eilberg, was bought last year as an U.S. Olympic team prospect for Sarah.
Results:
