USA’s Olympic Team Mates Laura Graves & Verdades, Kasey Perry-Glass & Dublet Finish 1-2 In Wellington World Cup Freestyle
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By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 24, 2017–Olympic bronze medal team mates Laura Graves on Verdades and Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet finished one-two in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival World Cup Freestyle Friday setting up a last-minute race for a start in the Omaha Final.
Laura Graves and the 15-year-old KWPN gelding ranked No. 5 in the world clinched their start in the Final with a score of 81.903 per cent added to a result of 82.000 per cent two weeks earlier for the required top two scores in the North American League.
Video of Laura and Verdades can be seen here.
Kasey Perry-Glass, now based in Wellington, rode Dublet in their first Freestyle in 11 months to place second 79.541 per cent but require a second score with only two qualifiers remaining–one in Wellington and the other in Burbank, California, both next week.
Video of Kasey and Dublet can be seen here..
Steffen Peters on Rosamunde placed third on 78.732 per cent that added to a World Cup score of 78.425 per cent in Las Vegas last month officially puts them in second place. He will show Rosamunde in Burbank.
Thomas Baur, the sports director of the Global circuit, said that by his calculations although the North American League is allocated only two places at the Final there was a chance of attaining a third spot through one of the two extra starting places.
That sets up Kasey in Wellington and Steffen of San Diego, California in Burbank contesting for the second and third places.
Kasey said that she and her coach, Debbie McDonald, who also works with Laura, had “worked tirelessly on relaxation” of Dublet because he gets nervous.
“He showed me tonight he has more in him and he loves his job,” she said. “Everything about the test was fun.”
Steffen said that his 10-year-old Rhinelander mare Rosamunde “did great, but she still had more energy than I was hoping for but it was controllable.”
He acknowledged that Kasey and Dublet were ahead on the score so far and if she and Laura go to the Final, “the bottom line is those two are extremely exciting World Cup candidates.”
Isobell Wessels of Great Britain, president of the ground jury of five judges, had high praise for a “really exciting competition to judge.”
“I was blown away by the energy, elasticity and scope of these three,” she said. “They are three good riders and amazing horses.”
She also singled out Argentina’s Maria Florencia Manfredi on Bandurria Kacero as performing an enjoyable freestyle in which the horse “had a smile on his face” and that could put the duo in contention for an extra start in Omaha
Results:
