Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 17, 2017–Katherine Bateson Chandler and Alcazar won the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle Friday night, the second victory for the pair this year after life-saving surgery last summer.

Katherine and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding scored 73.325 per cent eight months after the horse underwent life-saving surgery for a serious colic during the Nations Cup at Aachen, Germany.

Shelly Francis of Loxahatchee, Florida placed second on Doktor on 72.950 per cent just hours after winning the CDI3* Freestyle on Danilo.

Juan Matute, Jr., the 19-year-old Spanish rider who lives in Wellington, was third on 71.775 per cent in the first competition under lights for the 11-year-old gelding.

“Alcazar felt amazing,” Katherine said after the ride. “He always gets a little excited with the clapping so when we are warming up next to all of the clapping he sometimes gets a bit hysterical. He got calmer and calmer though as time went on. When he got into the ring I think he was relieved to take a breath for the rest of my test. He really tried super hard for me and that means a lot. We’ve been through a lot this past year and so this is really special.”

Of the performances this winter circuit after time off following the colic surgery, Katherine who is based in Wellington, said:

“To be honest, he had the surgery and then he never looked back. He was off for three months and then came back, almost better than ever. Just to have him alive because they didn’t give him much of a chance. For him to be back not long after and winning a CDI 4* is pretty amazing.”

Shelly Francis and Danilo scored 73.100 per cent for the CDI3* Freestyle victory with Switzerland’s Barbara Bertschinger on Rubin Cortes OLD second on 68.450 per cent and Ellesse Tzinberg of the Philippines on Triviant third on 64.050 per cent.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle

CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle