USA Team for CDIO5* Nations Cup at Aachen
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July 6, 2017
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
The Dutta Corp. United States team for the CDIO5* Nations Cup at Aachen, Germany July 14-23 was announced Thursday and includes the American Olympic bronze medalists Laura Graves on Verdades and Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet.
Olivia LaGoy-Weltz on Lonoir that were on the winning American Nations Cup team with the two Olympic pairs at Rotterdam two weeks ago and the 2012 Olympic rider Adrienne Lyle on Salvino in only the third CDI and team debut for the partnership make up the squad of four horses and riders.
The United States is at the top of the Nations Cup standings after four of seven events in the series. America is the defending Nations Cup champion from 2016, the inaugural year of the official series.
The U.S. team:
Laura Graves, 29, of Geneva, Florida and Verdades, 15-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Laura and Curt Maes;
Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, 33 years old, of Haymarket, Virginia and Lonoir, 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, owned by Olivia and Mary Anne McPhail;
Adrienne Lyle, 32, of Ketchum, Idaho and Salvino, 10-year-old Hanoverian stallion owned by Salvino Partners, LLC, and
Kasey Perry-Glass, 29 years old, of Wellington, Florida and Dublet, 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Diane Perry.
Robert Dover will be chef d’equipe.
Combination in the Aachen CDI4*:
Shelly Francis, 58, of Loxahatchee, Florida and Danilo, 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Patricia Stempel, and
Arlene “Tuny” Page, 61, of Wellington, Florida and her Woodstock, 14-year-old KWPN gelding.
The U.S. has entered all female teams in this year’s entire lineup of seven Nations Cups–a total of 15 different riders.
America is also the only country scheduled to compete in all seven events. The series this year began in Wellington, Florida then moved to Europe for six events–Compiègne, France; Uggerhalne, Denmark; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Falsterbo, Sweden; Aachen, Germany and ending at Hickstead, England later this month.
Debbie McDonald is the coach of Laura on Verdades, Kasey on Dublet, Adrienne on Salvino and Olivia and Lonoir who also works with Dutch trainer Egbert Kraak when in Europe.
Since Aachen’s first Nations Cup in 1977, Germany has won gold 36 times and the Netherlands three times (it was not held in 2015 when Aachen hosted the European Championships).
Both Laura Graves and Isabell Werth will celebrate birthdays on adjacent days during the competition.
Isabell will be 48 years old on Friday, July 21, a non-competition day between the Nations Cup Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special.
Laura will turn 30 on Saturday, July 22, the day of the Grand Prix Special that will decide the Nations Cup.
The impressive Deutsche Bank Stadium that accommodates 6,300 spectators will be the scene of what the organizers have billed as a “showdown” between Isabell ranked No. 1 in the world on Weihegold OLD and Laura ranked No. 4 on Verdades.
The Nations Cup starts with the Grand Prix on Thursday July 20 and the Grand Prix Special on Saturday July 21. The Grand Prix Freestyle is scheduled for Sunday July 22.
The format is different for the CDIO5* in Aachen with procedures similar to the Olympics–teams of up to four riders competing in the Grand Prix with three scores counting and the top six countries moving to the Grand Prix Special to decide the final placings.
The Grand Prix Freestyle is for individuals who qualify through the Grand Prix and the Special and whose scores in the musical performance stand alone.
The CDIO5*, CDI4* and CDI Under-25 with total prize money of €302,500/US$338,400 help attract a total of about 360,000 visitors to the CHIO that features driving, jumping, eventing and vaulting as well as dressage.
