Canada’s Alexandra Duncan & Vitall Return to Big Tour to Win Tryon World Cup Grand Prix

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Alexandra Duncan riding Vitall to victory at the Tryon World Cup Grand Prix. © 2017 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

MILL SPRING, North Carolina, Sept. 15, 2017–Alexandra Duncan on Vitall won the World Cup Grand Prix Friday for the first Big Tour victory for the Canadian rider and her 15-year-old KWPN gelding, returning to competition after a 2 1/2-year absence.

Alexandra, 27 years old who is based in Loxahatchee, Florida and Vitall scored 65,600 per cent for the win in the first competition for the pair since the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington in the winter of 2015.

Vitall posted a victory in their only CDI Under-25 Grand Prix competition, at Wellington in 2014, then was injured a year later and underwent surgery.

Alexandra bought Vitall in Germany as she was finishing Young Riders, in which she competed on Elektra at the North American championships in 2006 and 2007, winning freestyle gold in 2007.

“I took him home to Vancouver, Canada,” she said of Vitall. “We competed in California, and then we were living in Europe for about six years.” She has been based in Florida for the past 3 years.

Her goal is earn a spot on the Canadian team at the World Equestrian Games to be held at these same show grounds exactly a year from now.

Molly Paris of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina on Countess placed second on 64.360 per cent with Elizabeth Austin of Williston, Vermont was third on 63.680 per cent.

The number of starting combinations was reduced as some riders had to stay home to clean up after the southeast United States was hit by Hurricane Irma last week.

Results:

Grand Prix CDI-W
E: Umbach – LUXH: Ebert – USAC: Lopes – PORM: Sanders-Van Gansewinkel – NEDB: Zang – USA
RiderCtznHorseERk.HRk.CRk.MRk.BRk.TPl.
Duncan, Alexandra CAN Vitall 66.300 1 66.600 1 66.600 1 64.300 1 64.200 1 65.600 1
Paris, Molly USA Countess 63.800 3 64.000 3 66.100 2 64.100 2 63.800 2 64.360 2
Austin, Elizabeth USA Steeped In Luck 62.700 5 66.200 2 63.000 5 63.900 3 62.600 5 63.680 3
Gentry, Kim AUS Leonardo 65.500 2 62.500 6 64.700 3 61.000 5 63.000 3 63.340 4
Tate, Jessica Jo USA Cayman V 63.700 4 63.400 5 63.900 4 61.800 4 62.900 4 63.140 5
Hill, Debbie USA Zarcita 62.100 6 63.700 4 61.900 6 60.300 6 60.800 6 61.760 6
Poag, Katie USA Zonnekoning 56.400 7 55.400 7 59.000 7 57.800 7 55.000 7 56.720 7
Layne, Kelly AUS Von Primaire Elim.