Olivia LaGoy-Weltz & Lonoir Eke Out Victory in Wellington CDI3* Grand Prix
7 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Olivia LaGoy-Weltz & Lonoir Eke Out Victory in Wellington CDI3* Grand Prix
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 22, 2018–Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and Lonoir eked out a narrow victory in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Thursday after overcoming an expensive spook during the ride.
Olivia of Haymarket, Virginia wasn’t sure what fired up the 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding during the start of the zig-zag and continued through several movements but the pair were awarded 71.652 per cent.
Arlene “Tuny” Page of Wellington riding Woodstock despite a fractured left heel placed second on 71.435 per cent, just 0.217 percentage points back of the winner.
Canada’s Jill Irving on Degas 12 was third on 70.609 per cent.
Olivia, who was on the United States Nations Cup teams at Rotterdam and Aachen last summer with Lonoir that she owns with Mary Anne McPhail, said the spook at the start of the zig-zag “sure took me by surprise.”
“I kind of wanted to crawl into a paper bag after that,” she said after the ride was affected through to the second pirouette.
But she admitted “I think I have a lot of practice, I’ve ridden through a lot of these” with Lonoir at small tour.
It showed, though, she said, that Lonoir is turning 14 this year and “still has lots of go and spark and lots of energy.”
Julio Mendoza of Ecuador on Chardonnay posted the first of two scores to qualify for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in September.
Julio, who is based near Tryon, scored 66.087 per cent and needs a second score of at least 66 per cent to become the first dressage rider from Ecuador to qualify for the world championships.
Results:
CDI3* Grand Prix
