Natalie Pai on Unlimited Wins Global’s Florida Youth International Championship Under-25 for 1st CDI Victory
7 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Natalie Pai on Unlimited Wins Global’s Florida Youth International Championship Under-25 for 1st CDI Victory
WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 14, 2018–Natalie Pai on Unlimited posted their best CDI Under-25 Intermediate II result to win the opening event of the Florida International Youth Championship Wednesday, with more United States riders at Under-25 in the four years of the event.
Natalie and the 17-year-old KWPN gelding, the 2017 United States Brentina Cup Under-25 reserve champion, scored 67.235 per cent for the first international victory since taking over the ride a year ago.
The 20-year-old Natalie is based in Wellington at Diamante Farm, sponsor of the class and where she works with German transplant Kevin Kohmann.
Canada’s Tanya Strasser-Shostak riding Renaissance Tyme, owned by her mother Evi Strasser, was second on 67.029 per cent with Molly Paris of Charlotte, North Carolina on Countess third on 66.059 per cent.
The Florida youth championship is part of Global’s CDI4* week with four Grand Prix–two at 4* and two at 3*–scheduled for Thursday with the largest number ever of combinations at 152 in a CDI outside of a handful in Western Europe.
This year’s Under-25 division of eight American in the lineup of 10 starting combinations is the largest in the four years it has been held. There were three Americans in a startling lineup of four in 2015, four among eight in 2016 and two in the five in 2017.
In the first of five days of CDI competition, Jennifer Baumert of Wellington and Handsome won the CDI3* Prix St. Georges with 70.441 per cent, the sixth in nine starts on this year’s winter circuit.
Canada’s Brittany Fraser on Soccer City was second on 70.294 per cent with Jodie Kelly-Baxley of Destin, Florida third on 70.235 per cent.
