Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 24, 2019–Kasey Perry-Glass rode Dublet to a new high score to win the World Cup Grand Prix Thursday to beat Olympic and World Equestrian Games team mate Laura Graves on Verdades for the first time in almost three years.

In the first competition since the World Equestrian Games team silver medal performance in September, Kasey and the 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding scored 77.913 per cent for the win and surpassed their previous best of 77.440 per cent set at Compiègne, France in May 2016. That was also the only other time the pair beat Laura and Verdades until Thursday.

Laura and Verdades, the No. 2 combination in the world, placed second on 77.087 per cent, a rare loss at Wellington’s Palm Beach International Equestrian Center Stadium complex. The pair won all six starts in both 2017 and 2018, won eight times out of 12 starts in 2016 and six of seven starts in 2015.

Adrienne Lyle on Salvino, the third member of the Tryon WEG team, were third on 74.717 per cent in what was also their first show since the world championships.

Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper, the fourth member of the USA Tryon team, was the only combination not competing here as the pair are scheduled to show in Temecula, California this weekend.

Kasey, at 31 years of age the youngest of the WEG team riders, went back to her Orangevale, California home base for two months before returning to Wellington for the winter circuit and to pursue a start at the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden in April. North America gets two starting places in the annual world championship decided by the Freestyle.

She has been competing Dublet (Diamond Hit x Ferro) internationally since 2013, first at Small Tour and then beginning Grand Prix three years ago.

Dublet gets aquatred three times a week and when not in full work is turned out all day.

“I’m just trying to keep his mind healthy,” Kasey said, “sometimes it feels like he’s a little bit on the lazy side, but as long as he’s happy and he gets in that arena and he sparks up completely and he loves his job. He’s a very special horse.”

Kasey was not surprised at the result “because I know that this horse has a lot of potential, but coming out for your first show you always want to do good and start where you left off last year. I felt like that test was better than I’ve ever felt him. The rideability was there, his mental game was there, it just showed that he’s ready for this year.”

This year for the duo includes the World Cup and then another European summer tour peaking in the Nations Cup at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany.

Based on the World Games results, the United States has already qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Results: