Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 15, 2019–Canada’s Tina Irwin on Laurencio won the Intermediate 1 Freestyle Friday to complete a sweep of the three Global Dressage Festival CDIO3* Nations Cup competitions while the USA’s Jennifer Baumert on Handsome shucked off the pressure trying not to let her team down and returned to the top form they produced the past two years.

And in what could be another foretaste of the Small Tour segment of the Pan American Games in four months, America’s Ashley Holzer on Valentine turned the tables on her god daughter, Lindsay Kellock of Canada on Floratina to place third.

The CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle under lights Friday night was won by Shelly Francis of Loxahatchee, Florida on Danilo  with a personal best score of 81.840 per cent.

The popular combination that competed at the 2018 World Cup Final in Paris received a standing ovation from the crowd that clapped in unison on the combination’s final centerline.

Yvonne Losos de Muñiz, the Olympian from the Dominican Republic, placed second on Aquamarijn on a score of 75.240 per cent.  Charlotte Jorst of Reno Nevada on Kastel’s Nintendo was third on 75.208 per cent.

The Wellington Nations Cup of Prix St. Georges, Int. 1 and the Int. 1 Freestyle at Small Tour and Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle at Big Tour is the only team competition this year leading to the Pan Ams and the format of mixed levels that will be staged in Lima, Peru in July, a once every four-year continental championship. It also was the first of eight Nations Cups in the trans-Atlantic series.

Canada, along with several other nations in the Americas, will be seeking one of two spots available through the Pan Ams to go to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. The U.S. team silver medal performance at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon last September has already clinched a start in Tokyo but will be aiming to extend to six straight Pan Am team gold performances.

Tina, who dropped Laurencio, a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding, back to Small Tour from Grand Prix to strengthen the Canadian team, scored 74.460 per cent to win the Freestyle.

Jennifer Baumert of Wellington and Handsome was close behind on 74.300 per cent.

Jennifer and the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding have won 12 times in 16 starts at Small Tour the past two years but did not display the same performances in the Prix St. Georges and the Int. 1 in this team competition.

“I haven’t ridden on a team before,” Jennifer said. “I tried too hard, I didn’t want to let down my team mates. I overrode him; I didn’t let him shine.”

But there was a big difference in the Freestyle when she rode Handsome “like I usually do,” after talking to U.S. coach Debbie McDonald and getting support from other experienced team riders who are competing in Wellington.

If she makes the U.S. team for the Pan Ams, she said, “I won’t make that mistake again.”

For Ashley Holzer, one of the most experienced championship riders and on four Olympic teams for Canada before switching to ride for America, her third place on 73.365 per cent put her ahead of her god daughter, Lindsay Kellock on Floratina riding for Canada and scoring 72.315 per cent for fifth place.

Ashley, based in Wellington, joked that when coaching Lindsay Thursday she had urged her to finish a strong second in the Int. 1. She did just that, but Ashley was not in front, placing third, that led to the friendly banter.

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