Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Nov. 15, 2020–Susan Dutta and Don Design DC won the Global Dressage Fall Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Special Sunday, their first Big Tour victory in preparing to seek a place on the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics in eight months.

Susan and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding that was bought five years ago from Hof Kasselman in Hagen, Germany scored 67.872% for the win. This was the first international competition for the pair since two starts during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington last winter that began their Big Tour career before the coronavirus-triggered lockdowns.

Susan, who lives in Wellington and works with U.S. team rider Adrienne Lyle, was a member of the 2007 Pan American Games gold medal team.

She has a second Grand Prix mount, Figeac DC, that she is aiming to earn for the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden next April.

Anna Marek of Williston, Florida placed second on Dee Clair, an American-bred 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, on 66.574%. She was third in the Grand Prix Freestyle Saturday on Snoopy Sunday.

Lars Petersen, the 1996 Olympian and team member at four World Equestrian Games for his native Denmark, placed third on Svalegards De Luxe on 65.787% in the pair’s first Big Tour competition as he, too, is on the list seeking a place for Tokyo. This is his first bid to ride on a U.S. team since he became an American citizen three years ago.

Lars, who lives in Wellington, and the 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding made an error of course and experienced a wide disparity in scoring. Three of the five judges awarded the duo better than 67%, a fourth score was 64.489% and 61.936% from American 3* judge Kari McClain.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Special