Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 24, 2022–Julio Cesar Mendoza Loor rode Jewel’s Goldstrike to victory in the Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Thursday for the first Big Tour victory by the Ecuador rider.

Julio, who is based in Columbus, North Carolina, and the 11-year-old KWPN gelding scored 72.348% for the win just their third Grand Prix, the second at CDI. The result was a career high for Julio at CDI Grand Prix with big disparities in marks from the five judges–a high of 77.717% and a low of 68.804%.

Germany’s Christoph Koschel and Favorito, a 12-year-old Lusitano stallion, was second on 67.717% in the last of the 2022 Global winter circuit of seven CDIs.

María Alejandra Aponte González of Colombia on Duke de Niro, an 18-year-old British-bred Hanoverian, was third on 67.283%.

Success for the partnership of Julio, who competed Chardonnay at the World Equestrian Games at Tryon just a few miles from his home, and Goldstrike (Bretton Woods x Scandic) has taken a while to come to fruition.

After taking over Goldstrike three years ago, the horse lived outside for the first year “to let him become a horse.”

Goldstrike could also become “spooky,” so he now lives outside most of the time where he is happiest.

The goal in the Grand Prix Thursday a week after their debut a week earlier that created a buzz because of the horse’s piaffe and passage was to build confidence in the partnership, Julio said.

The due received several marks of eight for the piaffe/passage tours and a handful of nines with a mistake in the two-tempi changes the only mistake.

“I think he now is confident in our partnership,” Julio said after the ride.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix for Freestyle