Ecuador’s Julio Cesar Mendoza Loor on Jewel’s Goldstrike Posts Career High Grand Prix Score to Win Wellington CDI3*
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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
Judges: | Peter Storr | Maarten Van der Heijden | Sven-Günter Rothenberger | Thomas Keßler | Kurt Christensen | ||||||||
Place | Score | Nation | Athlete | Horse | E | H | C | M | B | ||||
1. | 72.348 | ECU | Julio Cesar Mendoza Loor | Jewel’s Goldstrike | 77.717 | 68.804 | 70.435 | 72.717 | 72.065 | ||||
2. | 67.717 | GER | Christoph Koschel | Favorito 11 | 68.043 | 66.957 | 67.500 | 67.935 | 68.152 | ||||
3. | 67.283 | COL | María Alejandra Aponte González | Duke De Niro | 67.065 | 66.848 | 66.848 | 67.935 | 67.717 | ||||
4. | 65.413 | USA | Hope Cooper | Hot Chocolate W | 64.348 | 66.630 | 65.870 | 64.783 | 65.435 | ||||
5. | 64.739 | CAN | Evi Strasser | Déjà Vu Tyme | 65.326 | 66.304 | 65.435 | 63.804 | 62.826 | ||||
6. | 62.652 | SUI | Barbara Bertschinger | Sonnenberg’s Solisco CH | 62.391 | 64.239 | 61.522 | 61.739 | 63.37 | ||||
7. | 62.261 | CAN | Karis Van Essen | Camistry J | 61.739 | 62.717 | 62.826 | 61.087 | 62.935 | ||||
8. | 59.848 | USA | Kerrigan Gluch | Mejorano HGF | 57.935 | 60.000 | 60.978 | 59.022 | 61.304 | ||||
9. | 59.522 | CAN | Mathilde Blais Tetreault | Fedor | 58.761 | 59.522 | 60.065 | 61.478 | 57.783 |