France’s Morgan Barbançon on Habana Libre Wins Wellington CDI4* Grand Prix Special on Her Highest Special Result Since 2014 World Games
2 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on France’s Morgan Barbançon on Habana Libre Wins Wellington CDI4* Grand Prix Special on Her Highest Special Result Since 2014 World Games
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 28, 2023–Morgan Barbançon on Habana Libre won the Global Dressage Festival CDI4* Grand Prix Special Saturday on a score that was the highest for the French rider in the Special since competing Painted Black at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy in 2014.
The score of 74.404% brought the rider to tears as she left the arena on Habana, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding that she has had since the horse was four and one of three that she brought with her to Florida. The highest Special result before Saturday was 74.902% on Painted Black at WEG but that she also rode for Spain at the 2012 Olympics in London.
The win was the second since the 30-year-old Morgan arrived for her first Florida winter circuit, having captured a CDI3* Freestyle on Bolero in her first show a week ago.
Morgan was not expecting too much from the Special with Habana–“I thought we would get a 72% or maybe 73%, and I would have been super happy with that, especially after the Grand Prix, which we didn’t have such a great ride, with too many mistakes and a lot of tension, and I was feeling a bit disappointed.
“Today I had such a floaty ride and fluid, and I didn’t push,” she said, “really my goal was to give him confidence in the ring, and have a fault-free test. And that’s what I had. I was over the moon.”
She cried, she said, “because Habana has come a long way. We have had him since he was four, and it wasn’t always the easiest. so today made it very special.”
A possible start in the next few weeks may be in the CDI5*, she said., but as she will be here until the end of March will take it week by week.
She is also currently a contender for the World Cup Final in Omaha the first week of April that immediately follows the Florida winter circuit.
Germany’s Anna Christian Abbelen on Sam Donnerhall placed second on 71.234% with Pablo Gómez Molina of Spain on Ulises de Ymas third on 69.915%.
Susan Pape of Great Britain on Harmony’s Eclectisch won the CDI3* Grand Prix Special on 70.021%.
Caroline Chew on Blue Hors Zatchmo was runner-up on 68.128% with Christopher Hickey of Wellington on Stenagers Wyatt Earp third on 67.936%.
CDI4* Grand Prix Special
| Judges: | Christof Umbach | Monique Peutz – Vegter | Kurt Christensen | Carlos Lopes | Kjell Myhre | ||||||||
| Place | Score | Nation | Athlete | Horse | E | H | C | M | B | ||||
| 1. | 74.404 | FRA | Morgan Barbançon | Habana Libre A | 74.787 | 73.936 | 74.468 | 73.617 | 75.213 | ||||
| 2. | 71.234 | GER | Anna-Christina Abbelen | Sam Donnerhall | 71.809 | 71.170 | 72.128 | 71.064 | 70.000 | ||||
| 3. | 69.915 | ESP | Pablo Gómez Molina | Ulises de Ymas | 71.702 | 69.787 | 69.468 | 69.787 | 68.830 | ||||
| 4. | 68.298 | GER | Michael Klimke | Harmony’s Sanrino RHP | 68.830 | 69.043 | 67.128 | 67.128 | 69.362 | ||||
| 5. | 68.191 | ARM | Carrie Schopf | Saumur | 68.936 | 68.404 | 68.617 | 67.234 | 67.766 | ||||
| 6. | 68.170 | USA | Lehua Custer | F.J. Ramzes | 70.106 | 69.255 | 66.064 | 67.979 | 67.447 |
CDI3* Grand Prix Special
| Judges: | Sandra Hotz | Christof Umbach | Monique Peutz – Vegter | Kurt Christensen | Carlos Lopes | ||||||||
| Place | Score | Nation | Athlete | Horse | E | H | C | M | B | ||||
| 1. | 70.021 | GBR | Susan Pape | Harmony’s Eclectisch | 70.213 | 69.787 | 70.106 | 69.894 | 70.106 | ||||
| 2. | 68.128 | SGP | Caroline Chew | Blue Hors Zatchmo | 66.702 | 69.362 | 69.894 | 68.085 | 66.596 | ||||
| 3. | 67.936 | USA | Christopher Hickey | Stenagers Wyatt Earp | 69.787 | 66.596 | 69.043 | 67.234 | 67.021 | ||||
| 4. | 66.745 | USA | Geñay Vaughn | Gino | 68.830 | 66.064 | 66.809 | 66.702 | 65.319 | ||||
| 5. | 66.659 | CAN | Ariana Chia | Fiderflame | 65.000 | 67.021 | 65.319 | 67.553 | 68.404 | ||||
| 6. | 65.915 | USA | Shannon Stevens | Ferrari | 66.809 | 67.128 | 65.745 | 66.915 | 62.979 | ||||
| 7. | 65.851 | USA | Jan Ebeling | Jubi’s Tenacity | 64.277 | 68.851 | 63.851 | 66.191 | 66.085 | ||||
| 8. | 65.340 | USA | Nancy Smith | Eragon VO | 66.809 | 65.745 | 66.170 | 63.723 | 64.255 | ||||
| 9. | 64.957 | VEN | Patricia Ferrando | Elvis | 65.532 | 64.468 | 63.830 | 65.638 | 65.319 | ||||
| 10. | 64.617 | USA | Emily Smith | Dublin | 65.000 | 63.404 | 65.745 | 66.064 | 62.872 | ||||
| 11. | 64.532 | USA | Katie Poag | Zonnekoning | 65.957 | 65.426 | 64.149 | 62.340 | 64.787 | ||||
| 12. | 64.319 | USA | Amy Swerdlin | Quileute CCW | 66.596 | 59.362 | 63.191 | 67.234 | 65.213 | ||||
| 13. | 62.149 | USA | Lauren Sprieser | Guernsey Elvis | 61.702 | 60.000 | 62.340 | 63.404 | 63.298 | ||||
| SCR | USA | Sylvia Gugler | Conteur’s Cadeau 2 | ||||||||||
| ELIM | USA | Heather Mc Carthy | Au Revoir |
