Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 24, 2023–Pablo Gómez Molina of Spain rode Ulises de Ymas to a personal best score and a performance that captivated the crowd and the judges to win the Global Dressage Festival Grand Prix Freestyle under the lights Friday night.

The partnership of Pau, as the 28-year-old rider is known, and the P.R.E. gelding scored 77.865% for the musical performance in Wellington’s famous Friday night under the lights with thousands of spectators in the stands and the VIP pavilion. The pair won the Grand Prix Thursday, also with a personal best score.

Riders from three different nations filled the top spots–none from the USA–in a lineup of six combinations that was cut down by scratches.

Suphakamol Vuntanadit of Thailand riding in Wellington for the first time scored 71.580% on Dreamboat BCN, a 15-year-old KWPN gelding.

Canada’s Mathilde Blais Tétreault on the 13-year-old KWPN gelding Fedor was third on 71.180%.

Pau, who is coached by Spanish Olympian Jose Daniel Marin Dockx, said he created the floor plan for the Freestyle for the 13-year-old gelding after he began Grand Prix two years ago.

The success in this week’s Grand Prix and Freestyle, he said, “was a very big moment for me.”

“I didn’t have much experience in the Grand Prix and neither did he,” he said of the ride to a mix of music to the Harry Potter theme song, Queen and la Vida es Belso so “now we need to make it a bit more difficult.”

Isobel Wessels, president of the ground jury who was asked about judging of Iberian horses that some times appeared different than for warmbloods, said:

“I have to be honest and say it wasn’t the easiest class to judge. We had lots of talent and it was so nice to see so many different nations. It was a small group and not always so easy to find the right marks but I have to say these three here were wonderful and the winner was really outstanding.

“What came clear to me was that this was a really happy horse. In a time of so much criticism of our wonderful sport here was a happy horse and smiling rider. It was a such a lovely picture to judge. The music fit it and it was really exciting. When they came down the last centerline I thought, ‘Well, I hope you have the brakes.’ It was so nice to see good riders from other places making their path. Tonight’s audience was great and it makes a very special evening for everyone.

“They are not always so easy to judge because they have XX in some direction but not in every direction. What we saw tonight was a horse that was elastic, going forward, meeting all the criteria of the rules of the ideal picture of a Grand Prix horse with beautiful riding and a lot of harmony.

“Whether it’s a Trakehner, a P.R.E., a Lusitano or any other breed we look for the same qualities and this was shown to us very clearly tonight. Tonight you have him a little longer in the neck. Yes, you had some little mistakes but they were not from bad training or because you weren’t good enough.

“It was a little bit over exuberance and this is a positive in a Grand Prix horse. You will never be wearing your legs out on such a horse. We notice all these qualities and then it’s easy to mark any horse of any type a good way because there’s a tick in every box.”

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle