By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 2, 2024–Camille Carier Bergeron in just her second show on Finnländerin won the Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Special Saturday, the first Canadian Big Tour victory so far this Olympic year.
Camille and the 14-year-old Oldenburg scored 71.511% for her first Big Tour victory and that may have boosted the rider to the early lead in Canada’s Olympic rankings that run to the beginning of June, two months ahead of the Games in Paris.
Australia’s Jemma Heran on Saphira Royal, 15-year-old Rhinelander mare, was runner-up on a personal best 70.575% after the Germany-based pair captured the Grand Prix Thursday, also on a personal best.
Fellow Canadian Denielle Gallagher on the 12-year-old Lusitano gelding Come Back de Massa also posted a personal best 69.915% for third.
Kasey Perry-Glass, an Olympic and World Equestrian Games team medalist for the USA, placed fourth on Heartbeat W.P. 69.723% to complete the first international competition for the partnership.
Finnländerin was bought by Camille’s father in 2022 after the horse was competed at Big Tour by Madeleine Witte-Vrees of the Netherlands. Camille said she spent 2023 getting to know Finnländerin, that is nicknamed “The Queen,” as she is treated by the rider and others in their Quebec stables.
“We’re still getting to know one another,” said Camille who was on Canada’s bronze medal team at Grand Prix with Sound of Silence at last year’s Pan American Games and both individual and team gold medalist in earlier North American youth championships. She trains with Canadian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu who rode All In at the Tokyo Olympics, the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the 2015 Pan Ams in Toronto.
“My goal for today was just to go clean because I knew if we could go clean we would have a good mark. This horse has no hole, she doesn’t have one weakness. Everything is good, all three gaits are good, the changes are really big… she’s so consistent and she goes in there and she really fights for me and she goes that last and just gives me more... until the end, and she’s never going to let me down.
“She really fights for me so I knew I just had to ride as good as she can be. That was my goal for today and it just feels unreal. It’s really like a special moment for me.”
Results:
| Rank | Competitor | Score | E | H | C | M | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |
Camille Carier Bergeron (CAN)
Finnländerin
|
71.511% | 71.170 | 70.426 | 71.277 | 71.170 | 73.511 |
| 2. |
Jemma Heran (AUS)
Saphira Royal 2
|
70.575% | 70.851 | 69.149 | 70.213 | 70.851 | 71.809 |
| 3. |
Denielle Gallagher (CAN)
Come Back de Massa
|
69.915% | 69.681 | 68.723 | 71.170 | 69.362 | 70.638 |
| 4. |
Kasey Perry-Glass (USA)
Heartbeat W.P.
|
69.723% | 70.638 | 67.021 | 69.255 | 69.255 | 72.447 |
| 5. |
Katie Duerrhammer (USA)
Paxton
|
68.511% | 68.085 | 66.383 | 69.255 | 68.617 | 70.213 |
| 6. |
Laurence Vanommeslaghe (FRA)
Havalon
|
67.660% | 69.149 | 66.170 | 67.128 | 68.191 | 67.660 |
| 7. |
Susan Pape (GBR)
Harmony’s Eclectisch
|
66.851% | 67.234 | 65.957 | 67.447 | 66.064 | 67.553 |
| 8. |
James Irwin (CAN)
Simsalabim
|
66.553% | 67.766 | 65.106 | 68.723 | 65.957 | 65.213 |
| 9. |
Kiichi Harada (JPN)
Impression
|
66.468% | 65.851 | 66.596 | 66.809 | 65.319 | 67.766 |
| 10. |
Bianca Berktold (USA)
Imperial
|
64.425% | 63.936 | 64.149 | 62.553 | 65.000 | 66.489 |
| 11. |
Allison Carmichael (USA)
Figaro
|
63.872% | 64.574 | 61.383 | 64.255 | 63.511 | 65.638 |
| 12. |
Melissa Taylor (USA)
Dixie WRF
|
63.723% | 63.404 | 64.255 | 61.596 | 63.298 | 66.064 |
| 13. |
Patricia Ferrando (VEN)
Elvis
|
63.234% | 63.936 | 64.574 | 62.553 | 61.702 | 63.404 |
| 14. |
Tina Irwin (CAN)
Fancy That
|
63.021% | 63.085 | 61.809 | 62.553 | 62.766 | 64.894 |
| EL |
Frederic Wandres (GER)
Joy Game
|
eliminated
|
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 Find details on Equestrian Hub |
