Sarah Tubman & First Apple Move to Top of USA Olympic Rankings, Displacing Steffen Peters & Suppenkasper
8 months ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Sarah Tubman & First Apple Move to Top of USA Olympic Rankings, Displacing Steffen Peters & Suppenkasper
Mar. 26, 2024
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
Sarah Tubman on First Apple has moved to the top of the U.S. Olympic rankings although the partnership has not competed since winning gold at their second Pan American Games last October, displacing Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper that have led the standings for most of the past five months.
The move to the top is based on the average of Grand Prix and Special score of 73.469% for Sarah, based in Wellington, and the 14-year-old KWPN stallion on which she won gold at the Pan Ams at Small Tour in 2019 and at Big Tour last year.
The average is based only on the Pan Am results as the pair has not shown since but Sarah said she plans to complete qualifying next month with the intention of getting on a “short list” of about eight riders to go to Europe in June when a team of three combinations plus reserve will be selected for the Paris Olympics.
Steffen, of San Diego, California seeking to go to the Olympics for the second time on the 16-year-old KWPN gelding with the barn name of “Mopsie,” that would also be the rider’s sixth Games, has an average of 73.145% based on two Grand Prix and two Special scores from three events. Uncharacteristic performances at the Del Mar CDI3* last weekend impacted his ranking.
Anna Buffini also of San Diego and Fiontini, the 14-year-old Danish Warmblood mare that she has competed in only two CDIs so far, is ranked third on 71.664%.
The short list rankings go until May 6, with four qualifying competitions in Florida–at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington this week, two at Terra Nova near Sarasota and one at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center. Two remain in California–at Del Mar and Temecula.
The rankings could show a major shift at Wellington this week with the CDI debuts of three proven horses with new riders.
Endel Ots on Bohemian and Adrienne Lyle on Helix and Lars van de Hoenderheide, all three of which have shown at national events at Global and will be in the CDI3* beginning Thursday.
Plus, Katherine Bateson Chandler currently ranked No. 5 on Haute Couture is entered in Global’s CDI4* this week after her long time coach Carl Hester was in Wellington providing on-the-ground help.
