Ottawa, Ontario—Tina Irwin of Lakefield, ON, finished in fourth place the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle at the 2009 CDI3*Y/J Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge, held February 6–8, 2009, in Wellington, FL.
Irwin and her long-time partner Amicelli (Amigo x Calypso III), a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Ute Busse and Wendy Beresford, finished with a score of 65.957%, in the Grand Prix test. Irwin and Amicelli then went on to score 68.950% in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
“I was very pleased with the whole test,” said Irwin, who received scores of sevens and eights for her early trot work and piaffe and passage tours. “It was clean and accurate. I think getting in the ring for three shows in a row has been very beneficial.”
The Grand Prix test also saw Denielle Gallagher-Legriffon, originally of Lakeside, NB, and now residing in Suffern, NY, and Gallaway’s Abrikos, her 18-year-old Russian-bred stallion, finish in sixth place with 64.553%.
Simone Williams of Navan, ON, finished in fifth place, with a score of 67.650%, in the Grand Prix Freestyle with Wunder Ein (Wolkenstein II x Maat), William’s 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding she co-owns with her parents Margaret and Robert Williams. Rounding out the top nine in the Freestyle were Gallagher-Legriffon and Gallaway’s Abrikos with a score of 66.350%.
Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer of Toronto, ON, and Daddy Cool, Diana Rose’s 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding sired by Don Primero, scored 67.000%, for fourth place, in Intermediaire I test. The duo also received 65.158% in the Prix St. Georges test.
“I was a little disappointed with our Prix St. George test and much happier with our Intermediaire I performance. In fairness to him, I have been concentrating on bumping him up to the Grand Prix, and I don’t think I prepared him as well as I could have for these new tests,” said Holzer. “He is a wonderful horse with lots of power, but I think he was surprised when he wasn’t allowed to piaffe in the walk tour. Diana Rose, his owner, and I had a talk about it, and we decided to push ahead and make Grand Prix the goal.”
Krystalann Shingler of Toronto, ON, and her horse Tividor, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding sired by Obelisk, earned a Prix. St Georges score of 65.632%, for eighth place.
The international judging panel at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge included Canada’s Lorraine MacDonald (FEI I), Christoph Hess (FEI—I), Stephen Clarke (FEI O¬¬¬—GBR), Gary Rockwell (FEI O—USA), Marian Cunningham (FEI I—PER), Bo Jena (FEI I—SWE), Jane Weatherwax (FEI I—USA) and Liselotte Fore (FEI I—USA).
A week earlier, January 28–30, at ESP Wellington Dressage CDI3*, also held in Wellington, FL, Canadian Peter Gray, who coached the 1996 Canadian Olympic Eventing Team, competed in his first CDI3* competition with his horse Collo 5. Gray and Collo 5, a 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding sired by Corofino 1, finished in third place in the Intermediaire I Freestyle, with a score of 65.850%.
“Collo 5 is the most incredible school master,” said Gray, who represented Bermuda at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics in eventing. “He is not only a great partner, but a super personality.”
Canadian dressage riders are now setting their sights on the next CDI events in the United States—CDI-W/Y Mid Winter Dressage Fair in Burbank, CA, February 19–22, and 2009 CDI-W/Y Palm Beach Dressage Derby in Wellington, February 27–March 1.
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