Every single one of the top four combinations in the FEI Nations Cupโข Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3*, presented by Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, posted a personal best. But it was the last rider down the center line during โFriday Night Starsโ under the floodlights that took the gold medal: home rider Adrienne Lyle produced a breathtaking test on Elizabeth โBetsyโ Julianoโs 11-year-old stallion, Salvino, in the 12th and final week of the 2018 Adequanยฎ Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida.
They scored 81.75% to take the gold โ the first time Lyle has ever surpassed the 80% mark. She led an all-female, all-American podium, flanked by Sabine Schut-Kery (silver with 78.145% on Sanceo) and Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (bronze on Lonoir with 77.385%)
They scored 81.75% to take the gold โ the first time Lyle has ever surpassed the 80% mark. She led an all-female, all-American podium, flanked by Sabine Schut-Kery (silver with 78.145% on Sanceo) and Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (bronze on Lonoir with 77.385%).
โEveryone dreams of that 80% and Iโm so proud of the feeling he gave me in there,โ said Lyle, from Idaho, who was riding to a freestyle put together for her former top horse, Wizard, while she creates a new one with Terry Gallo. โIโm so blessed to have him. Heโs getting a lot stronger and I can keep the power and the uphill balance โ and I have the most amazing coach in the world in Debbie McDonald. This was just a wonderful night.
โThe new freestyle will have a higher degree of difficulty; weโve been using this new FEI system, and it will have a significantly higher degree of difficulty. Weโre also using powerful and empowering music to showcase his power and gracefulness.โ
The silver medalist Sabine Schut-Kery has exploded onto the grand prix scene with the stunning Sanceo โ another stallion, this one a 12-year-old by San Remo belonging to Alice Womble. This was the duoโs second freestyle at the level and they smashed their previous score by more than 4%.
โWeโre just starting out this year and I couldnโt be any more pleased or more happy,โ said the German-born rider. โIโm so happy coming here and riding tonight under the lights and pulling off that score. Heโs really talented in the piaffe and passage.โ
Olivia La-Goy Weltz, the bronze medal winner, rode her horse Lonoir in this same Nations Cup freestyle competition at AGDF last year but had a tough round and scored 68.8%. This year they had no such issues, upping their score by around 9%.
โHe was very wild last year,โ said La-Goy Weltz of her own 14-year-old son of De Noir. โWe were epically airborne for most of the test and I wanted to curl up in a paper bag and have a glass of wine afterwards. Tonight I was really happy with Lono. This week Iโve pushed for a bit more and yesterday it didnโt quite go to plan, but tonight it did. Heโs a hot strong tamale and thereโs so much in there; itโs just a question of me getting the recipe right โ every single time.โ
Judge at C, Gary Rockwell, was impressed with the quality he saw: โThis is exciting,โ he said. โIโve not seen Sanceo since the Pan Ams, and Iโve never seen him do a grand prix โ heโs amazing and definitely going in the right direction. Iโve never seen Oliviaโs horse so engaged and then Adrienne just knocked me out โ itโs all positive for this year.โ
The three chestnut horses who carried their riders to the podium in the Intermediate I Freestyle CDIO3*, presented by Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, looked remarkably similar; in particular the top two, who were both sired by Furst Piccolo. Emerging with the gold medal โ and undefeated in all three of his tests this week โ was the 24-year-old Spaniard Pablo Gomez Molina on the Yeguada de Ymasโs Furst Fiorano Ymas.
โWeโve had this horse just over a year and his first CDI was the Nations Cup here in 2017,โ said Gomez Molina, who was riding the flashy 11-year-old for his employers and scored 72.325%. โWe know each other pretty well now and with each show weโre improving more and more. Heโs a really big horse and we have some trouble keeping him high in the frame, but Iโve been working with my trainer Juan Matute and in the past three months thatโs been going really well.โ
The plan for the whole Yeguada de Ymas team is to decamp to Europe at the end of April. โI have two horses I hope to do under-25s with this season, but thatโs a big step up from small tour and we want to make sure we are ready,โ added Gomez Molina. โIf we are, then thatโs what weโll do. Fiorano is really flashy in the extended trot and nice in the tempis, too, but we had a little mistake today. The whole team has been working a lot and competing a lot in this festival โ for the past four years. Itโs amazing to win gold.โ
Kelly Layne picked up the silver medal on her own Furst Piccolo son, the 12-year-old Furst Amante, with 70.275%. Her Australian compatriot Nicholas Fyffe scooped bronze to add to team bronze earlier in the week โ the nationโs first ever dressage Nations Cup medals.
Layne said: โWe call Furst Amante โThe Bouncing Ballโ as heโs got springs in his feet, which is really an incredible feeling. He has amazing suspension and cadence, which is really fun for me to ride. Iโve been riding him for two years, and itโs not always been easy, so I was very happy he was with me in the test. I had two little blonde moments โ I think I was a little heat affected โ and I wondered where my music was going. But I think Amante quite enjoyed it.โ
Fyffe, who rode Hitchcock into bronze, is giving the 14-year-old His Highness gelding competitive miles before his owner Louise Cote takes over. โI actually didnโt realize I was in a medal position today and that the small tour classes were awarded them too, so to come out with a second medal, I am really thrilled,โ said Fyffe, who scored 68.425%. โHitchcock isnโt young, but heโs inexperienced. He used to feel like the lion from Wizard of Oz โ no courage โ but heโs developing it, and itโs been a really fun process with him.โ
Individual medals were awarded in the under-25 Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO, presented by Diamante Farms, with gold โ for the third time this week โ being hung around the neck of Spainโs 20-year-old charm bomb Juan Matute Guimon. He was unassailable on his father Juan F Matuteโs 15-year-old Don Diego Ymas, riding a very bold test to a score of 75.458%. It was the 20-year-old riderโs final CDI test of the 25 he has ridden at this yearโs AGDF. His freestyle ended with two-time changes into one-times and a final halt, close to the judge at C, Portugalโs Carlos Lopes (who awarded a meaty 78.75%, and the pairโs highest score).
โThe highlight of any freestyle is that the rider gets to choose lines that best fit the horse and show off your creativity,โ said Matute Guimon, who will fly to Europe next month for a tilt at a place on the Spanish FEI World Equestrian Games team. โIโm really happy with the way the season wrapped up. And I know I shouldnโt talk in a test, but I said to Don Diego, โCome on buddy, here we goโ. And I was thinking that it was my last center line in Wellington until I come back next year.
โWith any championship format when youโre competing three days in a row, horses get tired,โ he added. โBut Don Diego and I know each other very well and that experience really helps as he knew exactly what I was asking for. He has taught me everything since I was a junior rider back in 2012.โ
Last to go in the class, Kerrigan Gluch (USA), pulled off her best performance to date with new partner Bolero CXLVIII, a former ride of Spanish Olympian Jose Daniel Martin Dockx. She scored 70.833% โ the pairโs first plus-70% โ to clinch the silver medal on Hampton Green Farmโs 14-year-old PRE stallion.
โThe horse is very new to me still,โ said Gluch, 21, who was riding to an old freestyle originally made by Marlene Whitaker for โDannyโ Dockx and his Rio Olympics horse, Grandioso. โIโve only been competing Bolero for two months and this was our second freestyle. Heโs so honest; he never says no, which makes riding any test that much more enjoyable โ and his heart is really good and you donโt always find that.โ
The bronze went to Spainโs Rodrigo Encinas Fuentes, who piloted his trainer Cesar Parraโs 16-year-old Obelisk gelding Van The Man. This was only the riderโs third ever freestyle. He was riding to a soundtrack put together for the horse by Parra, which โ appropriately โ has paso doble in it.
โIt was made for the horse, which helps a lot,โ said Encinas Fuentes, 22, who is hoping to compete in Europe this summer. โSometimes itโs difficult as it was made for Cesar rather than me, but I love riding to it; it makes me feel great.โ
Rio Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass continued her stellar comeback with Goerklintgaards Dublet, after giving Diane Perryโs 15-year-old Diamond Hit gelding an eight-month break. They made it two wins from two starts this week by taking the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3*, presented by Harmony Sporthorses, with an emphatic 76.125% โ the unanimous winner from all five judges in a field of 15 riders.
Adrienne Lyle (USA) filled second on the inexperienced Horizon (74.2%), while the Dominican Republicโs Yvonne Losos De Muรฑiz finished third on Foco Loco with 73.8%. However, she turned the yellow sash into a blue one when she rode Kathy Priestโs Fredensdals Zig Zag to the top spot in the Intermediate I CDI1*, scoring 70.441%. Only Losos De Muรฑiz and second-placed Nora Batchelder (USA) broke the 70% barrier in this class of 13.
Action in week 12 of the 2018 AGDF โ the final week of the circuit โ concludes on Saturday, March 31. The final day boasts nine CDI classes, ranging from ponies and young horses to the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, presented by Grand Prix Services. For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.
FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3*, presented by Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center
E, Isabelle Judet (FRA); H, Lee Tubman (CAN); C, Gary Rockwell (USA); M, Ulrike Nivelle (GER); B, Stephen Clarke (GBR)
1. Adrienne Lyle (USA) on Salvino, Elizabeth Julianoโs 11yo Hanoverian stallion by Sandro Hit x Donnerhall: 83.275, 83.475, 81.175, 79.6, 81.225, 81.75%.
2. Sabine Schut-Kery (USA) on Sanceo, Alice Wombleโs 12yo Hanoverian stallion by San Remo x Ramiroโs Son: 81.875, 76.525, 76.775, 77.15, 78.4, 78.145%.
3. Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (USA) on Lonoir, her own 14yo Danish warmblood gelding by De Noir x Loran: 77.075, 78.925, 75.175, 76.825, 78.925, 77.385%.
4. Brittany Fraser (CAN) on All In, her own 13yo KWPN gelding by Tango x Damiro: 77.475, 77.525, 75.725, 77.15, 77.075, 76.99%.
5. Ashley Holzer (USA) on Havanna 145, Diane Fellowsโ 11yo Hanoverian mare by Hochadel x Rodgau: 73.475, 74.675, 73.925, 70.975, 76.05, 73.82%.
6. Jill Irving (CAN) on Degas 12, her own 16yo Hanoverian by De Niro x Regazzoni: 70.375, 72.35, 72.6, 69.975, 72.35, 71.53%.
7. Kim Gentry (AUS) on Leonardo, her own 11yo Danish warmblood by Landtinus x Rambo: 65.925, 66.5, 67.375, 65.85, 65.725, 66.275%.
8. Diane Creech (CAN) on Chrevis Christo, Louise Leatherdaleโs 10yo Danish warmblood gelding by Chreviโs La Vi x Natador: 61.25, 67.475, 68.9, 66.475, 62.525, 65.325%.
FEI Intermediate I Freestyle CDIO3*, presented by Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center
E, Ulrike Nivelle (GER); H, Isabel Judet (FRA); C, Stephen Clarke (GBR); M, Carlos Lopes (POR); B, Gary Rockwell (USA)
1. Pablo Gomez Molina (ESP) on Furst Fiorano Ymas, Yeguada de Ymasโs 11yo Westfalian gelding by First Piccolo x Donnerbube I: 71.875, 73.75, 74.125, 72.375, 69.5, 72.325%.
2. Kelly Layne (AUS) on Furst Amante, her own 12yo Rheinelander gelding by First Piccolo x Hitchcock: 69, 72.375, 70.375, 71.125, 68.5, 70.275%.
3. Nicholas Fyffe (AUS) on Hitchcock, Louise Coteโs 14yo Hanoverian gelding by His Highness x Don Primero: 68.75, 70.25, 69, 68.375, 65.75, 68.425%.
4. Marta Renilla (ESP) on Rhustler, her own 9yo Hanoverian gelding by Rousseau x Royal Prince: 68.25, 67.375, 67.5, 67.875, 63.375, 66.875%.
5. Raul Corchuelo (COL) on Senorita 43, Scott Redwantzโs 8yo Oldenburg mare by Sandro Hit x Wolkentanz II: 64.125, 63.625, 64, 66, 64, 64.35%.
FEI Grand Prix 16-25 CDIO U25, presented by Diamante Farms
H, Janet Foy (USA); C, Carlos Lopes (POR); B, Lee Tubman (CAN)
1. Juan Matute Guimon (ESP) on Don Diego Ymas, Juan F Matuteโs 15yo Hanoverian gelding by Don Frederico x Wolkenstein II: 73.625, 78.75, 74, 75.458%.
2. Kerrigan Gluch (USA) on Bolero CXLVIII, Hampton Green Farmโs 14yo PRE stallion by Utrerano VII x Urano II: 72.5, 71, 69, 70.833%.
3. Rodrigo Encinas Fuentes (ESP) on Van The Man, Cesar Parraโs 16yo Danish warmblood gelding by Obelisk x Fruhling: 69.875, 71.375, 69.375, 70.208%.
4. Natalie Pai (USA) on Unlimited, Melanie Paiโs 17yo KWPN gelding by Jazz x Winckenburgh: 69.75, 69.125, 68.625, 69.167%.
5. Naima Moreira Lalibertรฉ (CAN) on I Do Kiss, KML s.a.r.l. & Naima Moreira Lalibertรฉโs 12yo Swedish warmblood stallion by French Kiss x Donnerfly: 68.5, 70.375, 65.625, 68.167%.
6. Molly Paris (USA) on Countess, her own 16yo Danish warmblood mare by Don x Solos Carex: 70.25, 67.375, 63.875%, 67.167%.
7. Laurence Blais Tetreault (CAN) on Utah, Mathilde Blais Tetreaultโs 17yo KWPN gelding by Jazz x Landwind II B: 65.25, 69.25, 64.625, 66.375%.
8. Tanya Strasser-Shostak (CAN) on Renaissance Tyme, Evi Strasserโs 15yo Oldenburg gelding by Royal Diamond x Dream Of Heidelberg: 61, 68.25, 61.75, 63.667%.