For Immediate Release
Laura Cardon for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Wellington, FL – March 10, 2014 – The ninth week of competition of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival concluded Sunday at The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The AGDF 9 National show had dressage competitors of all levels from around the globe.
Having the week off from CDI competition allowed many top riders to devote their time to bringing along their national level horses. Canadian Chris von Martels topped the USEF Fourth Level Open test with Winsor Rox. The pair finished on a score of 74.189%. Winsor Rox is an 11-year-old KWPN stallion out of Para Lady x San Remo, owned by Barbara Nitsch.
Although the AGDF 9 National wasn’t internationally rated, entries still came in from around the world. With many CDI competitors taking the week to rest their horses, there were some new pairs at the top of the leader board during the weekend. Sweden’s Karin Persson and her own Cortison 16 won the FEI Prix St. Georges Open test with a score of 71.974%. Cortison 16 is a 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding out of Quizzial Ghost xx x Cortez and was bred by Sten Bodin.
USEF rated classes also had a decidedly international flair. German rider Inga Janke won the Training Level 3 Open test aboard BSF Baker Street, owned and bred by Thora Pollak. Janke earned an impressive 76.000% to finish first in the class with the five-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion out of Kallisto by Sir Scholling.
Katharina Stumpf and Nymphenburg’s Love
Amateur competitors also got their share of world-class dressage competition. Katharina Stumpf (AUT) topped the FEI Prix St. Georges Adult Amateur test with Nymphenburg’s Love, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by the rider. Stumpf rode to a 72.895% to beat a field of eleven riders. Nymphenburg’s Love was bred by Evelyn Schumacher Helmut and is out of Sinja by Carry Gold.
The FEI Intermediaire-1 Open test awarded top honors to American Rita Brown and her own Rochefort, a 12-year-old American-born Hanoverian bred by Hilltop Farm, out of Primavera x Regazzoni. Rochefort and Brown finished first on a score of 71.579%.
Teenage superstar Juan Matute Jr. (ESP) took advantage of the non-CDI week to develop his young horse Dhannie Ymas, who he rode in the FEI Test of Choice. Matute Jr. won the class with a 72.105% for their FEI Junior Individual test. Dhannie Ymas is a seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding out of Welina x Don Diego, owned by Cristina Danguillecourt.
The FEI Paradressage Test of Choice offered athletes the opportunity to fine tune their performances in a fantastic stadium atmosphere before the CPEDI 3* during AGDF 10. Lynne Poole (CAN) finished first with her own Cruiser with a score of 71.667%. Cruiser is another successful American-bred Hanoverian. The 12-year-old gelding is out of Babe by Contucci.
CDI competition will be back March 14 – 16 at the AGDF for the Week 10 CDI W and CPEDI 3*, presented by Today’s Equestrian and GF Enterprise, LLC and Mike and Roz Collins. The week’s feature event, the “Friday Night Stars” FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI W, will take place Friday, March 15, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Admission and parking is free throughout the show week.
For full results and more information, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.
Photo Credit: Photos © SusanJStickle.com. These photos may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.