Diane Gilder and Your Attorney lead the CCI5*L. Image: Michelle Terlato Photography.

Diane Gilder and rising 20-year-old Your Attorney lead Adelaide CCI5*L

Inside Adelaide | Presented by RB Sellars

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By Equestrian Life

The sun was shining for the Adelaide International CCI5*L dressage this afternoon as eleven combinations cantered down the centreline with hopes of gaining the best possible start to three days of intense competition.

Leading into the break, it was the New Zealander Diane Gilder and her rising 20-year-old gelding Your Attorney – who have competed here at Adelaide twice previously in 2019 and 2023 – at the top of the rankings on 31.5. It was a score that was going to take some beating, and in the end no one else was able to overtake the pair.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” says Diane. “I was hoping to produce a really nice test, and that’s what he did for me. Every year when I put him on the plane and come over to Adelaide, it’s as if he goes, ‘Mum means business!’”

A Thoroughbred by Legal Opinion out of Polar Crown (Carry The Crown), Diane says ‘Baz’ has been an amazing horse to campaign and she’s thrilled he’s still so competitive at the elite level. “When I came here in 2019, I was worried about his age then… and now look at him, he’s still going strong and he’s fresh and fit.”

Diane says she was never worried about pushing Baz early in his career and just took it easy, always being cautious about when and where she runs him; it’s certainly paying dividends now, with the horse looking fit and fabulous ahead of tomorrow’s cross country.

Taking second place today was the second combination into the arena, Queenslanders Andrew Cooper and Hey Arnold. The pair scored 33.7, which was a PB for Andrew at the level.

“It’s definitely my best score ever at five-star level,” says Andrew, adding that he was a little surprised to have achieved the PB on Hey Arnold. “He’s not the horse I thought I would have achieved that with!”  

“He was pretty solid in the test. Both of his first changes were together behind, but his last two were really lovely and we were rewarded for that, so that was good.”

Gordon Bishop and his homebred mare Advantage Hill were third on 34.2.

Gordan says today the key was having some great coaching in the warm-up from wife Emma. “Towards the end of the warm-up, Emma was saying [Advantage Hill] was starting to look nice and soft… she told me to just keep my eyes up and stop looking down at the horse’s neck! It does makes it look so much easier if you have your eyes up and you’re looking around to the next marker.”

Gordon explains that Emma doesn’t usually coach him, but she has been for the last few days leading into Adelaide. “It’s perfect timing, because then we don’t fight too much!” he laughs.

As for Advantage Hill, Gordon says she’s actually horse shy and therefore happy to get out of the warm-up and into the arena by herself. “She’s just pleased to be away from the other horses and in her own space. She’s been like that all her life, so in the ring she’s happy!”

Fourth in the CCI5*L was Megan Jones and Toulando on 34.6, followed by NZ rider Charlotte Edwards and Just De Manzana, who scored 34.7. Sixth was David Middleton and WEC In The Breeze on 36, then Olivia Barton and Hollyander HG on 36.2, Kirilee Hosier and AEA Flynn on 38.3, David Middleton and his second ride WEC In The Money on 39, NZ’s Donna Edwards-Smith with DSE Mendoza on 40.1, and Sam Woods on Cage Fighter with 45.6.

Full results from the CCI5*L dressage can be found here.

The CCI5*L cross country begins tomorrow from 1pm local time. We wish all competitors a safe and successful ride!

Published 18 April 2024.

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