Dressage by the Sea Day at Willinga Park is off to a flying start! | ||
Charlotte Phillips was all smiles after placing second with CP Dresden in the Intermediate II on a score of 67.696% © Stephen Mowbray
"Willinga Park and Dressage by the Sea lived up to everything that was expected, including the most brilliant weather!" states the ever enthusiastic Roger Fitzhardinge, at the conclusion of the first day of Event 1. "It is truly an international, beyond belief venue, and it's better than ever! Every time competitors come here it seems to get bigger and better with more beautiful arenas and surfaces." Roger was kept very busy today providing expert commentary on the live stream in the Indoor arena, however he still had his eye on the huge classes that took place outdoors. Samantha Bartlett flew the flag for Victoria in the Novice classes, winning both with impressive scores of 73.571% and 76.765% riding AB Final Romance!
Jayden Brown and WillingaPark Fangio were outstanding in the Medium classes © Stephen Mowbray
In the Open Medium classes it was a tightly fought battle between two exceptional Willinga Park owned horses. Jayden Brown took the win in both the 4A and 4B riding WillingaPark Fangio, just ahead of Brett Parbery on WillingaPark Spot On. "What a fantastic class, with Willinga Park coming out on top with fabulous horses that were beautifully ridden" Roger enthuses, adding "The quality and the standard in this class was quite outstanding."
Brett Parbery and WillingaPark Spot On were a close second in both Open Medium classes © Stephen Mowbray
The first class of the day in the Main Arena was the RiverOak Equestrian Estate CDN Junior Team Test, won by Jessica Dertell riding Gladstone M.H. on a score of 69.040%. Another chance to watch the upcoming Australian riders followed, with the Lindon Farm CDN Young Rider Team Test. The scores were close, however Daisy Fielding took the win with Fairbanks Divinci on a score of 65.539%, just ahead of Dana Krause on 65.196% riding Taittinger VDS, while Jessica Dertell finished third with Eskara de Jeu on a score of 64.461%.
Jayden Brown and Sky Diamond scored 70.441% to win the Inter II © Stephen Mowbray Photography
The Cox Architecture Intermediate II was an exciting class to watch, with 11 combinations performing beautiful tests. Jayden Brown and Terry Snow's beautiful bay Sky Diamond were the only combination to crack the 70% mark, scoring 70.441% to take the win. It was an impressive performance, one of many we are likely to see from Jayden Brown on Willinga Park's horses over the course of the event!
Charlotte Phillips and CP Dresden © Stephen Mowbray
The relatively new combination of Charlotte Phillips and CP Dresden performed a super test, placing 2nd on a score of 67.696%. Previously campaigned with much success to Grand Prix level by Alycia Targa, the lovely CP Dresden seems to have formed a happy partnership with his new rider, who was clearly delighted by their performance today. Likewise, Roger was suitably impressed, stating "Outstanding riding from a Young Rider in one of her first Inter IIs, it was truly a wonderful test."
Michelle Baker and Bradgate Park Puccini placed third in the Intermediate II on a score of 65.441% © Stephen Mowbray
Third place in the Intermediate II went to Mchelle Baker, riding Bradgate Park Puccini, with this combination scoring 65.441%. According to Roger, the Lennock Motors Prix St Georges class was the highlight of the day. Equal first with 70.559% went to Caroline Wagner riding Penny Hill Park Sophia by Sir Donnerhall, a new horse to her stable from Western Australia, and Nicole Tough on Ferragamo, a beautiful black mare by Furstenball. Jayden Brown placed 3rd with the extravagant WillingaPark Fusion on 70.471%. "Two very interesting horses, both have a long way to go in their careers, they are both young at this level, both can show more suppleness and lateral submission in the movements, but gaining these marks of 70.559% with a lot of room still for improvement is very exciting for our sport" Roger enthused. "Congratulations to a fantastic class of horses - it was an absolute highlight. There were lots of different opinions in the varied marks, and it is always good to have positive discussion about these fabulous young horses heading towards Grand Prix." Watch this space for photos from the Prix St Georges! Linda Foster won the Intermediate A with Neversfelde Samiro, bred by Jane and Maurie Bruce on a score of 65.294%, a horse Roger describes as being well on its way towards Grand Prix. Today's action concluded with the prize giving in beautiful 7pm evening sunshine; a perfect conclusion to a wonderful day. Signing off after a long day of outstanding commentary, Roger's final words about today's event were "We look forward to tomorrow's competition - today was a real winner!" Full results from today can be found here. You can find out more about the event, including draws, here. The action continues tomorrow, with the live streaming schedule for the rest of Event 1 as follows: Sunday 22 February, 8am to 4:30pm: The Event 2 live steaming timetable is yet to be announced.
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© copyright. Equestrian Life. Thursday, 28 March 2024 https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/articles/Dressage-by-the-Sea-Day-1 |
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