Mary Hanna and Syriana were victorious today in the Homes & Acreage Grand Prix class at Boneo Park
© Derek O’Leary
By Equestrian Life
The idyllic surrounds of Boneo Park were the perfect backdrop for an epic showdown today between two of Australia’s great dressage riders; Mary Hanna and Lone Jörgensen. Riding with finesse, flair, accuracy and expression, these two leading ladies of the sport in Australia posted outstanding scores with their delightful mares Syriana and Corinna as fans watched on, delighted by the return of live dressage action on Victorian soil.
As the penultimate combination to enter the arena in the Homes & Acreage Grand Prix, Lone Jörgensen and Corinna produced an accurate and exciting test that catapulted them into the lead on a score 0f 74.094% – more than 6% higher than 18 year old Lindsey Ware and Aristede, who had been leading the class up until that point. As Heath Ryan, commentator for the Equestrian Life livestream explained, Lone Jörgensen is a world class rider who makes the Grand Prix look easy, and those who watched on could be forgiven for assuming that they had just witnessed a winning test performed by Lone and the Pauline Carnovale owned 2007 mare by Crelido.
Enter Mary Hanna! Last to ride in the class of 10, Mary’s poise and calm riding style as she entered the arena seemed at odds with the excitement that viewers felt. From the very first movements, it was clear that this elegant combination meant business; live scores showed the pair trending above 80% as they powered through the early trot work. With a minor hiccup in the extended canter, the pair’s scores slipped momentarily to 2nd place, however after producing wonderful one-time flying changes, the pair proceeded to execute the remainder of the test in faultless fashion and edged back into the lead in a nail-biting finish. A final score of 74.384% for Mary and Syriana, the 2006 mare by Sir Donnerhall, saw this exciting combination emerge as winners of the Homes & Acreage Grand Prix class.
Third placed Lindsey Ware had viewers paying serious attention; at just 18 years of age she rode with skill and confidence aboard the 15 year old Aristede to score an impressive 68.08%. Originally produced by Shannan Goodwin, who narrowly missed out on representing Australia at the 2018 WEG with the Aachimedes gelding before selling him to Lindsey later that year, it’s a delight to witness this expressive and talented horse continue his career with a talented young rider who will no doubt continue to improve her Grand Prix scores as her partnership with Aristede further develops.
Pauline Carnovale riding Captain Cooks, by Johnson, scored 67.79% to finish 4th ahead of the sole New South Wales based competitor Sheridyn Ashwood and Ferrero Chocolate Box on 66.703%. Louise Curran and 19 year old Cil Dara Gandalf finished 6th with 66.486%, 0.001% ahead of the sole male competitor in the class Dirk Dijkstra and AEA Metallic on 66.485%. Kerry Mack scored 65.616% with Mayfield Limelight, Jenny Bray 63.732% with CJP Diamond Dazzler, and Heather Gee 60.073% with KH Ambrose.
Other highlights from the day’s action included a winning score of 70.196% for Stephanie McDonald and Friedolin 36 in the Benleigh Equestrian Prix St Georges, impressive Para Equestrian Team tests, and the first rounds of the Young Horse Classes. Full results from the day can be found here.
“It’s been great, after such a tough year, to have everyone out and about again” said Boneo Park’s Fiona Selby, adding that next weekend’s Homes & Acreage World Wetland Day Jumping Championships is also set to be a thrilling event with three days of jumping competition up to Grand Prix level.
Competition continues throughout the weekend at Boneo Park. Equestrian Life will be live streaming select classes on Sunday:
Para Equestrian Freestyle 7.45 – 8.56am
Junior Freestyle (CDN-J) 9.10 – 10.22am
Young Rider Freestyle (CDN-YR) 10.30am – 11.24am
Grand Prix Freestyle (CDN) 11.30am – 12.42pm
Tune in via our Facebook page or Live TV page. Find out more here. Thanks to our principal live stream sponsor, Homes & Acreage, and our supporting sponsor, Interpath Joint Health Experts!
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