Now in its 42nd year, the opening round of the Palm Beach Dressage Derby saw three selected horses perform a Prix St. Georges test with their usual riders.
Australian Jemma Heran produced a terrific test riding Carrie and Bernd Schopf’s 11-year-old chestnut mare Despacita to 70.392%. Despacita is by stallion Destano, the horse with whom Simone Pearce represented Australia at the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games. Despacita is out of Wisua B, by Wanderbursch II.
Croatian rider Karen Pavicic topped the class on her own and her husband Thomas Baur’s 13-year-old Totem (by Totilas x Donnerhall) with 71.471%.
Kelly Layne – who recently declared for the USA, but previously rode for Australia and was also part of the team at Tokyo alongside Simone – filled third. Kelly rode Eva Levy’s 16-year-old mare Drisdal’s Co-Co Chanel (by Tailormade Temptation) to 66.961%.
Results from the opening round of the Palm Beach Dressage Derby can be found here.
Unfamiliar horses
Friday night’s knock-out rounds saw different riders team up with these horses and tackle the Prix St. Georges test. In the first semi-final, Paula Matute Guimón of Spain and Mathilde Blais Tétreault of Canada rode Despacita, with Paula taking the win on 72.721%.
In the other semi-final, both Endel Ots of the USA and Evelyn Eger of Germany rode Co-Co Chanel, with Evelyn taking the win on 72.169%.
The final saw both of these semi-final winners ride a Prix St. Georges on Totem, with Evelyn Eger crowned the 2025 champion on a score of 74.89%.
