The vibe at Werribee and DJWTS is back again. Everyone was having a great time and who would not with great facilities, competition and surfaces and judges. Something about DJWTS is exciting and I think that every horses and rider here has earned the right to be there. This makes the competition of the highest calibre and win or loose they are all pleased to be in such a prestigious event.
It was Freestyle night and with some fantastic horses and riders there were many scores over 70%. It was Kate Kyros and her wonderful bay Apache stallion Intro K who pushed the scores and a whacking 74.38% to go into the lead. An amazing stallion for this young rider competing in her first ever Inter I freestyle and what an amazing test. Then in to the arena was Mary Hanna ( six time Olympian) and she was on CJP Sir Dragonfly II.
A great test and the first freestyle Mary had ridden on this elegant and light footed bay. It was full of expression and the choreography difficult but it didn’t go past Kate. The horse has not been with Mary for long and already is looking the goods but needs the experience in the atmosphere and the arena. Then cam second to last, Brett Parbery with the Sarah Hounslow owned stallion Iresias L and he laid down the gauntlet and what a great test and made the most of his strong suits in the canter pirouettes and some of the half passes steep and sweeping. Again the changes are all clean and I am sure Brett was happy with that, but not as yet secure nor straight but definitely better. The trot work sitting and in a better balance and in to the lead on 75.08%.
The last horse is was the ever vibrant and energetic chestnut gelding by Bordeaux and owned by Kylie Ridell and ridden by David McKinnon. It was this horses first Inter I freestyle and has not had an Inter I start so is very inexperienced here. The work was super and the changes uphill and expressive. It was going to be super close and perhaps a pirouette a little large and dipping a little was enough to put the marks to be 74.475% and put them in to second place by 0.5% !
Despite this Boulevard won the PSG Cup as the combined scores of the PSG and the Freestyle were superior to the rest in the field.
It was a fabulous class and for sure a very tightly fought competition and really theses horses are all looking great to move up the ranks in to the grand prix fields and what good riding and good quality horses.
By Roger Fitzhardinge
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