Fiona Selby and Tacita.
© Roger Fitzhardinge
By Roger Fitzhardinge
The final day of the first week competition saw Freestyles and the second round of the young horse classes – and there were some seriously great performances!
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Grand Prix CDI4* Freestyle
The very demure, polite and passionate Fiona Selby and Tacita won the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* easily with a resounding performance with 73.5%. It was the biggest win of all and for everyone in the sport, it could not have gone to a more wonderful rider and person, who is normally the organiser of events at Boneo Park. The test was polished from the start to the end, and with great easy-to-listen-to and toe-tapping music for the entertainer. Great piaffe and passage and big changes; the mare and Fiona simply pulled off a pearler of a test and the crowd was so, so appreciative. Fiona barely made it to the Grand Prix to qualify, as she was in hospital as she contracted a dreadful gastro bug and dragged herself to the stables from hospital to ride and that she really did. The hospital treatment worked and she bounced back and look at her go!!!
Everyone was so pleased for her. Her speech was complementary to all, and she deserves all the accolades as she stole that class and shows what happens when she can go away and focus only on the riding. A fantastic result and every rider excited in her deserved win.
Mary Warren and Mindarah Park Raphael.
© Roger Fitzhardinge
Second was Remmington for Sue Hearn and then Mindarah Park Raphael. As with Mary’s riding all weekend, their test was positive and decisive and what a promising performance. Alycia Targa was fourth with a technical test and well done to Kung Fu Panda music that suited so well, and in fifth was Rozzie Ryan who chose to ride Adonie in this test; a huge discrepancy in the scores with this test that would make you think there was a technical mix up with the scoring but not: 71.6%, 70.25%, 71.75%, 70.125%, and then a 61.25% from the French judge who had made a few very low scores over the few days! Rozzie was second with one, and last with the French judge. He is an international judge and obviously saw something that overwhelmed his marks. That’s why there are so many judges and then the average is good.
The day was amazing and the accolades go to Fiona Selby; a great, great test and a grand prize of $6,000 to the winner at the first CDI4* Freestyle.
In the other Freestyle classes, the CDI-Y was won by Daisy Fielding and Fairbanks Davinci on 67.370%, from Brooke Mance and Callum Park Freya then Claire Plenty and Adloo Richard – all well-presented freestyles and great riding.
The CDI-J was won in great style by Rosie Cooke and KH Arion with a grand score of 66.86% and the CDI-U25 saw Rosanna Relton win with Four Winds Bombardier with 65.71%. This cute little bay is as bright as a button and they danced their way through the freestyle with ease and charisma as did Rosanna.
The Grand Prix CDN saw another win to Susan Elekessy and Don Rubin and what a great freestyle to gain 66.535% to be ahead of Paula Price and True Sensation and in third the pony for Sydney Evans and Dara Park Tequila Sunrise.
Young Horse classes
The 4 year old class was won by the black gelding HV Del Piero, by De Niro out of Her Highness, with a score of 83.6%. This horse shows great elastic strides in all paces and shown to perfection by Robbie McKinnon. Robbie’s husband David was only 0.2% behind on the imported chestnut stallion Willinga Park Fangio by Flannel x Laurencio. He was super rhythmical and the rideabilty looks easy. David is also a super looking rider and makes it look easy and what a great stallion. Not overly tall, but powerful and balanced. In third place was Nyssa TPH, a great mare by Negro x Medallion, and a beautifully flowing test also ridden so well and what a great rider indeed. Three extremely beautiful horses that are all looking fantastic for the future here and look forward to seeing them at Dressage With The Stars!
Robbie McKinnon and HV Del Piero, winners of the 4YO Young Horse class.
© Roger Fitzhardinge.jpg
In the five year old class, it was a fantastic win here for the truly beautifully athletic bay mare Willinga Park Emotion, by Equitaris x Florastan, ridden by Brett Parbery. This leggy elegant mare is so elastic and the E line is very popular in Europe. Terry Snow and Brett found her in Germany and she was imported last year. In second place another amazing combination in Quincy B, by Quarterback, and Jayden Brown in the saddle. What an amazing horse, but today the judges were very strict on this combination for spooking! Consequently, they lost a lot of marks and a 79.6% and plenty more for this horse in the tank; what a great type and expression. In third there was another Quarterback gelding in Macarthur Quinlan, ridden by Kate Taylor-Wheat, and a very beautiful type and a quality horse that just is a little slower in the hind leg and lacks the muscle development at this stage – but what another wonderful horse, and some special horses here and all so well produced and professionally ridden. What a great class and bigger marks are easy to see in these horses to make them super stars for the future.
The six year old class was won again by Queenslander Jayden Brown on Bertone by Benicio. Another chestnut with flamboyant paces indeed and very well trained to score 86%, which saw them 11% above second place getter. Highfields Bella Vita, by Beltano, and Deborah Oliver scored 75.1%, and a very nice type of mare with great energy and push. Denise Rogan with Greco were in third place, being by a Spanish-bred horse Grandiose and bred and owned by Liza Carve. A very strong moving horse with plenty of knee and expression, but not really established in the changes but a great horse here as well.
Jayden Brown and Bertone, winners of the 6YO class.
© Roger Fitzhardinge
Willinga Park, thank you for the chance to ride at this facility with such amazing surfaces. The very best of best competition… and so two days off and then it’s all on again!
View the Willinga Park Dressage by the Sea CDI4*: Day One
View the Willinga Park Dressage by the Sea CDI4*: Day Two
View the Willinga Park Dressage by the Sea CDI4*: Day Three
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