Jessica Dertell and Cennin. Image: Amy-Sue Alston Photography.

Jessica Dertell claims CDI3* Grand Prix at Dressage by the Sea

By Equestrian Life

Jessica Dertell and Cennin have won the CDI3* Grand Prix at Willinga Park’s Dressage by the Sea by the narrowest of margins, scoring 70.435% to finish just ahead of Mary Hanna and Ivanhoe on 70.413%.

Mary Hanna and Ivanhoe. Image: The Blachat (Ashley Grant).

On a warm day at the stunning Willinga Park on the picturesque south coast of NSW, Jessica and Mary produced two tests that counted as FEI MERs for Paris.

As per the FEI’s Olympic qualification criteria, “a minimum 67% must be attributed twice to the Athlete/Horse combination by both a L4 judge and as an average from all judges in the competition, and the score must be achieved in a Grand Prix test at two different CDI3*/CDI4*/CDI5*/CDI-W/CDIO events between 1 January 2023 until (and including) 24 June 2024”. Mary and Jessica both already had secured two MER scores at previous events.

Jessica Dertell and Cennin. Image: The Blachat (Ashley Grant).

As both combination’s scores were approaching or exceeding 69% in the Grand Prix at CDI3* or above, they are also scores likely to catch the attention of Australian selectors as they consider Paris team nominations.

Charlotte Phillips and CP Dresden were third in the Grand Prix on 66.543%, while Marvin Smink and Histoire Do Texel finished fourth on 65.717%, and Heath Ryan rounded out the top five with four-star eventer Bronze Boy R on 65.174%. An incredible field of 15 combinations took to the arena for the CDI, and full results can be found here.

You can catch up on full results from Thursday and Friday at Dressage by the Sea here.

Competition continues tomorrow and Sunday.

Published 23 February 2023.

READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE