Competition Heats Up at Dressage Nationals
Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi continued their winning form at the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships on Friday taking out the Grand Prix CDI-W on a warm Sydney day.
Upon reflection of his winning test, for which he scored 68.46, Ryan said, “Regardez Moi is 19 so I have to be really careful with him in the warm up, today I only warmed him up for 17 minutes and a lot of this was gentle work, which scares me because you really have to enter the arena on fire!
“He is of such high quality that even in the evening of his career the other competitors have to work jolly hard to go around him.
“He is just a wonderful horse, and he just loves it.”
Mary Hanna and Umbro finishing in second with a score of 66.92 and next was Heath Ryan on Utopian Cardinal on 66.86.
He may have been the runner up in yesterday’s Intermediate II class, but today Tor Van Den Berge and Donna Bonita took out the Gow Gates Grand Prix CDN class with a score of 62.04. Emmanuelle Josz claimed second place on Waiiri on 61.84, the tight scores left no margin for error as less than 4% separated all seven of the competitors in the class.
The FEI Intermediate I was won by Judith Dierks and Diamond Star with the combination almost cracking the 70’s with a score of 69.34. Dierks was followed by Matthew Dowsley and Don De-Sandro who finished on a score of 68.97. The trip across the Nullarbor is paying dividends for Western Australian Deon Stokes who placed third in today’s Intermediate I class on Bellario and the combination also found success in yesterday’s Prix St Georges finishing in fourth position.
Today’s warm conditions caused no sweat for Stokes and Royal Oak 11 in the Intermediate B competition, the combination finished in 1st place on 66.64. Next was National Youth Development Squad rider Victoria Welch and Glogau finishing with a score of 64.98.
First place in both the IRT Advanced 5.2 (68.48) and 5.3 (69.82) saw Mark Arthur and Show Master undoubtedly named the Advanced Champions. Alicia Targa and CP Dresden were the runners up following their 4th place in the 5.2 on 67.05 and their second place in the 5.3 on 69.56.
Elloise Devlin and her family bred 17.1 hand warmblood gelding named Brimstone Anakiwa claimed the FEI Young Rider Team Test with a score of 67.36. The National Youth Development Squad rider said, “Mum broke him in and stated competing him, then I took the ride, we have been partners for two and a half years now.
“Last year I was doing Advanced and this year I have stepped up to Intermediate I as well. He was really good today, I had a great warm up, it was a great test and all the things I had been practising came together.”
Hot on Elloise’s heels in second place was Tasmanian Abbie Obrien on Rajahs Rave on 67.28. Obrien is one of two Tasmanians competing at the Championships along with Para-Equestrian competitor Caitlin Radford who has also enjoyed success at the Championships claiming the grade 4 Championship Test on Thursday.
Future’s and National Youth Development Squad rider, 22 year old Stuart Archibald had a busy day competing in the Intermediate I class on Roxbury Lucille finishing in equal 13th position and then pencilling in the Grand Prix.
“You normally learn a lot from pencilling. I enjoyed it and it’s hard not to take something away when you’re sitting next to someone with a lot more knowledge,” said Archibald.
Archibald is also the Victorian Dressage Riders Representative. “I put my hand up when the role came up because I have never been afraid to put my hand up and have a go, as well as to show a bit of leadership.”
Saturday is Freestyle day at the Saddleworld Australian Dressage Championships and with competition continuing on Sunday there is still plenty of action to come this weekend.
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