Duo Mary Hanna and Umbro show excellent form in the CDI-W Pacific League Final at Saddleworld Dressage Festival
Olympian Mary Hanna and Umbro won the Pacific League World Cup Final CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle at the 2015 Saddleworld Dressage Festival tonight with a score of 73.725% after winning the Grand Prix yesterday. The combination pleased both the judges and the crowd with a technical choreography and earned the right to represent Australia in the World Cup Final in Gothenburg (SWE) in March 2016.
The CDI-W Pacific League Final Grand Prix Freestyle
The lead changed on five occasions throughout the evening. New-Zealand combination Jody Harstone and Ali Baba started the trend with a score of 65.500%. They were outdone by the third combination into the arena, Jeremy Janjic and the famous Django of Cacharel who scored 66.825%.
Pauline Carnovale and Urestan produced a clean work and scored 69.125% to hold the lead momentarily but they were relegated to fourth overall, after the break, once the strong combination of Brett Parbery and DP Weltmieser pleased the crowded stands and produced a new and very pleasant choreography obtaining 69.900%.
Tonight’s suspense didn’t stop after Maree Tomkinson’s test. Thanks to a very good 71.075% score with her WEG performer Diamantina IV she was placed first at the provisional, overtaking Brett. Maree once again was pleased with Diamantina's energy "coming from the inside" in opposition with coming from her environment: "she has always been a lazy horse at home and I used to rely on the atmosphere at a competition to get her energy. Now we are working differently, she is learning to create energy internally with harmony. That is really coming. It is hard to make these changes without making mistakes when she's been going that way for so long time. The scope of the sport has changed; raw energy is not so acceptable anymore, the horses need to be more relaxed. She did good tonight, we’re walking in a relaxed way, leaving the arena quietly.”
When Mary Hanna entered the arena, she was focused and probably aiming at more connection with Umbro, as she shared with us yesterday after the grand Prix. She pleased the judges and the crowds with a technical choreography. “I am really thrilled with him tonight, he was better that yesterday, good energy and really he tried his hardest. It is a difficult test and he really pulled it off. He was more connected, the judges said he was better in the frame today and that is what you want: happy judges.” She scored 73.725%, taking first place and led the lap of honor of this Pacific League World Cup Final.
At the prize presentation, good player, Brett shared with us: "It was a great night. There were just two very good contestants that beat me! Congratulations to the girls! I was really happy with my horse. It was a new Freestyle and I was very pleased with the way it rode."
CDN Grand Prix
Sue Hearn riding her 10yo black WB stallion Jude won the CDN Grand Prix with a score of 63.900%. "I'm very pleased with my young horse Jude. He is normally very spooky but today he felt like he was with me and listening. He's very new at this level and still learning so this is a good step in the right direction." The duo showed excellent form and will be a strong contender for Sunday’s Grand Prix Freestyle. Judith Smith combined with mount Duchess 2, a smart Hannoverian mare by De Niro, riding for Victoria arrived in second position with 62.680% and third on the podium, very close contender with 62.600% was Susan Elekessy with the young Don Rubin, 7yo gelding, already second in the FEI Intermediate II on Thursday.
Intermediate 1 Freestyle
First in the Inter 1 yesterday, the Tasmanian young rider Abbie OBrien, 21yo produced again a very clean performance placing her in first position in the Intermediate 1 Freestyle with 71.875% on her mount Rajahs Rave, by the stallion Regadez-Moi. Caroline Wagner and her young Oldenburg gelding WS Donnermann finished second with 68.833%. In third place was the young rider and recent Equestrian Grand Final Dressage champion, Morgan Duell on her sparkling Florinz with 68.333%.
The Aachen Challenge
The Marcus Oldham Aachen Challenge is an interesting competition format. Ridden at Prix Saint Georges level it consists in 2 separate competitions. In the first event, 3 combinations get qualified for the Final where the riders exchange horses in several rounds. Riders have 10 minutes to familiarize themselves with the unknown horse. Madison Tristram winner with the highest aggregate for the 3 rides will have the chance to travel to the 2015 CHIO in Aachen. She thanked her coach Mary Hanna at the prize presentation and Mary herself shared with us after her victory in the CDI-W Freestyle: "I have had a busy and fairly stressful day with my student Maddison riding in the Aachen Challenge on my old Grand Prix horse, Hamag W Strona, and her win in the Aachen Challenge is almost more exciting than my own. I am very happy". The horse with the highest aggregate score for its 3 rides was Heathmont Echo.
In first part of the CDI-W LF GP Freestyle, the Horse Riding Clubs Association of Victoria put on a very friendly show on the theme of Christmas.
TOMORROW'S PROGRAM
- The Para-equestrian Freestyle will start at 8am in the Indoor Arena
- The Advanced Freestyle will start at 11.15am in the Indoor Arena
- The CDN Freestyle will start at 1.45pm in the Indoor Arena
- The Pony Novice and Medium classes will take place all day in the outdoor arenas
- The HRCAV classes will take place all day in the Grass area
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