Laura Graves gold (center) Kasey Perry silver (left) and Belinda Trussell bronze winners of the individual CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
WELLINGTON, Florida, Apri 1, 2016–American Olympic hopefuls Laura Graves on Verdades and Kasey Perry Glass on Dublet both smashed 80 per cent in the Nations Cup CDIO3* Individual Grand Prix Freestyle Friday night in the 2016 finale Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
Laura and Verdades, the United States Grand Prix champions were awarded 82.800 per cent for the highest score in the five years of the Global circuit in the ride following Kasey and Dublet with 81.325 per cent for the third highest result at Global that brought wild cheering from the packed stadium.
The scores for both pairs were personal bests–surpassing the 2014 World Games result that put Laura and Verdades in fifth place and for Kasey and Dublet the marks came in only their second Grand Prix Freestyle and just over two months since starting the Big Tour.
Canada's Belinda Trussell on Anton, her 2014 World Games and 2015 Pan American Games team mount, also posted a personal best of 76.350 per cent to place third. The pair are atop the unofficial rankings for Canadian combinations seeking to fill two individual spots the nation at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.
America's Arlene “Tuny” Page on Woodstock was another combination to turn in a personal best, posting a score of 75.925 per cent and then as the presenting sponsor of the Nations Cup presenting the gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three pairs.
Emotions were high at this Nations Cup Freestyle under lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center Stadium complex on the final week of the three-month winter circuit of seven CDIs with the largest total prize money of more than $700,000 for dressage in the world.
It also marked the end for many American riders to campaign to be one of eight combinations to make the squad to go to Europe to fight for one of the four places on the team to go to Europe.
The mood on a steamy sub tropical night in Wellington was set by the first ride–Canada's 2012 Olympic and 2013 World Cup partnership of Jacqueline Brooks and D Niro with the familiar but emotional “Hallelujah” Freestyle that struck a chord not only with crowd but also with the judges who awarded the 17-year-old Swedish Warmblood 71.850 per cent for sixth place.
Mikala Gundersen on My Lady, also a World Games and European Championship combination for the Danish team rider based in Florida, took the lead with 75.925 per cent halfway through the Freestyle.
Kasey Perry Glass, who moved from her home in California to Wellington to work with Debbie McDonald, also the coach of Laura Graves on Verdades, then produced a jaw dropping performance that silenced the crowd until the final salute when it erupted into cheers and whistles.
The score of 81.325 per cent–with four of the judges awarding more than 80 per cent–when flashed on the scoreboard brought on another burst of applause for what was only the second Freestyle by the pair since beginning Big Tour at the end of January.
Results:
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