WEF Dressage Wk4/Day1/Feb.19,2004
WELLINGTON, FL - February 19, 2004 - Kicking off four days of dressage
competition, February 19-22, at the 32nd Winter Equestrian Festival,
the Zada Enterprises, LLC Florida Dressage Classic featured 10 classes
from Training Level through Intermediaire I today at the Palm Beach
Polo Equestrian Club.
In
the FEI classes, Canadian Shannon Dueck, 41, now of Wellington,
FL, riding Korona topped a class of 18 with a score of 69.837%.
Ashley Holzer of New York, NY, riding Imperioso placed second with
67.154%, and Colombian Dr. Cesar Parra of Jupiter, FL, earned third
place aboard Leonberg, earning 64.959%. "I was thrilled with
my horse," said Dueck of her 12-year-old Dutch gelding. "He
was elastic and rideable. We've had issues with tenseness in the
Wellington atmosphere before, so I was thrilled at how he handled
it." Dueck was especially pleased with the way Korona carried
himself in the extensions. She admitted to one pilot error. "I
need to learn how to count tempi changes! I'm not used to the I-II
test and I did too many changes," she said with a laugh. "Overall,
he was great."
The
largest class of the day was the Prix St. Georges. With 39 entries,
management split the class into two sections. Heather Blitz of Folsom,
Louisiana, riding Royal Blue Midnight owned by The Oak Hill Ranch
won the PSG A section with her score of 67.50%. Michael Shondell,
21, of Kinnelon, NJ, riding his own Wallaby won the PSG B section,
scoring 69.250%. "It felt tenser than it looked obviously,"
Shondell said. Wallaby is an 18-hand, chestnut Hanoverian gelding
by Werther. "He was excited. But he was more forward, more
uphill, and more together than on previous rides." Shondell
said he rides Wallaby in the same way at home as he does at shows,
so today's win was, "Just like riding every day for him."
Shondell was pleased with the overall performance. "It was
good. There are still things I want to work on, but I was happy
with it." Officiating at the FEI ring were Janet Brown, Liselotte
Fore and Natalie Lamping.
Two
riders in the lower levels broke the 70 percentile today. Judge
Carol Lavell awarded the highest score today to Jennifer Conour
of Carmel, IN, who earned 75.556% in First Level Test 1 with Rumor,
her six-year-old Dutch gelding. Simone Williams of Navon, Ontario,
Canada, riding Siegfried, her four-year-old Dutch gelding, scored
71.364% in Training Level Test 1. Susan Roberto judged.
2004
WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL TICKET INFORMATION
Show days for the 2004 Winter Equestrian Festival are Wednesday
through Sunday. Gates open at 8:00 am. Ticket Prices: Wednesdays
are free to everyone; Children 12 and under are admitted free every
day; Young Adults 13 to 18 and Seniors are $5 on Thursday through
Sunday; Adults are $5 on Thursday and Friday, $10 on Saturday, and
$15 on Sunday. The Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club is located on
Pierson Road off South Shore Boulevard. For additional information,
visit www.stadiumjumping.com or call 561-793-5867.
2004
WEF SCHEDULE OF COMPETITIONS
February 18 - 22 Florida Classic/WCHR Spectacular CSI-W/Y CSI-Ch
February 19 - 22 Zada Enterprises, LLC Florida Dressage Classic
February 25 - 29 PDP Capital Wellington Masters CSI***
March 3 - 7 CN Wellington Open CSI-W
March 10 - 14 CSIO United States Cosequin Finale CSIO***
March 18 - 21 Zada Enterprises WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y
(Qualifier for Olympic Selection Trials)
March 24 - 28 Tampa Bay Classic CSI-W (Bob Thomas Equestrian Center)
March 30 - April 3 Tournament of Champions CSI-W (Bob Thomas Equestrian
Center)
April 3 Budweiser American Invitational (Raymond James Stadium)
2004
WEF MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIX SERIES
February 22 $60,000 Idle Dice Classic, presented by Palm Beach Post,
CSI-W
February 29 $75,000 PDP Capital Masters Cup, CSI***
March 7 $75,000 CN Wellington Open presented by Estates of Wellington
Green, CDI-W
March 12 $50,000 Samsung Nations' Cup, presented by CN, CSIO****
March 14 $100,000 Cosequin U.S. Open Jumper Championship, CSIO****
March 28 $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa, presented by Kilkenny/ICH,
CSI-W
April 3 $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational, presented by The
Tampa Tribune
.
|