Dressage Hartpury and highlights
Richard Davison defends his music title, while Charlotte Dujardin and Mount St John Freestyle remain unbeatable and three small tour horses claim their first international wins
RICHARD DAVISON and his own and Mrs Meyer’s 11-yearold Lingh x Picandt gelding Bubblingh repeated last year’s grand prix freestyle win with an impressive personal best of 77.81% on Saturday's gala evening.
Their test had great energy and purpose with some excellent on-the-spot piaffe and expressive passage. There was an occasional loss of balance and a mistake at the start of the two-time changes but the performance earned big marks, including 80% from Stephen Clarke, the judge at C.
Richard’s funky garage mashup music, compiled by Tom Hunt, really stood out from the bunch during an evening of rather similar sounding film scores.
“It’s taken a long time this season to get him where I want him,” said Richard, who did not put Bubblingh forward for World Equestrian Games (WEG) selection this year, but rather views him as a Tokyo Olympics prospect. “I was pleased with the halts as that’s a sign he’s chilled and listening to me. I’m interested in training him and developing him from show to show.”
Second-placed Sonnar Murray-Brown and Erlentanz also posted their best international score, 75.4%. The pair are still in their first year of grand prix but showed excellent use of the phrasing of the music and their trot half-passes were perfectly on the beat.
Charlotte Dujardin and Mount St John Freestyle proved once again that they can cope with the pressure of the enormous expectations now being placed on them. The Olympic champion and Emma Blundell’s nine-year-old mare aced their second grand prix special with a really mature and polished performance.
Their score of 80.51% was fractionally higher than in their first attempt at a special, at Bolesworth in June. Their test had numerous highlights but perhaps most pleasing was the effortlessness of the performance, with Freestyle very soft and willing and full of energy. It would have come as a relief to Charlotte after their winning grand prix two days before hadn’t been the 80% test she was hoping for.
On that occasion, the Fidermark mare appeared to be
feeling the scorching heat and all three of her piaffes suffered, with Charlotte using incredible skill to coax the mare through the required number of steps each time. But such is the sheer class of the rest of Freestyle’s work that she still totted up a total of 77.44%.
In the special, Charlotte paid particular attention to the piaffe and the transitions in and out of passage and the results were a significant improvement.
“I was so pleased today after Friday’s grand prix when we had quite a few blips,” commented Charlotte after her special. “In the piaffe she sits so much she gets stuck and that’s what happened in the grand prix. It’s just about her getting experience in the arena and getting her to stay forward and gain in confidence. In the arena she almost over-tries; I say ‘go’ and she goes higher and I want forward. That’s just her — she doesn’t ever say ‘no’.”
Carl slotted into a familiar second in both tests with Hawtins Delicato, owned by himself, Lady Anne Evans and Ann Cory. The 10-year-old Diamond Hit son’s grand prix was one of his best to date, and his 76.08% would have been higher had it not been for a loss of balance in the first piaffe.
“I made the first passage too big and Del couldn’t cope in the piaffe, and got stuck,” explained Carl. “The second piaffe was fabulous and back to being very high-scoring because I had him in a neater little passage which didn’t make him nervous. Every test is still a learning curve.”
There were some wonderful highlights — Carl reckoned it was the horse’s best zig-zag to date, and his best walk in a test. They took these forward into their debut special and had a smooth flowing ride for 77.05%, with Henriette Andersen and Flavio coming third.
Spencer Wilton made his long-awaited comeback with his Rio silver medallist and 2017 Europeans ride, Jen Goodman’s Super Nova II. The De Niro son hasn’t competed since September last year, but hardly looked as though he has been out of action, with a tidy grand prix for 75.85%, just a smidge behind Carl.
“I’m really delighted with him today — he doesn’t feel as though he’s been out at all. It’s given us both confidence — I feel a lot better now that first one’s over!” said Spencer, who was sadly forced to withdraw from the special after injuring his back.
‘SLEEPY CHAP’ WINS ON INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
JESS DUNN pulled off a solid test to secure prix st georges (PSG) victory at her first international aboard Jennifer Whittaker’s Caricello gelding, Alicante Valley.
“The week before a competition I usually have a meltdown that it will all be rubbish, but today he felt really good,” said Jess.
“He’s not usually so good in the heat — he gets tired — and it
‘I usually have a meltdown that it will all be rubbish, but today he felt really good’
PSG WINNER JESS DUNN ON ALICANTE VALLEY
doesn’t matter how fit we get him, he’s just a sleepy kind of chap,” she added of the 13-yearold KWPN, who started his career as an event horse.
PSG runners-up Nicola Buchanan and Half Moon Dark Magic were first to go in the inter I and had a long wait to see if Jess would pip them into second place again. In the event, Alicante Valley was not quite at his best with a mistake in the tempi changes, and Nicola landed her first international win with “Paddy”.
Nicola has been training the Dimaggio nine-year-old, who is British-bred by Julie Deverill, since he was five.
‘The music was very loud — she pooped her pants’
LEE PEARSON ON STYLETTA
“At Bolesworth he was really neurotic so I was worried how he would cope with the atmosphere but he was the most rideable he’s ever been in a test,” said Nicola, who showed off Paddy’s potential with some exemplary passage in the prize-giving.
Nikki Barker and the athletic Speilberg stallion Durable rose from PSG fifth to inter I third, but a bold performance in the final day’s inter I freestyle gave them their first win at the level. The powerful 10-year-old, known as Danny, is definitely one to watch for the future.