American Riders Sweep CDI-W Grand Prix at AGDF Week 8

Wellington, Fla. – Feb. 28, 2019 – The final CDI-W Grand Prix of the 2019 Adequan Global Dressage Festival saw a clean sweep of American riders with Laura Graves taking the win aboard Verdades, followed by her FEI World Equestrian Games teammates Kasey Perry-Glass and Adrienne Lyle. Each of the top three riders train with Debbie McDonald, the new U.S. Dressage technical advisor. This week is the last opportunity for riders in the North American League to try to qualify for a coveted spot in the FEI World Cup Finals in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Laura Graves and Verdades

Laura Graves and Verdades, her 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, performed a clean Grand Prix to win the large class with an 80.239 percent, which is their highest Grand Prix score they’ve received in 2019 so far. They received multiple scores of 9s throughout the test with 9s across the entire judging panel for their one-tempi changes and rider collective mark. They also got a score of 10 in their reinback. While Graves believed the heat took more of a toll on her than usual, she was pleased with Verdades overall performance and is looking forward to nailing down her third and final score to solidify her place for the FEI World Cup Finals.

Kasey Perry-Glass and Goerklintgaards Dublet

Only two points behind Graves was Perry-Glass on Diane Perry’s 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, Goerklintgaards Dublet with a total score of 78.63 percent. They received numerous scores of 9s, most of them being awarded for their piaffe and passage work, and Perry-Glass was given a rider score of 9 from four of the five judges. Their overall total was a personal best Grand Prix score for the pair.

Adrienne Lyle and Salvino

Rounding out the top three with a score of 74.543 percent was Adrienne Lyle aboard Betsy Juliano’s Salvino, a 12-year-old Hanoverian stallion. The range of scores from the judging panel was wider with E judge giving them a 71.739, while the C judge awarded them with a 78.696 percent. They had a bobble in the extended trot when they broke into the canter but they received high scores in their piaffe and passage work, and even received one score of 10 on their entry.

The CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle, which is the FEI World Cup Finals qualifying class, will take place Friday, March 1.

Results: CDI-W Grand Prix

Place / Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Laura Graves / USA / Verdades / 80.239
2. Kasey Perry-Glass / USA / Goerklintgaards Dublet / 78.630
3. Adrienne Lyle / USA / Salvino / 74.543
4. Shelly Francis / USA / Danilo / 74.065
5. Yvonne Losos De Muniz / DOM / Aquamarijn / 69.826
6. P.J. Rizvi / USA / Breaking Dawn / 69.174
7. Lindsay Kellock / CAN / Sebastien / 68.913
8. Jacqueline Brooks / CAN / Westwood / 66.304
9. Jessica Jo Tate / USA / Faberge / 66.239
10. Karen Lipp / USA / Whitney / 64.457
11. Jane Karol / USA / Sunshine Tour / 63.957
12. Evi Strasser / CAN / Disney Tyme / 63.696
13. Jacqueline MacDonald Cuddy / USA / Malcarat / 60.500

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Laura Graves – CDI-W Grand Prix winner

On her test:
“We survived! I feel really warm today. I don’t normally get this hot and it is not even that hot today! I always say that if you can do it here in Florida in 85-degree weather, you can do it anywhere. I thought he [Verdades] was relaxed but at the same time I may have warmed him up a bit too much. We have been using this technique where we give him a very short warmup and send him in. Sometimes, the longer you warm him up the more he gets hot in his mind but tired in his body. He was very clean today and honest. I was super happy with my zig-zag. I don’t know how it scored but I just remember looking up at some point and seeing how much ground we had covered going one way. I thought ‘Uh-oh, can I do that the other way?’ I pushed and sure enough, he went that far the other way so I was happy with that. The canter tour felt really secure and I am happy with his relaxation. I wish for a little more energy in the trot work, but that is just a matter of me not running out of the stabling so fast.”

On her goals for tomorrow night:
“Tomorrow night is our last qualifier for World Cup so I just want to check that off the list and know that we have a ticket to Sweden.”

On her teammates:
“We have been waiting for this. We have been planning what you guys saw today for weeks and weeks. It just hasn’t happened that we’ve finished one, two, three. The three of us are such good friends and we have been hoping for a sweep like that! To have Shelly [Francis] in fourth place was very exciting for our country. Kasey had really high scores today and it was just fun to be able to laugh together down center line with such amazing teammates.”

 

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