Ottawa, ON—Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell of Newmarket, ON, received another Grand Prix test score above 70% for the third competition in a row at the Kentucky Cup Dressage CDI3* Lexington, held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 20–22.
Riding Anton, a 10-year old German-bred gelding (Antaeous x Saxony) owned by Robyn Eames, Trussell scored 70.213% to finish second in the large Grand Prix class of 25 entries, held Tuesday, April 20.
“Anton is feeling really reliable and confident,” said Trussell. “I am thrilled with another score of over 70%, but I still feel like there is a lot more horse to access, which is certainly exciting.”
“Show after show, Anton has been so consistent. Overall, I am very pleased with his progress heading to the World Equestrian Games,” added Trussell.
Earning an impressive personal best score of 68.638% to take third place was Bonny Bonnello of Calgary, AB riding Pikardi (Point Maker x Daimont), a 13-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding co-owned by Bonnello and Frances Bell.
Victoria Winter of Toronto, ON and Proton, a 16-year-old Baden-Wurtemburger gelding sired by Patriarch and owned by Cindy Ishoy, earned 67.064% for eighth place. Riding Douglas Leatherdale’s 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Devon L (De Niro x Wolkenstein II), Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON scored 66.170% for 11th.
Canadian Olympian Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON placed 12th with 65.362% riding Balmoral, a 10-year old Canadian Hanoverian gelding (Belcanto x Consul), owned Brinc Ltd and Anne & John Welch.
In the Grand Prix Special held Wednesday, April 21, Bonnello and Pikardi scored another personal best with 70.292% for second place. They were just edged out of first place by Mikala Munter Gundersen from Denmark, by 0.5%, riding Leonburg to 70.792%.
“I am completely thrilled with Pikardi. His confidence has grown tremendously over these past months. He tries so hard and he is there for me, maturing into quite the horse,” said Bonnello. “Robert Dover has worked with us and it has been fantastic. I look forward to the next steps and continued progress.”
Winter and Proton earned 65.917% for seventh place, and Brooks rounded out the Canadian riders in the Grand Prix Special, scoring 65.458% for ninth place, with her 2008 Olympic mount Gran Gesto, a 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Grannox x Goldstern) owned by Brinc Ltd and Anne Welch.
“I am very proud of all our Canadian riders and horses. It is so exciting that we now have three combinations achieving scores in Grand Prix tests over 70%, with Bonny Bonnello and Pikardi joining stars Ashley Holzer with Pop Art and Belinda Trussell with Anton,” said Robert Dover, Dressage Canada’s Technical/Coach Advisor (www.doversworld.com). “Many of our other riders are coming along nicely as well, and I feel confident we will see even more encouraging results from them as the season unfolds. Canada is surely evolving into a medal contending team.”
The Kentucky Cup Dressage schedule continues with the Grand Prix Freestyle which will be held Thursday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. The competition, held at the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games from September 25 to October 10, has been organized as an official test competition for the Games.
The judging panel for the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special tests at the Kentucky Cup Dressage included Janet Lee Foy (FEI I—USA) Linda Louise Zang (FEI O—USA), Mary Seefried (FEI O—AUS), Joan Macartney (FEI I—CAN) and Charlotte Bredahl (FEI C—USA).
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