The Canadian Dressage Team, consisting of Jill Irving of Moncton, NB, Jaimey and Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, and Megan Lane of Loretto, ON, won the Team Gold Medal in the CDIO 3* Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup on March 23, 2017 at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
The team’s big win marked the first time Canada has taken gold in the prestigious annual Nations Cup, which is the highlight of the final week of CDI-level competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC).
Tina Irwin led Canada to the Gold Medal after helping to secure an early lead on day one of competition. Riding Laurencio (Laurentio x Donerhall), a 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding she co-owns with her husband, Jaimey, she earned a decisive win in the FEI Prix St. Georges on a score of 74.026%. The pair returned the following day for the FEI Intermediate I, once again topping the leaderboard with 73.237%.
“I’m very lucky to have a horse like Laurencio; He’s very special,” said Tina, who has had an impressive season in Wellington, including a record-breaking performance during week seven, when she and Laurencio earned the world’s highest small tour score on record for 2017 (78.708%) in the FEI Intermediate I Freestyle. “I’m pleased with our season, and I knew that he was a special horse right from the beginning. I’m happy to start to showcase that.”
“I think it’s a great experience to be having these Nations Cups,” continued Tina. “It’s huge for us to get together as a country and have these experiences.”
Jaimey Irwin also had a strong performance in the small tour, earning second place finishes in both the FEI Prix St. Georges (72.921%) and FEI Intermediate I (69.263%) aboard Donnegal V (Johnson x Gribaldi), a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Team Irwin Supporters Group.
Lane and Irving represented the Canadian team at the big tour level during the Nations Cup. Lane, who was in the anchor position for the Canadian Dressage Team during the Nations Cup, was partnered with her Rio 2016 Olympic Games mount, Caravella (Contango x Riverman), a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare she co-owns with her mother, Cathy, and sister, Kelsey. Together, they earned third place finishes in both the CDIO 3* Grand Prix and CDIO 3* Grand Prix Special, scoring 70.080% and 70.176%, respectively.
“I do well under pressure, so I am privileged that I got to be in that spot,” said Lane, who set a new personal best FEI Grand Prix Freestyle record earlier in the 2017 AGDF series, after scoring 70.700% with Caravella. “I’m really happy with Caravella. I think she’s in a good spot. The piaffe/passage work is always a highlight, and her canter half-passes are really nice to ride.”
Irving started out with a fourth place finish in the CDIO 3* Grand Prix after scoring 68.480% with Degas 12 (De Niro x Regazzoni), a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding she owns with Windhaven Farm. They followed up with fifth place in the CDIO 3* Grand Prix Special on 69.588%.
The Canadian Dressage Team finished on a combined score of 434.528 points. The United States took the Silver Medal with 432.661 points, and Spain received the Bronze Medal (397.690).
Mathilde Blais-Tetreault from Montreal, QC rode Utah to the Individual Gold Medal in the inaugural CDIO-U25 FEI Nations Cup, presented by Diamante Farms on March 23.
Photo by: Susan J. Stickle
For the first time in the history of the AGDF series, Week 11 also hosted an Under 25 (U25) Nations Cup, providing next generation athletes with the chance to gain valuable experience in the team format.
Canada was represented at the top of the podium in the inaugural CDIO-U25 FEI Nations Cup, presented by Diamante Farms, after Mathilde Blais-Tetreault from Montreal, QC rode to the Individual Gold Medal on March 23.
Riding Utah (Jazz x Landwind II B), her 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Blais-Tetreault earned the title after scoring 68.279% in the CDIO-U25 FEI Grand Prix 16-25.
“It is a great feeling to capture the gold medal,” said Blais-Tetreault, who has only been paired with Utah for four months. “I didn’t really expect this because Utah and I are such a new combination. I’m really happy that we have progressed.”
In the Team portion of the Nations Cup, Blais-Tetreault, along with Tanya Strasser-Shostak of Sainte- Adèle, QC, earned the Bronze Medal on March 22 on a team total of 132.079 points. USA Team A earned the Gold Medal with 137.763 points, while USA Team B received the Silver Medal with 134.315 points.
The Team Medals were decided in the CDIO-U25 FEI Intermediate II 16-26, which saw Blais-Tetreault score 67.500% for fourth place. Strasser-Shostak took eighth place on a score of 64.579% partnered with Action Tyme (Aktuell x Aleksander), a 17-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by her mother, Evi Strasser. The duo also finished ninth individually in the CDIO-U25 FEI Grand Prix 16-25 with 61.651%.
The Individual Medals for the CDIO 3* Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup will be decided on March 24.
For full results and further information, visit http://gdf.coth.com
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