Allison Brock and Rosevelt (SusanJStickle.com)
Brock and Rosevelt added another Grand Prix victory to their string, as the pair also captured a win in the AGDF 1 FEI Grand Prix CDI-W and placed second in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI-W the same week. "I felt in my own head a lot more confident. Once you get the first one out of the way, it is always easier. I knew he could handle the venue. I was really only concerned about how the weather would impact his ability to focus," said Brock.
The duo will contest their first "Friday Night Stars" FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3* tomorrow night under the lights, which will serve as a great learning opportunity for "Rosie." "He's going to have to go in there and cope with the environment, and I won't know what I have until I get in there, but in a way today was good prep because if it is calm tomorrow night, it will feel like nothing compared to today," she commented about Rosevelt's hot personality. "He has to just go in and do it, and this is his year to learn how to deal with it. I don't have expectations for tomorrow. I want him to go in feeling like he can trust me because that's when we perform our best."
The weather was a major factor for most riders today, especially those on sensitive horses, but Brock was pleased with the way "Rosie" handled the atmosphere and the environment considering their warm-up was more difficult than she anticipated. "The warm-up was a bit tricky for me today. The gusting winds with all of the flags flapping, it made it pretty difficult for him. I'm proud because he really went in the ring and let it go and carried on. He was really about as honest as he could have been considering the circumstance."
Lara Griffiths and Rubin Al Asad had a wonderfully relaxed and mistake-free test to take home the second place prize in the large class. Griffiths, who competed "Rufus" at the Week 5 CDI3*, felt a drastic improvement from the pair's tests two weeks ago. "I started riding him about four years ago, and he was coming off an injury. It's taken a while to get his strength back, but even compared to two weeks ago he's a completely different horse," stated Griffiths. "That is what is great about these shows and this venue. You can keep bringing them out and showing them, and it really helps their confidence."
Traveling to Wellington for the winter circuit with her trainer, Laura Tomlinson, has been greatly beneficial for the duo, as Griffiths plans to contest a number of CDIs in Europe after returning home to England in March. "Today was a really special day for us. It was only our second Grand Prix together, and I was pretty happy with him," she said. "He was a little bit scared in the ring because he still is very green, but he let me really ride him and that was my main goal."
Griffiths was pleased with the attitude "Rufus" displayed in the ring and feels that their scores will only improve as the big gelding continues to gain confidence with Griffiths in the saddle. "I wanted to get those marks to creep up and not have any mistakes, which we didn't," she explained. "I really couldn't have asked more from him. The general way of going was more confident today, which is what we've been working on."
Final Results for FEI CDI3* Grand Prix presented by Havensafe Farm
Place, Rider, Nationality, Horse, Horse Information: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%
1. Allison Brock (USA), Rosevelt, 2002 Hanoverian stallion, Rotspon x Lore x Lauries Crusader xx: 71.700%, 72.700%, 71.300%, 67.400%, 74.900%, 71.600%
2. Lara Griffith (GBR), Rubin Al Asad, 2002 Hanoverian gelding, Rubin Royal x Wandergirl: 72.700%, 69.100%, 71.200%, 69.700%, 72.400%, 71.020%
3. Shelly Francis (USA), Danilo, 2004 Hanoverian gelding, De Niro x Annabella x Andiamo: 66.900%, 71.000%, 68.500%, 67.300%, 74.000%, 69.540%
4. Christoph Koschel (GER), Tiesto, 2000 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Gribaldi x Nadie x Ferro: 69.500%, 68.100%, 67.800%, 68.200%, 70.800%, 68.880%
5. Sharon McCusker (USA), Wrigley, 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Son De Niro x Pinomia x Rhodiamont: 67.800%, 69.400%, 68.400%, 68.600%, 69.200%, 68.680%
6. Anna Marek (USA), Unico G, 2001 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Negro x Kleora x Animo: 68.100%, 68.200%, 66.600%, 66.700%, 71.000%, 68.120%
7. Elaine Cordia-van- Reesema (USA), Jewel's Adelante, 2000 Swedish Warmblood gelding, Schufro x Tangent x Phaeton X: 67.300%, 65.900%, 65.200%, 68.400%, 72.100%, 67.780%
8. Arlene Page (USA), Woodstock, 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Havel x Mirania x Contango: 66.100%, 67.300%, 68.000%, 66.800%, 69.000%, 67.440%