Wellington, Fla. – The first of three days of prestigious National Championship competition got underway today at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival grounds as competitors performed their first tests in the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions presented by The Dutta Corp. Taking an early lead in The Dutta Corp./USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship were Christina Vinios and Folkestone. In the hotly contested Grand Prix division, Laura Graves and Verdades sit atop the leaderboard.

FEI Grand Prix Test Results
FEI Prix St. Georges Test Results

The Dutta Corp./USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship
A small, but highly competitive field of eight combinations took to the international ring this morning to contest the FEI Prix St. Georges Test, earning the first 40% of their overall championship score. Leading narrowly after a solid test is Vinios (Wellington, Fla.) and her own Folkestone, scoring a 70.632% from the ground jury of Linda Zang, Peter Holler, Christof Umbach, Gary Rockwell, and Hans-Christian Matthiesen. Having won the 2015 Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage National Championship and all CDI Small Tour classes at Dressage at Devon, the pair displayed great rhythm and balance in a test highlighted by a confident trot tour.

“We have been working on a lot of little details [since Devon] and getting a really good connection,” said Vinios. “I liked the changes; they were fun and straight-forward. He’s a really good boy and will do everything I ask – he tries so hard.”

Sitting closely behind in second is Shelly Francis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Patricia Stempel’s Rubinio. Performing one of the most consistent tests of the morning, the pair elevated their performance with clear, expressive gaits and beautiful pirouettes, earning a score of 69.868%.

“This horse has only really been working for about three and half weeks, so he’s not all the way fit. He tried really hard though, he is an overachiever,” said Francis, who also finished fourth and fifth in the Grand Prix division with Doktor and Danilo, respectively.

Jane Karol and Sunshine Tour rounded out the top three, earning a 69.868%. Karol has owned the mare for four years and the strength of partnership was obvious throughout the test, showcasing excellent quality in all three gaits.

“I have to thank Robert Dover, who helped me in the warm-up. Overall the feeling over the back and getting the hind legs engaged because of the way [Dover] set me up was the highlight for me,” said Karol.

The Dutta Corp./USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship

Laura Graves and Verdades (SusanJStickle.com)

With a full field that includes some of the nation’s top combinations, the Grand Prix division witnessed a field of 17 perform the FEI Grand Prix Test for the first 45% of their championship score. Continuing a record year, Graves (Geneva, Fla.) and her own Verdades took an early lead with a test that, despite a few bobbles, earned a 76.460% from the ground jury of Linda Zang, Peter Holler, Christof Umbach, Gary Rockwell, and Hans-Christian Matthiesen.

“It was our first time back in the ring [since the Pan American Games in July] and I was expecting to have to knock some rust off and as it turns out I was the one with the rust. He did everything I asked, I am now having to keep up with him. He felt fresh and just the way I like him, I just didn’t quite keep up. I was really happy with our zig-zag; he has incredible ability to cover ground sideways. All of our canter work was really solid – I think we picked up a lot of points there.”

The 2014 Grand Prix National Champion, Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.), placed both Four Winds Farms’ horses in the top three – finishing second on Legolas 92 on a score of 74.220% and third with Rosamunde on a score of 72.620%. Peters expressed disappointment in both his tests, noting “In both [the tests] I just did not ride very well. Both horses felt great in the warm-up and they were quite solid in the changes, I think with Legolas I was a bit too forward in the two-tempis and with Rosamunde I was a bit too forward in the one-tempis. We are going to try our best tomorrow and put today aside.”

Competition continues tomorrow with the FEI Intermediaire I Test for the Small Tour and FEI Grand Prix Special Test for the Big Tour.

Thursday’s Ride Times

General admission to the competition is free; please visit gdf.coth.com for more information. All championship competition will be live streamed and available on-demand on USEFNetwork.com.