Kayce Redmond and Latino (SusanJStickle.com Photo)
Rounding out a weekend of sweeps in the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions, Kayce Redmond (Alpharetta, GA) held on to her lead from the first competition and delivered her second consecutive winning performance with Latino in the Dick and Jane Brown Arena at the USET Foundation Headquarters.
“I’m just really excited,” said Redmond. “Hopefully it will put my name out there a little bit more and give me some more exposure.”
The 24-year-old executed some excellent grand prix movements including some of the best piaffe and passage of the group, in which many are still becoming confirmed at these movements. Their score of 65.535% in the Young Rider Grand Prix Test secured a comfortable lead in the championship with a final average of 65.152%.
“He was really good,” said Redmond. “I was excited to get my ones. He was really honest in there. He tried the whole way through. I’m really happy.”
Erin Shea (Ashby, MA) jumped up into the reserve champion spot during her first season at Grand Prix. She gave Marshal, Sue McKeown’s 21-year-old Swedish gelding, all the credit for her experience and for her results in the championship. Their score of 63.860% in the Grand Prix test pushed them up the leaderboard from fourth after the first class and into the reserve championship spot with a combined average of 63.315%.
“He’s a great horse,” said Shea. “It’s my first season of Grand Prix with him; it’s my first season of Grand Prix with any horse. He’s taught me everything I was able to do out there. I’m very
pleased.”
The most senior horse in the entire competition defies his age with his looks and attitude, making it possible for Shea to defy even her own expectations.
“At the beginning of the season I had no intention of trying to make it here,” said Shea.
But now she hopes to return in 2011 with evergreen Marshall.
“He never shows his age,” said Shea, who is 26 years old.
Nicolia Zamora (Wildomar, CA) held on to her third place finish with Ramsgate D in her final year of Brentina Cup competition. The pair recovered admirably from a mistake in the pirouettes and although they finished fourth in the class on a score of 61.581%, but their two-day score of 62.816% was good enough for third overall.
“He was great,” said Zamora. “I’m disappointed with my riding. I showed my lack of experience. I made a big mistake in the pirouettes. It was a rookie mistake, but it happens. I’m sure it won’t be the last time. He was great, I just wish I’d done him justice.”
Zamora is a relatively recent convert from eventing to dressage and this is the second horse she has produced to the Grand Prix level herself. She hopes to contest the open division in 2011.
Zamora contested the Brentina Cup in 2007 with Nimbus.
For more information, please visit: http://usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/competitions/FestivalOfChampions.aspx