Mikala Gundersen (DEN) and My Lady, veterans at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) circuit this season, added another win to their resume in the FEI Grand Prix CDI 3*, presented by Martha Jolicoeur and Maria Mendelsohn of Illustrated Properties, with a 73.380%.
Lisa Wilcox (USA) and Denzello followed in second with a 72.160%, and Arlene “Tuny” Page (USA) aboard Woodstock in third receiving a 71.840%. Gundersen and My Lady are the second winningest pair on the circuit this season behind fellow Danish teammate Lars Petersen and Mariett. The mare has been incredibly consistent and has really settled into the routine Gundersen has created. “She was great today. She felt great and when I came into the warm-up she was so supple in my hand, just like butter,” smiled Gundersen describing her test.
“She was so nice, soft and relaxed. I was debating on doing this show and I’m so glad that I did because we got the invitation to go to World Cup Finals in Vegas, and I didn’t know if it was the right thing to compete her here again or not,” she explained. “There were some things I had been working on at home that I wanted to work on in the ring, and we really got that done today.”
The duo, who recently received their invitation to Las Vegas, originally thought that World Cup Finals were out of the cards for them this season, so Gundersen gave “Lady” a lengthy vacation after her last showing and it has been incredibly beneficial for the pair. “She is just so fresh and ready to go. She enjoyed coming here today and going down the centerline. That’s the most important thing for me, that she wants to go in the ring and do well,” she expressed.
Lisa Wilcox and Denzello performed beautifully and rode a very clean test to finish in second in the last CDI competition of the 2015 season at AGDF, their first outing of the season. Wilcox said, “We gave him a long break and now he’s found his peace of mind, and I feel like he’s really about to step into an amazing area. He just has sensational expression.”
A long break has proven to be an excellent choice for Denzello as he is feeling more confident in the ring, and Wilcox feels that she can continue to ask for more. She explained, “He’s trusting, relaxed, everything I was hoping he would become we’re starting to see come together.”
As for the future, Wilcox is planning on letting her string of successful horses rest after circuit and then will begin to plan their summer schedules. “We will have the goal to take him [Denzello] and Cerro to Saugerties in the fall and then we will head to Europe if all goes to plan for between six to eight weeks, which will be very exciting.”
Competition will continue tomorrow at AGDF following a revised schedule due to the inclement weather that resulted in the postponement of the “Friday Night Lights” Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* Freestyles today.
Final Results for FEI Grand Prix CDI 3*,
presented by Martha Jolicoeur and Maria Mendelsohn of Illustrated Properties
1. Mikala Gundersen (DEN), My Lady, 73.380%
2. Lisa Wilcox (USA), Denzello, 72.160%
3. Arlene Page (USA), Woodstock, 71.840%
4. Arlene Page (USA), Alina, 71.700%
5. Lara Griffith (GBR), Rubin Al Asad, 70.220%
6. Katherine Bateson Chandler (USA), Alcazar, 69.520%
7. Christilot Boylen (CAN), Dretano, 69.280%
8. Alice Tarjan (USA), Elfenfeuer, 69.100%
To view the revised schedule and to learn more about the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com
Source: Press release
