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Canadian Dressage Talent Showcased During Two Weeks of CDI-W Competition in Blainville

July 10, 2009

Ottawa, ON --- Two back-to-back World Cup Qualifying Dressage CDI competitions were held recently at Blainville Equestrian Park north of Montreal, QC. The CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic was held June 18–21. It was followed by the CDI-W Blainville International Classic, which began on Thursday, June 25, and culminated with the Freestyle Gala and Dinner on Saturday, June 27. Both competitions were held in conjunction with Equine Canada Gold competitions, making these shows very popular with competitors.

At the CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic, Cheryl Meisner of Blandford, NS, and Jacqueline Brooks of Mount Albert, ON, placed first and second in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

During the Freestyle, Meisner and Paganini, John Risley’s 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Havidoff x Statuar), executed a beautiful performance to powerful piano music to score 72.150%. Brooks and her 2008 Olympic partner Gran Gesto (Grannox x Goldstern), a 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Brinc Ltd. and Anne Welch, received a score of 70.150%.

“Paganini was so consistent, and so honest in his performances at Blainville. I was very pleased with the majority of his tests especially his passage and piaffe,” said Meisner. “I was happy that his scores were in the ballpark of the World Equestrian Games criteria. Hopefully he continues to improve on these scores and proves to be a serious contender for the World Equestrian Games team."

The winners were reversed in the results of the Grand Prix. Brooks and Gran Gesto won with a score of 66.894%. Meisner and Paganini finished in second with 66.426%.

In the Advanced division, it was a one-two placing for 2007 Young Rider Team Members Julie Watchorn and Leah Wilson. Watchorn of Schomberg, ON won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score of 70.100%, riding her 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Quintesse. Second place went to Wilson of Orangeville, ON, who scored 68.800% with Amusant, her 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Alabaster.

Lee Tubman of Dunnville, ON took the Intermediaire I after scoring 69.123% with aboard Ducat Developments Ltd’s eight-year-old Hanoverian mare De La Rosa, sired by De Niro. Wilson earned the blue ribbon with a score of 66.754% aboard Amusant.

In the large Prix St. Georges class, Tubman earned another first (out of 17 entries) with De La Rosa, scoring 69.561%, while Wilson and Amusant were again in second place with 68.509%.

The CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic also featured classes for up and coming young talent, both human and equine. Harma Germs of Montague, PE, won the FEI Young Horse Six Year Old Preliminary (73.800%) and Final (73.800%) classes with Whiscalina, her Dutch Warmblood mare sired by Redford. Brittany Fraser of New Glasgow, NS, finished second with her horse Ricardos, scoring 64.825%.

In FEI Young Horse Five Year Old Division, Neil Alexander McIntosh of Ste-Adele, QC, rode Andrea Kierulf’s Rigaudon Tyme, an Oldenburg gelding sired by Rosario, to a score of 83.600% in the Preliminary test. Second place went to Lindsey Stroh of Camrose, AB, and William, a Canadian Hanoverian gelding sired by Warkanson and owned by Vickie Argals, scoring 76.200%. Stroh and William won the Final, scoring 76.400%, while Rigaudon Tyme and McIntosh finished in second with 72.800%.

With Blainville acting as an opportunity for riders to qualify for the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC), to be held July 21–26 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, the FEI Young Riders division saw stiff competition. Jade Deter of Kemptville, ON, won the Team test with her horse Mastermind, with Amy Jager of Puslinch, ON, riding her horse Jive to finish second. In the Individual test, Annie-Pier Venne and Step Up rode to a first place finish scoring 65.263%, and Fraser and Ricardos finished second with 64.825%. Jager and Jive won the Freestyle with a score of 67.600%, and Deter and Mastermind earned 65.650% for second.

In the FEI Junior Division, Anne-Mylaine Messier of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, and Marzipan won the Team (67.027%) and Freestyle (69.900%) tests. Alexandra Dvorak, of Hillsburgh, ON, won the Individual test with a score of 64.561%. Megan Lane of Collingwood, ON, placed second in all three tests scoring 68.200% in the Freestyle, 64.035% in the Individual test and 65.586% in the Team test.

Tanya Strasser-Shostak of Ste-Adele, QC, made a clean sweep in FEI Pony division, winning all the tests in the division riding her own Nemo Tyme.

The international judging panel for the CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic included Elizabeth McMullen (FEI O—CAN), Maribel Quinzanos (FEI O—MEX), Axel Steiner (FEI O—USA), Jenny Loriston-Clarke (FEI I—GBR), Jacques Van Daele (FEI I—BEL), Lorraine MacDonald (FEI I—CAN) and Dr. Ricky MacMillan (FEI C—AUS).

The following week the CDI-W Blainville International Classic saw Jacqueline Brooks and Grand Gesto and Cheryl Miesner and Paganini reversed their placings in the Grand Prix Freestyle. During the gala evening performance on June 27, under the spotlights and in front many dressage enthusiasts, Brooks and Gran Gesto scored 72.550% for their freestyle choreographed to music from the motion picture ‘Alexander’. Meisner and Paganini finished a close second with 71.850%.

“Both weeks of Blainville were really fun,” said Brooks, who rode both Gran Gesto and Balmoral during the evening performance. “Right before the Freestyle the footing was perfect despite all the rain. It was a really great night. My job was really easy because both my horses really wanted to be in the ring.”

Meisner and Paganini won the Grand Prix with a score of 67.106% with Belinda Trussell of Stoufville, ON, and Anton placing second, scoring 66.468%. In the Grand Prix Special, Ute Busse of Breslau, ON, and Sylvia Carlton’s Lindor's Finest, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion sired by Eastern Ruler, won with a score of 64.833%. Jaimey Irwin of Stouffville, ON, finished second with his horse, Dover.

The Intermediaire I Freestyle was won again by Watchorn and Quintesse 72.000%, which was almost 2% higher than their previous week’s victory. Second place went to Trussell and Brynn, Stephanie Jeffrey’s 11-year-old Canadian Hanoverian mare sired by Belcanto, with a score of 71.000%. Trussell and Laconit, a 10-year-old Holsteiner (Lacantus x Columbus) gelding owned by Robert Bradshaw, finished with a score of 67.807% for first place in the Intermediaire I test. Watchorn and Quintesse were a close second scoring 67.105%. It was a repeat performance for Tubman and De La Rosa, scoring 70.175% to win the Prix St. Georges test. Wilson and Amusant also repeated their first week’s results by finishing in second with a score 68.246%.

Olympian Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, won both the Preliminary test (79.400% ) and the Final (71.800%) in the FEI Young Horse Six-Year-Old division aboard Renaissance Tyme, an Oldenburg gelding sired by Royal Diamond. Lyne Joly of Sherbrooke, QC, finished second with Rubion scoring 67.600% in the Preliminary and 64.800% in the Final.

In Young Horse Five-Year-Old Division, Diane Creech rode Douglas Leatherdale’s Hanoverian gelding Hallmark (sired by His Highness) to a win in Preliminary class, scoring 83.000%. Rigaudon Tyme and Neil MacIntosh finished second in the Preliminary class with 80.200%. Identical results were posted for the Final class where Creech and Hallmark scored 83.000%, and MacIntosh and Rigaudon Tyme earned 78.000%.

Brittany Fraser won the Young Riders Team test with her horse Ricardos, scoring 66.316%, and Jade Deter finished in second with her horse Mastermind (65.965%). The results for the Young Riders Individual test also had Fraser posting the win with Ricardos (66.754%) and Deter and Mastermind in second with a score of 66.404%. Annie-Pier Venne and Step Up won the Young Rider Freestyle with 67.450%, and Fraser and Ricardos wound up in second place with 64.000%.

The Junior Team test was won by Alexandra Dvorak and Fling with a score of 66.847%. Second place went to Maura O'Sullivan of Toronto, ON, riding Terrence O'Sullivan’s Pik Czar, with a score of 65.315%. The Individual test was won by Zachary Ball of Mountain, ON, and Karajan with 66.316%. Dvorak and Fling were second with 65.088%. With a score of 67.800%, O'Sullivan and Pik Czar won the Freestyle, and Anais Hebert-Pinard of Boucherville, QC, rode her 14-year-old Canadian Hanoverian mare Belle Allure to second place

Tanya Strasser-Shostak and her pony Nemo Tyme once again were victorious in all the FEI Pony classes winning the Team, Individual and Freestyle tests. Melissa Bayer of Smiths Falls, ON, and her pony Slick N Dry finished second in the Team and Individual tests.

Allison Lalonde of North Lancaster, ON, and Royal Dalton won the FEI Children Team and Individual tests.

The international judging panel for the CDI-W Blainville International Classic included Stephen Clarke (FEI O—GBR), Jean Michel Roudier (FEI O—FRA), Jacques Van Daele (FEI I—BEL), Joan Macartney (FEI I—CAN), Kurt Christensen (FEI I—DEN), Maria Colliander (FEI I—FIN) and Dr. Ricky MacMillan (FEI C—AUS).

About Dressage Canada

Dressage Canada, as a committee of Equine Canada, is the National governing body for Dressage in Canada. Dressage Canada's objective is to foster the growth of Dressage and the pursuit of excellence in the sport at the local, national and international levels. Dressage Canada provides support and guidance to both amateur and professional through the following programs: coaching education and programs, officials’ education and programs, rules & qualifying criteria, sport development, publications & awards. For more information about Dressage Canada, please visit the Dressage section of the Equine Canada site.

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