LeMieux Grand Prix Championships Our end

CHARLOTTE TAKES THE crown

TWO MAGICAL DAYS OF TOP DRAWER DRESSAGE PRODUCED A MUCH NEEDED END OF YEAR CELEBRATION FOR ALL IN THE SPORT AT THE LEMIEUX NATIONAL GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIPS. HOSTED BY HARTPURY, THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE A TRIUMPH AND IT WAS CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN WHO CONJURED TWO STUNNING PERFORMANCES TO TAKE THE NATIONAL CHAMPION ACCOLADE FOR A SECOND TIME.

RIGHT: GIO CONTINUES TO IMPRESS UNDER CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN – WHAT HE LACKS IN HEIGHT, CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN – WHAT HE LACKS IN HEIGHT, HE MORE THAN MAKES UP IN TALENT AND ABILITY. HE WAS RUNNER UP IN BOTH CLASSES, INCLUDING A NEW FREESTYLE PB BY NEARLY 5% ON 88.05%. ABOVE: EMILE FAURIE GAVE HIS USUAL MASTERCLASS OF GRAND PRIX TEST RIDING WITH THEODORA LIVANOS’ DONO DI MAGGIO TO GO TOP SEVEN IN BOTH TESTS WITH 74.18% ON DAY ONE AND 78.73% FOR THEIR FREESTYLE ROUTINE.

BELOW: LOYAL BD SPONSOR ROBERT LEMIEUX CONGRATULATES CHARLOTTE AND FREESTYLE. THANK YOU TO ROBERT, LISA AND THE HORSE HEALTH/LEMIEUX TEAM FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO DRESSAGE. TO DRESSAGE. RIGHT: KATE COWELL AND AUDREY LAWRENCE AND AUDREY LAWRENCE AND CHRISTINE AND CHRISTINE RICHARD’S SAMBA RICHARD’S SAMBA DANCER ARE STILL DANCER ARE STILL COMPARATIVELY NEW COMPARATIVELY NEW TO THE TOP FLIGHT TO THE TOP FLIGHT BUT THEY LEFT A BUT THEY LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION AT LASTING IMPRESSION AT HARTPURY WITH THEIR HARTPURY WITH THEIR DISPLAY OF HARMONY DISPLAY OF HARMONY AND PRESENCE. AND PRESENCE.

ABOVE: HE MAY HAVE MISSED OUT ON HIS 11TH NATIONAL HE MAY HAVE MISSED OUT ON HIS 11TH NATIONAL TITLE, BUT CARL HESTER HAD MUCH TO CELEBRATE WITH TITLE, BUT CARL HESTER HAD MUCH TO CELEBRATE WITH TWO THIRD PLACES WITH A NEW PB GP SCORE OF 77.1% TWO THIRD PLACES WITH A NEW PB GP SCORE OF 77.1% AND A STUNNING 86.5% IN HIS FIRST FREESTYLE WITH AND A STUNNING 86.5% IN HIS FIRST FREESTYLE WITH CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN’S JAZZ SON EN VOGUE.

ABOVE: THE NEWS THAT NIKKI BARKER IS EXPECTING A BABY GIRL WITH HUSBAND WILL IN A MATTER OF WEEKS WAS AS WELL RECEIVED AS HER TWO PERFORMANCES WITH HER OWN AND VIV GLEAVE’S IMPRESSIVE STALLION DURABLE. GLEAVE’S IMPRESSIVE STALLION DURABLE. THEIR GP CAREER GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH – LET’S HOPE THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO SHINE IN 2021.

RIGHT: THE PRIZE FOR THE BEST FREESTYLE MUSIC CHOICE CERTAINLY WENT TO NICOLA BUCHANAN AND HER OWN BRITISH BRED HALF MOON DARK MAGIC. THEIR FESTIVE MIX, COMPILED BY HUSBAND HARVEY, FEATURED EVERY TYPE HUSBAND HARVEY, FEATURED EVERY TYPE OF CHRISTMAS TUNE KNOWN – EVEN A SAMPLE OF THE QUEEN’S SPEECH! RIGHT: IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THIS DYNAMIC DUO BACK IN ACTION! HAYLEY WATSON-GREAVES, WHO’S EXPECTING A BABY GIRL WITH HUSBAND PAUL IN APRIL, AND WG RUBINS NITE LOOKED IN FINE FETTLE DESPITE OVER 17 MONTHS AWAY FROM COMPETITION.

RIGHT: LANCASHIRE RIDER LISA MARRIOTT AND HER CHARMING VALUCIO, OR ROCKET AT HOME, MORE THAN HELD THEIR OWN AND PUT UP A 70.73% SCORE IN THEIR FIRST EVER GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE – IMPRESSIVE!

LEFT: RUBIN AL ASAD MAY HAVE TURNED 19 ON 1 JANUARY BUT HIS TWO PERFORMANCES WITH LARA BUTLER FOR OWNERS URSULA BECHTOLSHEIMER AND LAURA TOMLINSON CLEARLY SHOWED THAT HE JUST GETS BETTER WITH AGE. THEIR FREESTYLE PERFORMANCE TO DIRE STRAITS GAVE THEM SIXTH PLACE, JUST SHY OF 80%. ABOVE: YOUR 2020 LEMIEUX NATIONAL CHAMPIONS – CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN WITH EMMA BLUNDELL’S MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE.

RIGHT: SONNAR MURRAY-BROWN MADE HIS OLYMPIC SELECTION INTENT CLEAR WITH HIS OWN ERLENTANZ WITH TWO TESTS PACKED FULL OF PRESENCE, HARMONY AND CONFIDENCE WHICH THE JUDGES REWARDED WITH 74.86% AND 83.58%.

ABOVE: CROWD PLEASERS DAN GREENWOOD AND CHEVALIER-O, OWNED BY JULIET LEIGHTON, WERE CONSISTENT OVER THE TWO DAYS TO DELIVER TWO 67%+ PERFORMANCES. BELOW: THEY MAY BE NEW TO THE LEVEL BUT AMY WOODHEAD AND EMMA BLUNDELL’S MOUNT ST JOHN KOM FAIRYTALE IMPRESSED ON BOTH DAYS INCLUDING A 74.78% FREESTYLE SCORE WITH HASTILY BORROWED MUSIC COURTESY OF MATT FROST. ABOVE: YES, YOU HEARD RIGHT! THAT SCORE WAS 86.5% – A HUGELY COMMENDABLE DEBUT FREESTYLE SCORE FOR CARL AND EN VOGUE.

BELOW: YORKSHIRE RIDER BECKY MOODY BROUGHT TWO HORSES AND QUALIFIED BOTH FOR THE HORSE HEALTH FREESTYLE BUT OPTED TO RIDE JUST HER OWN FAMKE PF, SAVING CARINSIO, WHO SHE OWNS WITH JULIE LOCKEY. WITH ‘IRIS’ HAVING DONE LESS THAN A HANDFUL OF GP TESTS, 74.92% WAS A GREAT PRESENT FOR TEAM MOODY.

ABOVE: CAPTION HERE.

BELOW: BELOW: CAPTION HERE.

BELOW: THE DUO OF CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN AND MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE THE DUO OF CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN AND MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE WERE AT THEIR MAJESTIC BEST. THEY TOPPED THE LEMIEUX GRAND PRIX WITH WERE AT THEIR MAJESTIC BEST. THEY TOPPED THE LEMIEUX GRAND PRIX WITH 83.04% AND THEN POSTED A CAREER BEST 90.2% IN THE HORSE HEALTH 83.04% AND THEN POSTED A CAREER BEST 90.2% IN THE HORSE HEALTH FREESTYLE TO TAKE THE LEMIEUX NATIONAL CHAMPION HONOUR. FREESTYLE TO TAKE THE LEMIEUX NATIONAL CHAMPION HONOUR.

RIGHT: A COMBINATION WHICH A COMBINATION WHICH HAS BLOSSOMED IN 2020, LAURA TOMLINSON AND ROSE OF BAVARIA, WHO SHE OWNS WITH MUM URSULA BECHTOLSHEIMER, GAVE THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR OLYMPIC SELECTION A GREAT BOOST WITH TWO TOP FIVE FINISHES.