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Wellington CDI
Wonderful
WELLINGTON
THE INAUGURAL WELLINGTON CDI (11-16 MAY 2021), THE FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL AT THE HAMPSHIRE VENUE, PROVED A HUGE SUCCESS ATTRACTING UP-ANDCOMING COMBINATIONS, THOSE IN CONTENTION FOR TOKYO AND A HOST OF LEADING YOUTH RIDERS.
LEFT: SECURING OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION STATUS FOR WELLINGTON’S CDI3* BROUGHT A TRULY ELITE BRITISH ENTRY OUT IN FORCE. THE 31-STRONG HORSE & COUNTRY GRAND PRIX WAS WON BY CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN AND GIO (APACHE X TANGO) ON 79.13%. THEY ALSO WON THE SPECIAL, SPONSORED BY WELLINGTON RIDING, WITH 81.42%.
PHOTOS © KEVIN SPARROW
RIGHT: GERMAN RIDER AND 1997 EUROPEAN PONY CHAMPION NIKOLAS KRÖNCKE MADE HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCE IN 17 YEARS A WINNING ONE. WITH THE 10-YEAR-OLD STALLION FLANNELL (FIDERTANZ X DE NIRO), OWNED BY K&N STABLES, HE CLAIMED THE PRIX ST GEORGES, SPONSORED BY NIRVANA SPA, WITH 73.62%.
LEFT INSET: GARETH HUGHES IMPRESSED WITH JUDY FIRMSTON-WILLIAMS’ SINTANO VAN HOF OLYMPIA FOR FOURTH IN THE GRAND PRIX (73.78%) AND SECOND IN THE SPECIAL (75.29%), THE PAIR EASING THEIR WAY INTO CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION CONTENTION.
BELOW: CARL HESTER AND EN VOGUE ON THEIR WAY TO GRAND PRIX THIRD.
RIGHT: CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN AND MOUNT ST JOHN FREESTYLE, WINNERS OF THE WELLINGTON GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE RIDING TO THEIR FROZENTHEMED PROGRAMME FOR A SCORE OF 88.34%. EVEN AN ATTENTION-SEEKING PHEASANT DIDN’T PUT FREESTYLE OFF HER STRIDE AS IT CROSSED HER PATH IN THE ONE-TIME CHANGES!
LEFT: SARAH MILLIS AND HER INTERNATIONAL DEBUTANT IMPRESSIVE VDC (CHARMEUR X KRACK C) WERE UNANIMOUS WINNERS OF THE INTERMEDIATE I, SPONSORED BY WELLINGTON RIDING, ON 75.04%. THE WIN MAY GO SOME WAY TO MAKING UP FOR THE PAIR MISSING THE WORLD BREEDING CHAMPIONSHIPS LAST YEAR WHEN COVID STOLE THEIR CHANCE OF CONTESTING THE SEVEN-YEAR-OLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
RIGHT: SECOND PLACE IN THE GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE WENT TO GARETH HUGHES WITH THE KROLL FAMILY’S OLDENBURG STALLION, KK DOMINANT, WHO SCORED 77.08%.
RIGHT: WORLD CLASS PROGRAMME RIDER LEWIS CARRIER AND HIS SPIELBERGSIRED GELDING, DIEGO V, TOOK TOP HONOURS IN THE CDIU25 INTER II WITH A SUPER 70.29%. BELOW: ANNA DALRYMPLE CLAIMED SECOND PLACE IN THE YOUNG RIDER FREESTYLE, SPONSORED BY EC PRO, WITH MAXINE VAINIO’S VAGABOND DE MASSA.
RIGHT: METTE DAHL LED THE CHARGE IN THE CDIP PONY CLASSES, WINNING ALL THREE WITH FIONA BIGWOOD’S TALENTED GREY GELDING GEORGE CLOONEY BS. BELOW LEFT: REIGNING YOUNG RIDER NATIONAL CHAMPION CAITLIN BURGESS CELEBRATED A HATTRICK OF WINS IN THE YOUNG RIDER DIVISIONS WITH HER LONG-TIME RIDE, CHOCOTOF (BY LORD LEATHERDALE), CULMINATING IN A NEW FREESTYLE PB OF 75.89%. BELOW RIGHT: U25 GRAND PRIX RUNNERS-UP, ELLIE MCCARTHY AND GB LONDERO VON WORRENBERG.
RIGHT: DESPITE SUFFERING WITH THE AFTER EFFECTS OF WISDOM TEETH REMOVAL, ALEXANDER HARRISON CLAIMED THE U25 GRAND PRIX ON A GREAT SCORE OF 71.06% WITH HIS 10-YEAR-OLD GELDING, DIAMOND HILL.
LEFT: THE BRAND NEW COMBINATION OF ANNABELLA PIDGLEY AND SULTAN DES PALUDS FRH (SOLIMAN DE HUS X DE NIRO) WERE CLEAR VICTORS ON ALL THREE DAYS OF THE JUNIOR COMPETITION WITH A TEAM TEST OF 74.09% AND AN INDIVIDUAL OF 74.95% BEFORE ACING THEIR FREESTYLE FOR 77.56%.
LEFT: GEMMA OWEN AND SIRIUS BLACK (STEDINGER X ROTSPON) CELEBRATE TWO SECOND PLACINGS IN THE JUNIOR CLASSES.
RIGHT: THE CH-A CHILDREN CLASSES SHOWCASED THE TALENT OF RIDERS AGED 12-14 YEARS. THE TEAM TEST, SPONSORED BY FMBS THERAPY SYSTEMS, WAS WON IN STYLE BY RUBY HUGHES WITH NANCY SCOTT’S BEE GEE 8 ON A SCORE OF 72.22%.
LEFT: DARCEY BLAZE MARCUS WITH YORKIE JOBLING-PURSER’S VALIDO’S STARLIGHT – RUNNERS-UP ON BOTH DAYS OF THE CHILDREN’S COMPETITION.
OBSERVATION CLASSES
Wellington also hosted observation classes for Britain’s elite para riders. The highest scores were provided by Sophie Christiansen who scored a Grade I hat-trick on Innuendo II (above) and Natasha Baker with Keystone Dawn Chorus (below) who were unbeaten in the Grade III.
ABOVE: DEMI HOWARD-CARTWRIGHT POSTED THE WINNING SCORE OF 69% IN THE CHILDREN INDIVIDUAL, SPONSORED BY EQUINE REBALANCE THERAPY CENTRE, WITH NATHALIE KAYAL’S SUCCESSFUL SMALL TOUR HORSE, CLEVERBOY.
