Tuesday, March 12, 2002

Tom Noone's Kur With Fresco Gives Goosebumps

Tom Noone, 30, of North Abington, Massachusetts, and Fresco won the Grand Prix Musical Freestyle at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI in Loxahatchee, Florida, on Sunday, March 3. Fresco is a 15-year-old Westfalen gelding (Fruehlingsball x Fiorella) owned by Francine Weiner-Govostes. The pair scored 70.625% from a panel of international "O" judges.

The class was a qualifier for the World Equestrian Games Selection Trials to be held at Gladstone in June. The 12 top scoring riders who have competed in qualifying classes will be invited to compete in the trials. Riders are required to ride at a minimum of two CDIs and they must show the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special, and Grand Prix Freestyle. The Palm Beach Dressage Derby was Noone's first qualifying competition on the road to the World Equestrian Games.

Noone represented the U.S. at the World Cup Dressage Finals in Vilhelmsborg, Denmark, last year riding Fresco and used his freestyle from that competition - with a few new additions - at this year's Derby. "This was the first time that I did the two tempis to the one tempis back to the two tempis," said Noone. He added that it was the first time he had ever tried the movement and had not practiced it at home. "I did practice the twos following extended canter into the trot from that point. I actually made that addition and made the decision to do that this morning, because in some of the directives for degree of difficulty they've outlined twos to ones back to twos. Prior to these directives, I had the twos to the ones. Fresco's very good in his tempi changes and I didn't feel that that would be a difficult change to make."