Sunday, March 5, 2006

Ashley Holzer Continues Her Domination of CDI at Palm Beach Dressage Derby

In Arenas 1 and 2 today, Canada’s Ashley Holzer of New York, New York, continued her domination of the CDI classes, completing a hattrick of victories in two days – she won the Prix St. Georges yesterday with Pop Art, then came back today to claim victory in the FEI Grand Prix with Imperioso and also notched another win aboard Pop Art in the Intermediaire I.

It was a brilliant show of stallions in the 37-horse field for the Grand Prix. Ribbons were given to eight places, with five of them awarded to stallions. Holzer won riding Imperioso, a 16-year-old Dutch stallion by Cocktail, who earned 70.375%. The coppery chestnut was also Holzer’s mount at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Leslie Morse and Kingston, a 14-year-old Dutch stallion by Voltaire, placed second with 69.333%. Katherine Bateson-Chandler aboard Jane Forbes Clark’s gelding FBW Kennedy was third with 69.083%. Holzer and Gambol, a 12-year-old Dutch stallion, were fourth with 68.667%. Morse and her other stallion, Tip Top 962, a 12-year-old Swedish warmblood by Master 850, were fifth with 68.417%. Cesar Parra and Galant Du Serien, a 12-year-old warmblood stallion by Apache D’Adriers, placed sixth with 67.417%. George Williams and the big bay gelding Marnix placed seventh with 66.788%. Melissa Taylor Yee and the Danish warmblood gelding Succes owned by Lars Petersen placed eighth, scoring 66.542%.

Later in the afternoon, Holzer rode yet another victory lap with Pop Art, sweeping the small tour in two days of competition at the Derby. Pop Art topped a class of 36 horses in the FEI Intermediaire I, scoring 73.333%. For the second day in a row, Denmark’s Lars Petersen of Wellington, Florida, was a close second riding Dacardo for owner Melissa Taylor Yee, scoring 69.00%. Melissa Jackson aboard Wellington claimed third with 68.833%. Two Olympians tied for the fourth place slot – 1996 Atlanta Olympics Team Bronze Medalist Michelle Gibson riding Lex Barker, and 1992 Barcelona Olympics Team Bronze Medalist Charlotte Bredahl Baker riding Eskada – both earning 68.167%. Holzer riding Maxamilian claimed sixth with 67.333%. Emily Gershberg aboard Pancratius was seventh with 67.00%. Silke Rembacz riding Da Capo placed eighth with 66.333%.

The competition at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI***/CDIY (March 3-5) at the Horse Park at Equestrian Estates features two rings of international dressage competition, which includes USEF High Performance Qualifying Competition for the 2006 World Equestrian Games Selection Trials, the USEF National Grand Prix Championship, the USEF National Intermediaire I Championship, and the USEF National Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/US League Final, plus an additional two rings for national competitions that include BLM Qualifying Competition and qualifiers for the USDF/GAIG Regional Championships.

Mary Hilton for Phelps Media Group International

On the Scene at The Palm Beach Dressage Derby