E-Mail This Page

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Two little horses got big scores in the Intermediaire I test, serving as the second leg of the Pan American Games Selection Trials. Hyperion Farm's 16.1 hand Sagacious HF, ridden by Lauren Sammis, tried as hard as he could and was rewarded with a score of 72.3%. A local New Jersey rider, Sammis was greeted with plenty of praise upon completing her test. 27-year-old Katherine Poulin-Neff and the even more diminutive Brilliant Too grew in stature when they cruised down the centerline and into third place. The winners on Thursday – Christopher Hickey and Regent split the pair of smaller horses for second.

In second after the first day of competition, the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Sagacious HF, demonstrated very strong half pass and pirouettes. Marred by two small mistakes, he and Sammis received 8s and 9s in their collective marks which more than made up for the bobbles.

"I knew after I messed up that change that I had to get 9s on my pirouettes," said Sammis who has a very active sales business in New Jersey. "He just tries so hard. The whole horse has changed so dramatically. He just feels really, really great. He learned how to passage and that's a big thing for a horse going from Prix St George to Grand Prix. That's when your horse is really learning to collect. Its this new button that has just appeared. It gives a horse a lot more expression."

Hickey put in another animated effort with Regent to switch places with Sammis and end up second on a score of 71.4%. Lots of animation from the flashy 9-year-old Dutch gelding held the judges' attention for the second time The pair received very good marks on some of their canter work and pirouettes. Lower marks on the half-pass in the trot and a couple of mistakes in the extended canter allowed Sammis the lead.

"I added a little more power to my horse today," said Hickey. "Thursday I did a fairly quiet conservative test and today I felt like we were in a good enough spot to add a little more power and add a little more risk. There were a few places that I did a little too much risk. Too much risk in the extended canter, too much risk in the two-tempis, they got a little big for my own good. You need more risk to bring your scores up in this sport but it needs to be smartly channeled. But I'm very pleased with my horse."

Hickey, who is the resident trainer at Hilltop Farm in Colora, MD rode Brenna Kucinski's gelding to another very solid performance. Hickey was gracious in expressing his gratitude to all of his supporters.

Standing at only 15.2 hands, Brilliant Two, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred Cross, is by Brilliant out of the Thoroughbred mare, Brigetta. He and Poulin-Neff stepped up their performance from the opening day and were rewarded with their score of 70.7%.

"I took a little more risk today," Poulin-Neff explained. "In the Prix St. George I was nervous and I made a mistake and I typically do better in the Intermediaire than I do in the Prix St. George. Overall I was really happy with him. He had no mistakes, he was very fluid. He listened to me. I was really happy with my ride."

The number of entries for the final leg of the tomorrow's Pan American Selection Trial, the Intermediaire Freestyle has changed. Carol Lavell's horse Much Ado has fallen ill and Susan Halasz felt her horse, Paradiso B, was not up to his normal performance today. Upon the advice of the veterinarians both have been withdrawn. Ten horses will now compete in tomorrow's Intermediaire Freesyle.