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Monday, June 30, 2008

Olympic Selection Trials for Dressage at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

Steffen Peters, Debbie McDonald and Courtney King-Dye Make U.S. Olympic Dressage Team
By Lynndee Kemmet for DressageDaily.com

Steffen Peters, Debbie McDonald and Courtney King-Dye nabbed the top three places in Grand Prix competition at the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions held at The Oaks Blenheim earning themselves a spot on the U.S. Olympic Dressage Team. As the leader in Grand Prix competition, Peters also earned the title of National Grand Prix champion for 2008 with Ravel. McDonald and Brentina earned the title of reserve champions.  

After four rounds of Grand Prix competition that began June 21, Peters and Ravel swept all four rounds finishing with an overall score of 75.863 percent. Peters also finished fifth with Lombardi II and an overall score of 70.024. McDonald and Brentina finished second with an overall score of 73.627 percent. Rounding out third was King-Dye with Harmony's Mythilus and an overall score of 73.333 percent. She also finished fourth with Idocus and an overall score of 70.23 percent.

In an effort to ensure that the U.S. is well set for the Olympic Games in Hong Kong, the U.S. Equestrian Federation will have Peters and King-Dye take both of their leading horses, which means that Lombardi II and Idocus will also be leaving on July 10 for Aachen, Germany where the horses will go into quarantine before heading to Hong Kong.

At least one alternate horse and rider will also head to Germany, but it won't be announced until later Monday who for certain will hold that alternate position or if two, rather than only one, alternate riders will go. Leslie Morse and Kingston will most likely be heading to Germany with the team as they finished sixth in the Olympic Selection Trials with an overall score of 68.551 percent.

It was a sold-out crowd that was on hand for the final round of the Olympic Selection Trials – the Grand Prix freestyle. And the enthusiasm of spectators was a thrill for the riders. "It was amazing," McDonald said. Peters called the crowd "unbelievable" and King-Dye thanked them for turning out and sitting through a hot afternoon sun.

The final weekend of competition was nearly perfect weather with three days of sunshine and relatively moderate temperatures. Riders and spectators could not have asked for more.