WELLINGTON, Fla.--Great Britain's Susan Pape on Harmony’s Giulilanta won the CDI5* FEI Grand Prix at the Global Dressage Festival while Ireland's Bertram Allen on Eddy Blue won the 116,100 WEF Challenge Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Susan Pape on Harmonys Giulilanta (Photo by Centre Line Media)In a special evening session under lights at the only CDI5* show of the Festival, Pape on Harmony’s Giulilanta won with a new combination career high of 73.63%, beating U.S. Olympian Marcus Orlob on Jane by just 0.043 percentage points.
Canada's Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu on Jaccardo was third.
“It’s very exciting to be honored with a score like that, we keep climbing up,” said Pape. “There’s a lot of commotion, so she was a little tense, but I know how to cope with that. She’s still hot, but she’s focused. I think the high points tonight were the collected work, like the passage, transitions and pirouettes. Giulilanta does a lot of things very well.”
Orlob may well have scored above Pape if not for a spook at the end of the extended canter that muddied the flying change.
Still, Jane appears to have conquered much of the nerves and tension that marred some of her performances in previous years.
WHEN HARMONY'S Giulilanta, now 15, was 11 she sustained an injury that ruled her out of competition for two years.
Bertram Allen on Eddy Blue (Photo by Sportfot)“I wasn’t even sure she would ever come back, but she did it so beautifully,” said Pape. “She had such a long break, and now she’s stronger than ever. She’s a miracle and a fighter, this horse.”
Rio 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat WP had a new personal best of 72.022% to win the CDI3* Grand Prix, with Tina Konyot on Grover second with 68.391%, and Canada’s Camille third with a 67.674% p
Allen on Eddy Blue won the WEF Challenge Cup with a clean round in 48.68, almost a second faster then second placed Ansgar Holtgers Jr. on Pixel-K Van't Kattenheye, who finished clean in 49.55.
Shane Sweetnam on Gilona AO and Cian O'Connor of Ireland were third and fourth respectively in 50.88 and 51.23, while Germany's Richie Vogel was fifth as the fastest four-faulter.
Lucas Porter on Vigakata made a victorious return to the show ring, winning the CSI2* Speed, clean in 71.62 to beat Zoe Hank Conter of Germany. on Melodie-K van’t Kattenheye, clean in 72.11 seconds, with Alejandro Karolyi of Veezuela third in 74.27 seconds on Tempual LS.
Porter had had a serious shoulder injury last year.
“It’s a tough one to get back from, and it takes a lot of time to recover, but I’m super happy to be back,” Porter said.
