Rene Dittmer Races to Victory in $120,000 Florida Coast Equipment Winning Round CSIO5*-LLN at Longines League of Nations™ Ocala
The German anthem rang out again at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) as Rene Dittmer and Cody 139 raced to victory in the $120,000 Florida Coast Equipment Winning Round CSIO5*-LLN held on Friday, March 20, as part of the Longines League of Nations™ Ocala in Ocala, FL.
It marked the second day in a row that Germany claimed top spot in the WEC Grand Arena following Andre Thieme’s victory in Thursday evening’s $350,000 J.P. Morgan Grand Prix CSIO5*-LLN.
Held in a format that saw the top 10 riders from the opening round return for the “winning round,” jumping clear didn’t automatically guarantee qualification. Twelve clear rounds had already been posted by the mid-way break, and another five went clear in the second half, making time the determining factor over the track set by Irish course designer Alan Wade.
The top 10 came forward based on reverse order of standing in the opening round. As the second rider to return, Marie Demonte (FRA) was clear in a time of 38.89 seconds riding Epona du Quesnoy, a 12-year-old Selle Français mare (Ogrion des Champs HN x Nabab de Reve) owned by Haras de Gabkcal, to move to the top of the leaderboard.
Her performance was quickly eclipsed by the next rider, however, as Dittmer proved he could go clear faster, setting a new leading time of 37.53 seconds riding Cody 139. That put the pressure on the rest of the contenders, with mistakes being made and rails falling throughout the course.
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