Alexander Yde Helgstrand Takes the Spotlight at AGDF 5
All eyes were on Denmark’s Alexander Yde Helgstrand and Belantis during the opening class of AGDF 5 on Thursday morning as the dynamic pair won the Centerline Stables CDI1* Prix St. Georges.
An impressive lineup of twenty-six horses and riders came together for the CDI1*. Only three pairs scored in the 70’s, including Amanda Perkowski (USA) and Sontana MF who placed third with a 70.196%, and Charlotte Jorst (USA) scored a 70.392% aboard Zhaplin Langholt. However, the highest score of 72.206%, a personal best score, went to Alexander Yde Helgstrand (DEN) and Belantis, a 2009 DSP gelding, (Benetton Dream Frh 1301 x Expo’se) owned by Helgstrand Dressage USA.
Helgstrand was beyond pleased with his horse’s performance today. They have been a team for about two years and all of their hard work, combined with a strong partnership, seems to be paying off. “Today, some of the highlights came from my trot. I felt like I had a really good trot, which is something we have been working really hard on at home, so I was very pleased to see that come together.”
Although Helgstrand described the canter as his typical ‘best gait’, he confessed that several issues in the day’s test made the execution less than perfect.
“Normally the canter is my best part, but today I had a small mistake in my fours,” he admitted. “That was my own fault completely, my horse was super and I could never fault him. Overall, I think it was a nice test and we definitely learned a lot from it.”
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