CDI3* Grand Prix Special and CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle Victories Won by Mabragana and Tarjan at Dressage at Devon
Dressage at Devon’s pinnacle classes of the week, the CDI3* Grand Prix Special, presented by BioStar Whole Food Supplements, and the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Kingsview Partners, were highlighted in the Dixon Oval on Saturday evening. Ready for a night of musical freestyle performances in the electric atmosphere of the Dixon Oval, competitors and spectators reconvened for the evening session of FEI competition, seeing Micaela Mabragana and Alice Tarjan once again earn top placings, this time in the CDI3* Grand Prix Special and CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle.
Before the competition got back underway, Australian horseman Guy McLean returned to the arena for another special horsemanship exhibition with his four-horse team. McLean demonstrated impressive feats with the horses, only one of which he rode while the others followed his instructions without tack of any kind. McLean is always a crowd-favorite at Dressage at Devon for his personable touch and practical approach to training horses. McLeal will return Sunday, Oct. 2, at the conclusion of the afternoon classes to host a clinic titled “The Method Behind the Magic,” where he will detail how he trains his teams of horses.
The CDI3* Grand Prix Special, presented by BioStar Whole Food Supplements, was first of the two evening classes to begin, offering up The Braceland Trophy. Argentina’s Micaela Mabragana and Diamond Rosso, a 12-year-old Hannoverian gelding owned by Marjaleena Berger, once again stole the show with a score of 66.766%. The pair was given several high marks of 7.5 for their passage, one and two tempis, and their transitions, even scoring some 8s for their halt and one tempis.
In the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle that followed presented by Kingsview Partners, nine horse-and-rider combinations returned to perform their musical routine and vie for The Brigadoon Challenge Trophy. Canada’s Vanessa Creech-Terauds was first in the ring with Fleur de Lis L, a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Louise Leatherdale. The pair was awarded a personal best score of 71.02% for their upbeat and fluid freestyle, setting the bar for the remainder of the class high.
Creech held the lead until Tarjan and Serenade MF, her own 9-year-old Oldenburg mare, returned to the arena. The pair wowed both the judges and the crowd alike, earning a score of 76.515% for their harmonious routine and fitting instrumental music.
Michael Bragdell and Qredit Hilltop, a 14-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Hilltop Farm, entered the arena soon after to audible cheers as “Blurred Lines” echoed throughout the Dixon Oval. Bragdell’s freestyle selection combined an ensemble of music genres. As Bragdell and Hilltop galloped across the diagonal to Coldplay’s “Hymn for the Weekend,” the crowd roared, applauding the noteworthy performance. The judges awarded their boldness with a score of 73.13%, their new personal best, to push them into third place on the leaderboard.
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