Wellington, Fla. – March 12, 2020 – Team competition for the CDIO3* Nations Cup at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) continued on Thursday, March 11 with the Intermediate I and Grand Prix Special. The team small tour riders kicked off the evening’s rides in the Intermediate I before their teammates in the large tour took center stage to finish out the day as the teams buckled down for their final rides to determine team placings. Maintaining their lead from the first day, it was the United States who went out with a bang, taking the team gold medal with a total of 439.992 points.
Team results consist of the best three scores in the first test, either the Prix St. Georges or the Grand Prix, and the three best scores in the second test, either the Intermediate 1 or the Grand Prix Special. The highest total team score receives the gold medal. The Nations Cup team scores are calculated by awarding a 1.5 percent bonus for each Grand Prix rider on a team, while small tour scores receive no bonus. Once all riders have received their scores and their perspective additional bonus, the lowest score is dropped. If the drop score is that of a Grand Prix riders, the bonus will also be dropped with their score. Bonus points, however, will not contribute to the individual final competition and are only used to calculate team rankings.
In the Intermediate I, Denmark’s Carina Nevermann Torup topped the leaderboard once again with her mount Quinto. The Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Jessica Howington scored a 71.559%, improving upon their score from the previous day to contribute to Denmark’s team score. Taking second place for Israel was Eyal Zlatin riding Helgstrand Dressage’s 8-year-old Westphalian gelding Fred The Red with a score of 67.471%.
The Grand Prix Special immediately followed the Intermediate I, seeing the U.S. close out the Nations Cup team competition on top with a total score of 439.992. Led by Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald, team members Steffen Peters, Adrienne Lyle, Anna Marek and Katherine Bateson-Chandler battled it out against Team Canada until the bitter end, just being able to maintain their lead following Peters and Suppenkasper’s performance, which earned them a score of 76.085%, plus the extra 1.5% to total 77.585%.
With Suppenkasper, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Four Winds Farm, Peters explained how much their season in Wellington for the AGDF has benefitted their partnership and really helped the gelding learn to relax in the arenal. No stranger to team competition, having ridden in four Olympic games, the 2018 World Equestrian Games and numerous other teams, his steadfast performance helped his country take home the gold medal once again.
With the extra 1.5% bonuses accounted for, teammate Lyle and Harmony’s Duval earned a total score of 74.053%, while Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Alcazar finished with a total of 71.223%. Marek and Dee Clair were the drop score with a total of 69.436% for Team USA.
Team Canada earned the silver medal, finishing with a total score of 436.034. The Canadian team, comprised of Brittany Faser-Beaulieu and All In, Lindsay Kellock and Sebastien, Megan Lane and Zodiac MW, and Naima Moreira Laliberte and Statesman were hot on the U.S. team’s heels, but was not quite able to overtake them following Peters’ performance.
The Danish riders remained in the third place position to earn the team bronze medal with a score of 424.501. The team consisted of Agnete Kirk Thinggaard and Blue Hors Zatchmo, Signe Kirk Kristiansen and Her Highness O, Rikke Poulsen and Furstentanz, and Carina Nevermann Torup and Quinto.
The team representing Israel, consisting of Micah Deligdish on Destiny, Sahar Daniel Hirosh on Whitman, and Eyal Zlatin on Fred the Red, took home fourth place with a total score of 395.586.
Individual competition in the CDIO3* Nations Cup will begin Friday, March 13 with the Intermediate I Freestyle at 4 p.m. and the Grand Prix Freestyle at 7 p.m.
Results: FEI Nations Cup Intermediate I
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Carina Nevermann Torup / DEN / Quinto / 71.559
2. Eyal Zlatin / ISR / Fred The Red / 67.471
Results: FEI Nations Cup Grand Prix Special
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Steffen Peters / USA / Suppenkasper / 76.085
2. Agnete Kirk Thinggaard / DEN / Blue Hors Zatchmo / 74.085
3. Brittany Faser-Beaulieu / CAN / All In / 73.489
4. Adrienne Lyle / USA / Harmony’s Duval / 72.553
5. Yvonne Losos De Muñiz / DOM / Aquamarijn / 72.170
6. Naima Moreira Laliberte / CAN / Statesman / 71.021
7. Lindsay Kellock / CAN / Sebastien / 69.915
8. Katherine Bateson Chandler / USA / Alcazar / 69.723
9. Megan Lane / CAN / Zodiac MW / 69.425
10. Anna Marek / USA / Dee Clair / 67.936
11. Carlos Salguero Ocana / ESP / Vangens Star-Light / 66.043
12. Micah Deligdish / ISR / Destiny / 64.489
CDIO3* Final Team Results
Rider / Horse / Grand Prix/Prix St. Georges Score | Grand Prix Special/Intermediate I Score
United States:
Steffen Peters / Suppenkasper / 77.370 | 77.585
Adrienne Lyle / Harmony’s Duval / 70.478 | 74.053
Anna Marek / Dee Clair / 69.283 | (69.436)
Katherine Bateson Chandler / Alcazar / (69.065) | 71.223
Total Score: 439.992
Canada:
Brittany Faser-Beaulieu / All In / 73.935 | 74.989
Lindsay Kellock / Sebastien / 72.000 | 71.415
Megan Lane / Zodiac MW / 71.174 | (70.925)
Naima Moreira Laliberte / Statesman / (70.783) | 72.521
Total Score: 436.034
Denmark:
Agnete Kirk Thinggaard / Blue Hors Zatchmo / 74.239 | 75.268
Signe Kirk Kristiansen / Her Highness O / 67.674 | 64.607
Rikke Poulsen / Furstentanz / 66.706 | (00.000)
Carina Nevermann Torup / Quinto / 70.794 | 71.559
Total Score: 424.501
Israel:
Micah Deligdish / Destiny / 64.522 | 65.989
Sahar Daniel Hirosh / Whitman / 67.457 | 64.500
Eyal Zlatin / Skjoldsgaard Damzey-VO / 65.647 | 67.471
Total Score: 395.586
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Steffen Peters – CDIO3* Nations Cup team gold medalist
On the team’s tactics:
“It was very close. It was 0.1% from yesterday. Debbie McDonald and I talked quite a bit and I believed we could go in the ring and take the intensity from the training into the warm-up into the show arena. Not an ounce more, but certainly not an ounce less. That was the tactic today. It worked out beautifully. Mopsie did a very clean test, and he was even more relaxed than any of tests that he’s done so far. This season in Florida is extremely therapeutic for him, both of us actually. We’re looking forward to the freestyle tomorrow.”
Adrienne Lyle – CDIO3* Nations Cup team gold medalist
On her test and riding on a team:
“I think when you’re riding for the team you always want to put your best test in on those team days. This is an exciting format, having it over the two days and having it so close to the first day. For us on our first day, we had some uncharacteristic communication errors, and so I really wanted to come out today and put down a strong test for the team. I was happy with [Harmony’s Duval’s] effort today and it’s always a great honor to ride on these Nations Cup teams.”
Katherine Bateson-Chandler – CDIO3* Nations Cup team gold medalist
On her test on Day 1:
“I haven’t had a test with that many mistakes in quite a while, so it took me a bit by surprise. It was good then today because it put me into high gear again realizing I had to push on a bit more. I was super happy today. Still not exactly where I wanted to be, but I went in and put in a really good test for the team and pulled us up a bit, so we managed to do that and I’m thrilled.”
Anna Marek – CDIO3* Nations Cup team gold medalist
On her tactics:
“Today I wanted to go in and have a clean ride. I had a couple of mistakes, but I was very thankful to be on the team and to get some team experience in this Nations Cup with awesome teammates. Today I kicked it up a notch and [Dee Clair] did a couple of things better than yesterday, so I was very happy with that. The whole experience is awesome.”
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu – CDIO3* Nations Cup team silver medalist
On Team Canada:
“We all wanted to ride a clean test. We thought to try to beat America we needed to have a little more power than normal, which we all tried. I think it was a very special Nations Cup team, a lot of us are very good friends. It was a great team and we tried really hard to beat [the USA team].”
Agnete Kirk Thinggaard – CDIO3* Nations Cup team bronze medalist
On Team Denmark and their Small Tour combinations:
“I think it worked out well. Everybody did their best and I think Carina in the Small Tour did really well today. Signe in the Grand Prix unfortunately had a few mistakes today, so she didn’t get quite as high a score as she usually does. I was so proud of [Blue Hors Zatchmo] today — he was really working for me in the arena. I was so proud of him. We’ve had some ups and downs this season, but I think today he was really doing his best for me and I felt he was really trying. I was so proud of him when I walked out. He was calm and comfortable in the arena today, so I was very happy.”
