Wellington, FL – February 5, 2012 – Ashley Holzer of Canada won the FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special in the $50,000 Wellington Dressage CDI-W, presented by Magnolia Farm, on Sunday, the final day of the 2012 Global Dressage Festival’s (GDF) inaugural event.
Holzer was aboard Pop Art, the horse that she rode in the 2008 Olympic Games. The pair scored an impressive 71.867% in spite of Holzer’s mistake.
“My horse was great, his jockey today was not stellar,” said Holzer. “Because this Olympic Special is a bit different from the Grand Prix Special I normally do, I had a moment of confusion on the centerline after the first pirouette, and made a mistake on the one tempis. I am happy with my horse though, he feels like a young horse again.”
This FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special is a shortened version on the traditional Grand Prix Special test. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the governing body for international equestrian competitions, created the shorter test to help with the time constraints during the Olympics. For some nations, the test is a requirement for those seeking to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Canada is one of those nations as well as the United States.
James Koford, of Wellington, FL, finished second in the Special on Rhett with a score of 68.133%. Dong Seon Kim of Korea was third on Bukowski scoring 66.089%.
In the national show, Dorie Addy-Crow of Lancaster, PA, rode all three horses owned by Pam Liddell to blue ribbon winning performances on Sunday. Zaphire scored a 68.571% in Fourth Level Test 1, Rachael won the Third Level Test 1 scoring 63.092%, and Usher won the Prix St George with 67.368%.
“I think the footing and the barns are awesome,” said Addy-Crow. “The horses all did great. The ring has such a large atmosphere. We’ll be back.”
For a complete set of results, please visit the GDF website at www.globaldressagefestival.com under the link for dressage show information on the main homepage.
About the Global Dressage Festival
The Global Dressage Festival (GDF) is one of the world’s largest international and national dressage circuits featuring five CDIs, including a 5*, the first non-championship CDIO Nations’ Cup in the Western Hemisphere, and nine U.S. national events.
The GDF is offering more than $275,000 in prize money for the five international competitions making it one of the richest circuits in the world. In addition to the CDIs with national competitions, the GDF will feature four separate national shows to be held at the newly constructed venue that extends the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) show grounds.
The GDF encompasses almost 60 acres of the former Palm Beach Polo Grounds. The facility includes four outdoor arenas with world class footing. Future planned improvements include a covered arena, permanent covered spectator seating for the central outdoor arena and a permanent Patrons Club and 200 permanent stalls.
Please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.