Shannon Brinkman Photo.
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Returning to FEI Nations Cup CDIO5* Rotterdam, The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team clinched a gold medal victory over seven countries in the fourth Nations Cup in the series. Comprising Laura Graves, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, Kasey Perry-Glass, Dawn White-O’Connor, and led by Chef D’Equipe, Robert Dover, the team displayed their ability to persevere, while continuing to grow in their performance.
“I am once again so proud of our Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team for winning a major Nations Cup here in Rotterdam,” said Dover. “This is a year of building depth in our team by introducing many fresh, new combinations, mixed with our fantastic veterans. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and applaud all of our athletes showing in Europe. I want to thank them, their personal trainers, owners, sponsors, the best grooms, USEF, the USET Foundation, Dr. Russillo, Andy Thomas, Tom Meyers, Hallye Griffin, and especially our fabulous and beloved horses. Go Team USA!”
The U.S. team sat in first place, ahead of the Dutch team, after the Grand Prix on Thursday, overcoming the elimination of White-O’Connor (Cardiff, Calif.) and Four Winds Farm’s 2002 Westphalian gelding, Legolas 92. Graves (Geneva, Fla.) and Verdades, her own and Curt Maes’s 2002 Dutch Warmblood gelding, anchored the team, winning both the Grand Prix on Thursday and the Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday.
LaGoy-Weltz (Haymarket, Va.) and her own and Mary Anne McPhail’s 2004 Danish Warmblood gelding, Lonoir, earned a personal best score of 74.580% in the Grand Prix. Moving on to the Grand Prix Special, the combination then finished in the eighth position. Perry-Glass (Wellington, Fla.) and Goerklintgaards Dublet, Diane Perry’s 2003 Warmblood gelding, put in a solid performance in the Grand Prix, advancing to the Grand Prix Special where they finished third.
Based on the best three scores from the Grand Prix, the best two scores from the Grand Prix Special, and the best score from the Grand Prix Freestyle, the U.S. team won the Nations Cup gold over the Swedish and German teams with 446.442 points.
Find out more about CDIO5* Rotterdam.
By Julian McPeak, US Equestrian Communications Department