Rio Olympian Wins Willinga Park Dressage by the Sea CDI4*

In a thrilling conclusion to Australia’s first CDI4* Grand Prix Dressage event, the Rio Olympian combination of Sue Hearn and Remmington (Riverdance/MISS TENSE/Mark Dowling) were last into the Otto Sport Grand Prix Arena at Willinga Park with just one goal in mind--to beat the combinations before them.  The leading test score before them was posted by Mary Warren and her home bred and trained Mindarah Park Raphael (Mindarah Park Ramadan /Mindarah Park Jewel/Leon and Karyn Warren) with 67.196%. 

In an electric atmosphere, with a strong and enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch, the pressure was extreme, but this team was up for the challenge. In a beautifully-ridden test, with smooth and gathered paces that allowed the judges to award solid marks across the board, Sue Hearn and Remmington delivered a final tally of 68.391% to secure the inaugural Australian CDI4* title.

In another Australian first, the event at this world-class Bawley Point venue is using paperless scoring allowing the five elite judges, with a minimum of two 5* international judges on the judging panel, to enter their scores on iPads for real-time scoring. Winner Sue Hearn says the paperless scoring was a unique experience in her career. “By the time I left the arena and had ridden to ‘A’ I heard the call, looked at the screen and knew we had won!!”

Sue and the 16-year-old Remmington are no strangers to victory at the highest level, having won National Grand Prix and Kur titles, the same titles at Equitana and Sydney CDI and had a strong campaign together at Rio finishing just outside of the medals. Bred by Mark Dowling, Remmington was affectionately nicknamed ‘Lloyd’ after Mark’s father, who passed away shortly after he was born. Sue purchased him as a yearling, and together they have gone through the grades to enjoy significant success.

Around the grounds, it was another successful day for Jayden Brown and DaVinci L who competed in and won their second-only Intermediate 1 with a score of 73.039%. Last out in a high-quality field, they gave the judges a magnificent performance that saw them surpass second place David McKinnon and another Mark Dowling-owned and bred horse, Woodside Lady Loxley (Lord Of Loxley /Woodside Donnatella/Mark Dowling) who had held the lead for much of the class on a score of 71.029%.

Susan Elekessy and Don Rubin (Don Frederick/Callum Park Regardless/Callum Park) also added their second title to their resume with a victory in the Cox Architecture Grand Prix CDN on the Otto Grand Prix arena.

Competition begins today at 9.00am with another action-packed day including the first look at the young horses, the Grand Prix Freestyle for the 4*combinations and the Intermediate, Medium and Advanced classes. We will again get to witness the Junior and Young rider combinations competing in their individual tests on the Main Grand Prix Arena.

Article courtesy of Willinga Park