Wellington, Fla—March 6  

Laura Graves and Verdades, United States dressage’s secret weapon last year, have had a very quiet winter competition-wise, as Graves waited until Week 9 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival to canter down the center line.

But then she really made the appearance count as she took blue in the Grand Prix freestyle CDI-W. Graves and Verdades scored an incredible 78.87 percent to take the win and was followed up by two other U.S. women—Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU in second with a 76.32 percent and Shelly Francis and Doktor in third receiving a 75.95 percent.

Graves and Verdades are in their first competition back from their outstanding individual fifth-placed freestyle finish at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France) and are making a statement with their performances so far this weekend.

Make sure to check back at www.coth.com on Monday morning for an exclusive Ringside Chat with Laura Graves about her life since the WEG, Verdades’ progress and her future plans.

Graves, who previously stated that the Grand Prix was a difficult test for the two (they placed second in the Grand Prix on Friday behind Lars Petersen on Mariett), said she felt much more comfortable with her ride in the freestyle. “He was a little nervous going in, but every time we get into that box he does not ever fail to impress me,” she said. “I’m glad to be here and it’s been a really long time, if ever, that I’ve led a victory lap. I’m honored to have had two American women behind me.”

Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU have been tested in the past year with their partnership and tonight was a breakthrough moment for the duo. “I am thrilled,” Wilcox said. “For us, he was so fantastic before the year he had off and you never know what you’re going to have bringing them back, but I feel like he is better and stronger than ever. We’re gaining strength from show to show and we can be a little inconsistent still, but overall I am just so happy with where he is going and what he’s becoming.”

Francis and Doktor have been one of the most consistent pairs on the circuit this season, rarely ever out of the top five in any of their classes. The trust between the two is clear as Doktor continues to improve with Francis’ guidance and builds upon his scores each week. “We had a few little bobbles and he was a little bit tenser in the warm-up than usual, but I have been so proud of him that we continue to put in consistent performances. He’s so workman-like throughout each and every test,” said Francis.

Linda Zang, Judge at C tonight, was impressed with the quality of the tests and the progress the United States is making to strengthen the sport of dressage. “The judges really worked tonight. The riders are progressing and this program continues to make moves towards the top of the dressage world,” she stated. “As a judge, and I speak for the entire panel, we had to work hard. It wasn’t just sitting and giving scores. All of the riders are getting so keen on their points and we’re looking at consistent [scores of] 7, 8, and 9.”

Olivia LaGoy-Weltz of the United States and Rassing’s Lonoir had a spectacular showing in the tremendously large FEI Prix St. Georges class of Week 9 presented by Peacock Ridge. The class, which boasted more than 50 entries, was competitive till the very end with five pairs scoring above a 71.00 percent. The LaGoy-Weltz scored an impressive 74.15 percent to take home the win.

LaGoy-Weltz and Rassing’s Lonoir have had a very strong season so far at AGDF and continue to improve upon their scores from earlier in the season. “Everything came together in this class. It was one of the first rides where I could really trust him. He occasionally can throw in some hot behavior, which is good, it just takes a while to get that under control and harness it together in the right way,” she remarked. “He was so on last night. His confidence has really grown, and it’s clear that he’s starting to feel more comfortable with himself.”

LaGoy-Weltz has been working on controlling the tremendous power of  “Lono”, and they nailed it in their test, which speaks volumes to the amount of work LaGoy-Weltz has dedicated to ensuring he is brought up correctly. She explained, “We finally were able to put that power where we wanted it and he wasn’t trying to take over, but we kept it throughout the test, which has been our main goal.”

Final Results for FEI CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle presented by Everglades Dressage

Place, Rider, Nationality, Horse, Horse Information: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%

1. Laura Graves (USA), Verdades 2002 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by rider, Florett As x Liwilarda x Goya: 81.500%, 78.125%, 76.875%, 78.250%, 79.625%, 78.875%

2. Lisa Wilcox (USA), Pikko del Cerro HU, 2003 Hanoverian stallion owned by Horses Unlimited, Pik L x Rohweena x Rohdiamont: 78.500%, 75.625%, 75.375%, 75.750%, 76.375%, 76.325%

3. Shelly Francis (USA), Doktor, 2003 Oldenburg gelding owned by Patricia Stempel, Diamond Hit x Gurena x Renoir I: 76.375%, 74.750%, 74.750%, 76.875%, 77.000%, 75.950%

4. Lars Petersen (DEN), Mariett, 1998 Danish Warmblood mare owned by Marcia Pepper, Come Back II x Zendi x Sidney: 75.625%, 74.875%, 73.500%, 76.750%, 75.375%, 75.225%

5. Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE), Benetton Dream, 2004 Hanoverian stallion owned by Lövsta Stuteri, Bretano II x Rotkäppchen x Rotspon: 74.375%, 72.625%, 73.250%, 75.625%, 72.125%, 73.600%

6. Charlotte Jorst (USA), Kastels Nintendo, 2003 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Kastel Denmark, Negro x Rodieni R x Monaco: 70.750%, 73.500%, 75.125%, 72.875%, 72.250%, 72.900%

7. Ashley Holzer (CAN), Dressed in Black, 2005 Danish Warmblood stallion, owned by rider, Dresemann x Sweetheart x Silvano: 69.375%, 73.375%, 70.375%, 75.375%, 73.250%, 72.350%

8. Christoph Koschel (GER), Tiesto, 2000 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Hof Beckerode GMBH, Gribaldi x Nadie x Ferro: 73.125%, 72.375%, 70.375%, 73.625%, 72.250%, 72.350%

Final Results FEI CDI-W Prix St. Georges presented by Peacock Ridge

Place, Rider, Nationality, Horse, Horse Information: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total%

1. Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (USA), Rassing’s Lonoir, 2004 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by rider, De Noir x Lorani x Loran: 76.053%, 75.000%, 73.158%, 73.553%, 73.026%, 74.158%

2. Chris Von Martels (CAN), Zilverstar, 2004 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by rider, Rosseau x Hutricia x Rossini: 72.895%, 73.158%, 75.526%, 72.105%, 73.289%, 73.395%

3. Charlotte Jorst (USA), Kastels Adventure, 2005 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Kastel Denmark, Special D x Sunette S x Mondriaan: 71.184%, 73.026%, 77.368%, 72.368%, 72.368%, 73.263%

4. Kimberly Herslow (USA), Rosmarin, 2005 Hanoverian gelding owned by rider, Rosentanz x Hauptstutbuch Wolkentaenzerin x Weltmeyer: 74.342%, 70.263%, 71.184%, 74.079%, 72.763%, 72.526%

5. Shelly Francis (USA), Rubino, 2006 Westphalian gelding owned by Patricia Stempel, Roh Magic x Patrizia x Philipo: 72.368%, 69.737%, 70.658%, 72.237%, 72.895%, 71.579%

6. Christilot Boylen (CAN), Donatella 79, 2005 Oldenburg mare owned by Jill Irving, De Niro x Weidenkatatchen x Canastal: 72.895%, 68.158%, 72.237%, 71.974%, 69.079%, 70.868%

7. Silva Martin (USA), Aesthete, 2005 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Faye Woolf, Trento B x Unusual x Gribaldi: 70.526%, 72.500%, 69.737% 68.289%, 73.026%, 70.816%

8. Tina Irwin (CAN), Fancy That, 2006 Oldenburg mare owned by Christine Faux, Donerschwee x Feiherr x Falaise: 70.000%, 70.789%, 70.395%, 69.605%, 72.895%, 70.737%