Heath Ryan and Regardez Moi have eclipsed a competitive field to win the Grand Prix Special at this year’s Sydney CDI.
Having already taken home second place in yesterday’s Grand Prix, the combination was confident leading into the Special and performed outstandingly to blitz the ten strong field.
Recording a score of 67.133, Ryan is pleased with his win and is hoping to stay ahead of the competition in tomorrow evening’s Freestyle.
“He (Regardez Moi) was good today, he probably held himself in better balance. We’re certainly gaining in confidence,” said Ryan.
“Regardez Moi is very strong in the piaffe and passage and he’s also an experienced competitor so it’s up to me to go to the limits to take advantage of our strengths,” he added. “Tomorrow night it’s anybody’s game and there will be some very competitive riders out there trying to win.”
Finishing in second place was Sheridyn Ashwood and Prestige VDL. The combination was first to go and set the standard high recording a score of 65.333 which only Ryan and his 15 year old stallion could better.
Susan Paix and Sheer Etiquette were third.
In yesterday’s Grand Prix, it was the dynamic combination of Maree Tomkinson and Diamantina IV who recorded the day’s best performance.
The duo is quickly asserting itself as one of the top Australian based Dressage combinations after recording their fourth win from five CDI Grand Prix starts.
“I’m very lucky to have such an amazingly talented horse but also to have such good rideability and trainability. She has fantastic focus in the test and all these things go to make a pretty wonderful horse,” said Tomkinson.
The combination scored 68.936 in the Grand Prix finishing ahead of Ryan and Regardez Moi who ended on a score of 67.277.
Ashwood and her young stallion were also in the mix on day one producing a score of 66.149 which was good enough for them to take home third place.
Top combinations will be back in action tomorrow evening when the Grand Prix Freestyle gets underway at 8:15pm.
Full results from this year’s Sydney CDI can be viewed here.
