Last Updated on February 26, 2024 by adminahb
Kate Kyros (AUS) rounded out Nations Cup week with a gold medal on Sunday, the final day of competition during week seven of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
An emotional Kyros landed the CDIO Under-25 Grand Prix Freestyle, and with it the Nations Cup individual gold. She rode her mother Heather’s 12-year-old Connaisseur stallion Chemistry to 73.69% and the unanimous nod from all five judges. Two USA riders joined her on the podium, both with personal best scores. Twenty-two-year-old Josh Albrecht rode Coalcyn Equestrian LLC’s 13-year-old Apache gelding Goldenboy Vinckenburgh to 70.13% for the silver medal, while 21-year-old Dennesy Rogers’ 68.8% on her mother Dorriah’s 19-year-old Chanel (by Romanov) secured the bronze.
Kyros, who is just 19, was representing Australia for the first time in AGDF 7. She has been competing Chemistry for less than a year, but the partnership they have formed is strong.
“I was very emotional,” admitted Kyros, who rode to an Alice in Wonderland soundtrack. “Turning from my final piaffe pirouette, I was thinking, ‘I am going to cry!’ I’m so ridiculously proud of him today. This is huge. I was nervous because he’s never done a freestyle with this big atmosphere before and he’s been a little nervous with the clapping, but the minute I got in there today, I just knew I had him; we were totally together and we were going to be fine.
“It’s my first ever time representing Australia, my first ever Nations Cup, and my first time ever wearing all the uniform. Doing it on this big of a level is incredible. I don’t think many other Young Riders have medalled at the Nations Cup for Australia, so it’s super exciting,” she added.
A shaky start comes good
After a rocky start to their relationship, Catherine Haddad and NorCordia USA’s nine-year-old Sola Diva emerged victorious from the 11 starters in the Buffalo Wild Wings Future Challenge Prix St. Georges with 70.294%. They picked up a coveted ticket to the final in AGDF 12, which is for developing horses aged seven to nine. Second-placed Jill Irving (CAN) and Knight, a nine-year-old KWPN gelding by Blue Hors Zack, scored 68.676% to claim the second qualifying spot.
Haddad imported Sola Diva (by Sarotti Mocca-Sahne) a couple of years ago, but the Hanoverian mare was not enamored with Florida.
“She had a rough entry into the USA,” explained Haddad, who is based between Florida and New Jersey. “Some horses don’t take to the Florida environment so well; she had skin issues, didn’t want to eat much, and we had to do a lot of things to get her happy and comfortable. So we really took our time with everything including the riding and training. I actually had to go into her stall and speak German to her because you could see that the horse was homesick.
“It took us a lot of time to come together, but I feel like we’re a real partnership now. She has a lot of expression and I maybe tapped 60% of that today. She’s an extremely beautiful horse inside and out, and I’m a sucker for a beautiful horse. She’s a horse I’m preparing for the grand prix; she’s got beautiful gaits so it looks nice in the Prix St. Georges, but her collection is really remarkable. That mare glides — she has a hyper elastic body. She can cross her legs like a spider. Today I had the hind legs pushing up toward the bit so I could ride her in a higher, more upward frame.”
For more information and results, visit https://gdf.coth.com.