By Equine Canada

Veteran grand prix rider Belinda Trussell enjoyed a career highlight at the CDI Ottawa Dressage Festival (ODF), held May 19-22 at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. 

Trussell, a Stouffville, ON native, achieved a personal best score on her way to breaking the Canadian record for the highest score in the Grand Prix during the ODF, which acted as one of the final Canadian Dressage Team qualifying competitions for the 2016 Rio Olympics coming up in August. 

Aboard Anton (Antaeus x Shirley), her 2015 Pan American Games mount, she captured the judges’ attention to earn the record breaking score of 73.780% and the victory in the CDI 3* FEI Grand Prix on May 20. Trussell and the 16-year-old Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding owned by her mother, Robyn Eames, also emerged atop the leaderboard in the CDI Grand Prix Special on May 21 with a score of 74.882%. 

“We had really great performances this week, I’m really happy,” said Trussell who is fresh off a highly successful winter season at the prestigious Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, FL where she and Anton picked up numerous wins throughout the 12 weeks of CDI competition. “My grand prix felt like the best one I’ve ever ridden with Anton, and probably any horse, actually, which was really exciting.” 

Fellow Canadians and 2015 Pan Am Games team members, Chris von Martels of Ridgetown, ON and Megan Lane of Collingwood, ON, also rode to impressive scores for 2016 Rio Olympic Games selection consideration. 

Von Martels, who was the Individual Silver Medalist from the 2015 Pan Am Games, took second place in the Grand Prix in Ottawa after earning a personal best score of 70.120% with his  new mount, Divertimento (Di Versace x Ferragamo), a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding he co-owns with Lovsta Stuteri AB. The duo also scored 70.392% for third place in the Grand Prix Special. 

Lane and her long-time partner, Caravella (Contango x Riverman), a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare she co-owns with Cathy Lane placed third in the Grand Prix on a score of 69.920%. They followed up with a score of 72.412% for second place in the Grand Prix Special. 

Ashley Holzer, a Canadian Olympian currently training in the U.S., closed out the CDI division on a win after scoring 73.625% in the CDI Grand Prix Freestyle on May 22. Her partner was Arthur (Jazz x Contango), an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Windhaven. Lane, this time riding San D’Or (Sandro Hit x Cocktail) a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian, finished second with 72.275%, while Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON, guided D Niro (D-Day x Napolean 625), a 17-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage, to a score of 69.875% for third place. 

It was a one-two finish for the Irwin family in the CDI 3* FEI Prix St. Georges. Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, outperformed her husband, Jaimey, by a nose to bring home the win with a score of 71.404% riding Laurencio (Laurentio x Donnerhall), a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding the couple co-owns. Jaimey finished second with Donegal V (Johnson x Gribaldi), an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Team Irwin Supporters Group with 69.605%. Lindsay Kellock of Toronto, ON, rode Royal Prinz (Royal Diamond x Dream of Glory), a 15-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Teresa Simmons, to third place after scoring 67.895%. 

Tina Irwin also won the CDI FEI Intermediate I and Intermediate I Freestyle with Laurencio, scoring 73.509% and 74.33%, respectively. Kellock finished in second in both classes aboard Royal Prinz, earning marks of 69.474% and 69.958%. 

In the CDI Young Rider division, Alexandra Meghji of Toronto, ON, rode to back-to-back victories in both the Team Test and the Individual Test with Rigo (Rotspon x Weltmeyer). She and the 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Diana Belevsky earned scores of 67.675% and 72.018%. Emily Ferguson of Winnipeg, MB, finished third in the FEI Young Rider Individual test, capturing a 67.939% riding Wrazzmatazz (Jazz x Darwin), a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Sara Hellner. 

For further information and results, visit http://nationalcapitaldressage.ca.  

Main Photo: Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON enjoyed a career highlight, setting a Canadian record score with Anton during the CDI Ottawa Dressage Festival (ODF), held May 19-22 at Wesley Clover Parks, and marking one of the final Canadian qualifying competitions for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Photo: ©Cealy Tetley/www.tetleyphoto.com