2006 Dressage at Devon

Double Devon Victory for Lars Petersen and Dacardo

September 30, 2006

Danish Lars Petersen and Melissa Taylor's Swedish warmblood Dacardo had a double victory at small tour level at 2006 Dressage at Devon. Petersen won the CDI Prix St Georges with a phenomenal 74.250% and enhanced this achievement even more by topping the leader board in the CDI Intermediaire 1 with 71.583%.

The grey gelding Dacardo (by D-Day) is without a doubt a world class dressage horse but he needs to mature a bit more and his nerves need to settle down. In the Prix St Georges there was a tiny mistake in the pirouette but the entire ride was smooth. In the Intermediaire 1, Dacardo entered the ring quite stressed and spooky but Petersen kept the lid on the cooker. The pirouettes were still a bit hesitant and the extended walk didn't show enough overtrack, but the potential of the horse is undeniable and the quality of the paces is outstanding.

Petersen has planned to ride Dacardo for six more months and will then give the ride to owner Melissa. "If he stays at this top level, Melissa should try for the Pan American Games with him," Petersen told Horsesdaily.

Lauren Sammis and Sagacious HF (Welt Hit II x Cocktail) placed second in the Prix St Georges with 72.167%. Sagacious is a Dutch warmblood who was presented at the KWPN licensing in The Netherlands before being imported into the United States. Al and Judy Guden of Hyperion Farm own this talented FEI horse.

Canadian Jacqueline Brooks placed second in the Intermediaire 1 with 69.583%. Brooks rode the super cool bay Hanoverian gelding Balmoral, which she has trained to FEI level herself. "He goes so much better in the Dixon Oval than in the Gold ring," Brooks confessed. "There is hardly an audience in the gold ring but when he comes into the Dixon and sees the crowds, he really grows and shows off."

Melissa Jackson and Wellington placed third in both the Prix St Georges (69.250%) and Intermediaire 1 (68.250%). Jackson is of Parrish, Florida, and owns the Hanoverian Wellington together with her husband John. Jackson has been having a fantastic 2006 show season in which she has been consistently placing at the top at small tour level.

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