Consistent Grand Prix Performance for Leslie Morse
by Sarah Jenkins, Special Report provided by PhelpsSports.com
Wellington, Florida – August 1, 2006 – American World Equestrian Games team hope Leslie Morse pulled off a consistent Grand Prix to finish second at the Hickstead CDI*** in Sussex, England (July 27–30). Leslie rode her Swedish stallion, Tip Top, for 69.458%, putting her less than one percent behind the winner, Britain’s Sandy Phillips and Lara with 70.542%.
Tip Top, who is by Kyra Kyrklund’s Master – Swedish six-year-old champion in 1994 – produced a supple and elastic test and appeared undistracted by the atmosphere in the arena and the hospitality tents close by, which spooked other combinations. Leslie clearly demonstrated Tip Top’s strengths, the piaffe and passage, with elegance. Judge at C, Mary Seefried, had the pair down to win, but judges at E and B, Freddy Leyman and Stephen Clarke, placed her fifth. The competition was close and came down to the quality of the top riders’ canter pirouettes.
British Olympic judge Stephen Clarke, who was officiating from B, said: “There were several good horses in the Grand Prix. Leslie’s horse was very strong in the trot work and with the piaffe and passage, but her canter pirouettes were not of good quality.” He continued by saying, “Sandy’s horse can try a little too hard in the piaffe, which sometimes causes loss of balance, but her canter pirouettes were excellent.” Adding, “That is why Sandy won the class, because her canter pirouettes were so good and that particular movement carries a coefficient of two, which brought Sandy’s mark up and gave her the edge over Leslie.”
The heat at Hickstead was stifling, with temperatures up to 30 C degrees and high humidity. This took its toll on several horse and rider combinations, who appeared less than 100% and came out below par the following days. Anja Hermelink finished third to Leslie for Germany with 68.667% riding Pathos, while in the CDIO**, World Equestrian Games team member Laurens van Lieren of the Netherlands led throughout with Hexagon’s Ollright. The pair scored 72.917% in a fluent, mistake-free Grand Prix to take the victory from Britain’s Wayne Channon, also a World Equestrian Games team member.
This was a good result for Leslie Morse, however, who looks to be coming back to her top form of 2005, when she was second at Del Mar CDI*** with 70.667% in the Grand Prix and went on to come second in the freestyle with 75.06%. But the pair did not contest the Grand Prix Freestyle at Hickstead, which went instead to Anja Hermelink and Pathos with 71.35%, while Sandy slipped down to fourth place with too many costly mistakes in her brand new compilation.
Leslie fulfilled one ambition by contesting the World Cup in Amsterdam in April this year, where she under-performed in the Grand Prix for 66.69%, but picked things up for the Kür with 71.45%. She will be looking to fulfill another ambition by being given the opportunity to represent the U.S.A. at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany (August 22–26). With this result from Hickstead under her belt she would go to Aachen with greater confidence, but knowing she is capable of higher marks.
Leslie is on the shortlist for team selection with Steffen Peters (Floriano), who won the Grand Prix in Del Mar in April with 72.208%; Guenter Seidel (Aragon) who was second at the same show with 70.79%; Debbie McDonald (Brentina) and Arlene ‘Tuny’ Page (Wild One), who are both capable of 70%-plus Grand Prix scores; and Catherine Haddad (Maximus). The team will not be announced until 14 August, just one week before the games begin.
This special report is a preview provided by PhelpsSports.com. Look for the debut of this new equestrian news website during the World Equestrian Games in August. Visit http://www.PhelpsSports.com for more information.
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