Thursday March 20, 2003

Zada WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y Draws Strong Contenders For Pan Am And Championship Qualifiers

Hattrick for Yvonne Losos de Muniz

Yvonne Losos de Muniz of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, riding Inatana Las Marismas won all three of her CDI classes at the Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y held March 13-16, 2003, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Florida. Of nine CDI classes offered, de Muniz rode the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I, and Intermediaire I Freestyle as qualifiers for the 2003 Pan American Games to be held in her hometown in August. De Muniz, 35, has been paired with her 12-year-old, 17.2-hand, Dutch-bred mare by Lantana for a year. “She doesn’t look it, but she’s actually a very difficult mare, and we just seemed to click,” de Muniz said. “I think it shows in the ring.”

“The I-I was really the premiere class of this show,” said Axel Steiner, USA ‘O’ Judge, one of the panel of five judging the CDI classes. “It was a large class, with very good competition, especially at the top.” In the Intermediaire I, de Muniz scored 70.250%, besting a class of 29 riders. Suzanne Dansby Phelps aboard Goubergh’s Kaspar placed second (68.80%). Arlene Page on Wild One was third (68.100%). In the Prix St. Georges CDI, de Muniz scored 68.55% to best a class of 31 who competed in two groups over two days; Jacqueline Paxton and her mare Sangmelima led on Thursday, topping the class of 14 with a score of 67.550%, but on Friday de Muniz edged Paxton into second place. Joaquin Orth of Mexico on Guido placed third (67.250%).

Closing out her three-prong sweep, on Sunday in the I-I Freestyle, de Muniz outscored a class of 11 with 72.875%, riding to Latin-flavored music and choreography designed by Terri Gallo of KlassicKur. Judge Hanne Valentin placed de Muniz first in the Freestyle and remarked, “She had a very high degree of difficulty. I gave 8 for some of the extensions. I gave a 9 on one of the other days for an extension. It’s a really beautifully moving horse.”