Saturday, June 3, 2006

CDI***/Y Dressage at Raleigh 2006
On the Scene for DressageDaily by Sue Smithson

Leslie Morse and Tip Top Claim the $3,000 Grand Prix Musical Freestyle

Leslie Morse and Tip Top earned a 72.2% with a bold, buoyant ride to swing music, winning the $3,000 Grand Prix Freestyle in front of a packed house tonight at the CDI-Raleigh.

Tip Top started to spook in the walk tour, and Morse yelled out “Hey stop that now!” to a maintenance man changing garbage bags on the top floor of the coliseum. The next moment she took off on a curved line of two-tempis, and never missed a beat.

The same top three from Friday night’s Grand Prix just switched places. Michael Barisone and Neruda, second both nights, charmed the crowd with a bold ride to a Queen rock medley. Barisone has never been accused of riding conservatively, and he redlined the RPM’s for some exciting passage and piaffe. But Neruda got strong, opened his mouth, and the transitions suffered.

Cesar Parra and Galant du Serein looked like winners again throughout a brilliant first half to a Latin beat. But the French stallion blew it in the canter, making mistakes in the pirouettes and tempis.

“He felt so great!” Parra said. “I was thinking this was the best ever, he was so dynamic, it was breathtaking. I don’t know what happened in the canter. But for us to beat them yesterday, I was very happy. It’s my first time to Raleigh, this is good competition, it’s not an easy show.”