This year’s Dressage by the Sea was yet another wonderful event that gave riders and their horses the opportunity to experience world-class Willinga Park. And just like last year, Mary Hanna and Jayden Brown were among those in the winner’s circle
“She was just totally with me.”
Driving through the gates of Willinga Park for the first time was akin to having the curtains drawn on a long-awaited work of art. Photos from the past five years quickly fell into place, revealing a masterpiece on a far grander scale that can be discerned from a two-dimensional image. And then it was off to work, live-streaming some of the country’s very best horse and rider combinations in action.
Under the expansive timber-clad roof of the main arena, twelve combinations vied for victory – and FEI World Championship MER (Minimum Eligibility Requirement) scores – in the Grand Prix CDI3*. At the top end of those scores was six-time Olympian Mary Hanna with 16-year-old Westphalian mare Syriana (Sir Donnerhall), who recorded an error-free test to score 72.239% – a personal best Grand Prix CDI score for the combination. Mary’s score was validated as an MER by the international JSP (Judges Supervisory Panel) of Linda Zang (US) and David Hunt (UK), meaning she and Syriana now have the two required scores of 66%-plus following their effort at the Boneo CDI in January.
“I’m really excited to have that (the MERs) done and dusted,” said Mary when interviewed by Roger Fitzhardinge following the Grand Prix. Seven other combinations managed to achieve the MER requirement of 66% or better, however, only two further scores were validated – third-placed John Thompson and Chemistry on 69.478%, and fourth-placed Jayden Brown on Senator Nymphenburg with 67.625%.
For Mary, achieving the MER was a relief, but the real thrill came with how Syriana felt to ride. “She was just totally with me, and that’s always our aim of course, to ride a fault-free test. She gave me a beautiful ride.” Speaking about the elegant mare’s light and expressive forehand, she said: “It’s lovely when you get the feeling that the horse really wants to go; when you come onto the diagonal for the extended trot, and you feel the horse has the power and wants to do it. Syriana tries right to the end; I love that about her. She never wants to give up.”
The passage is certainly a highlight, and the tempi changes that were once a little unreliable are now looking well established. “I’m very fortunate that the passage is a very easy movement for her, she does love it; sometimes she wants to overdo it.”
“Syriana tries right
to the end.”
Mary explained that Syriana has been quite a late starter with her work. “When I first got her she was pretty green. Malin (Nilsson), who works at Patrik Kittel’s, had done a wonderful job, but she was still quite green and it was all quite new. And then you have to form a partnership, and she’s a very special horse in that she’s got quite an odd personality with new people… it’s taken a while!”
Mary plans to take Syriana to Werribee this month for Dressage with the Stars (DWTS), before packing up and heading to Germany to base with her new trainer, Henri Ruoste. Mary’s other Grand Prix horse whom she took to the Tokyo Olympics, Calanta, is currently there in training. “I’m looking forward to seeing her; I miss her so much,” she said. And it won’t just be all about training while in Europe: “I’ll be looking around for a future star as well.” When asked if she’s ever going to give up dressage, without hesitation Mary’s answer was an emphatic “No!”
Following their win in the Grand Prix CDI3*, Mary Hanna and Syriana went on to also claim the Freestyle with a score of 73.515%.
A BUSY WEEKEND FOR JAYDEN
It’s often said that there is no harder working rider than Jayden Brown, and watching him rotate through his extensive string of horses over the course of four days certainly confirmed this.
Jayden had two horses in the Grand Prix CDI3*, WillingaPark Sky Diamond and Senator Nymphenburg, the latter owned by Rose Deo and Jenny Gehrke. Sky Diamond was second in the Grand Prix on 69.64%, while Senator was fourth, with John Thompson filling third place with Chemistry. In the Freestyle, Chemistry placed second on 72.515%, while Jayden was third with Sky Diamond on 70.370%. Senator then partnered with Jayden in the Special to claim the win on 68.043%.
Jayden as always had a busy show with his impressive team, riding not only the two Grand Prix horses, but also WillingaPark Quincy B in the Small Tour, WillingaPark Fangio in the Advanced, Kasjmir in the Medium and Seven-Year-Old, WillingaPark Emotion in the Medium, WillingaPark Tito in the Six-Year-Old, and WillingaPark Miana in the Five-Year-Old. (You can read more about Team Willinga’s horses in the January issue of Equestrian Life.)
The team produced a number of wins and impressive scores, none more so than eight-year-old Quincy, who claimed the Prix St Georges on 76.275%, the Intermediate I on 77.451%, and the Intermediate Freestyle on 79.092% – the latter being an Australian record score for that class. Quincy, by Quaterback out of a Desperados mare, was imported from Germany as a three-year-old and commenced training with Jayden in Queensland; the horse was ultimately sold to Willinga Park, with Jayden landing the role as the head rider there soon after, allowing for the pair to be reunited.
Speaking post-event, Jayden says he’s very happy to be back competing at his home base, “It’s always nice to have everyone here and to see the facility being used to its potential during competitions… it makes it fun for us at the stables! I’m pretty happy with all the horses; they hit the mark as I was hoping they would. There were no surprises really – it’s nice if you can mostly do what you do at home in the competition ring.
“Quincy, he just keeps getting better. It’s pretty nice to ride him and he’s just one of those special horses that you don’t get very often. I started riding him when he was three, so I’ve known him for a long time now. We’ve got that partnership, so I know when to go for a bit more and when to back off. He’s a good reflection of the training that I want to be able to do on all of the horses; he’s as good a reflection of that as I can create.”
Jayden is excited about the future with this special horse: “He’s looking like he’ll be as good at Grand Prix as he is at Small Tour. I’ll just keep chipping away at building strength and polishing things off. Hopefully next year it’ll be the Big Tour and we’ll see what he can do.”
For Sky Diamond, Dressage by the Sea marked a return to the competition arena after a lengthy spell due to injury. “He’s still a bit unfit. Two months ago, I was still just trotting him up and down the gallop track in straight lines. It’s been a bit of an effort to get him back in work, but all continuing as it is now, it’s looking like he’s back and will just keep getting better.” It was the stallion’s first competition since his Grand Prix debut at DWTS last year, and although there were some mistakes, Jayden feels there is a lot to build on.
“I think he’s got everything there. He has some pretty wild one-time changes at times, which came out in the Grand Prix. They can be very good, or very bad. With a bit more time, they’ll become more reliable and under control. He’s just got to find his feet a bit,” explains Jayden.
Like Mary, Jayden will head to DWTS this month – and performances there will help guide his plans for the team moving forward. “It’ll depend on how the horses are scoring and how the young horses go. I’d quite like to qualify some horses for the World Young Horse Championship this year, now that we can travel a little bit easier.” Jayden is no stranger to riding overseas; in the past, he has worked and trained in some illustrious stables, none more so than the famous Mt St John in England where he rode, competed and trained with Emile Faurie.
On the truck for DWTS is Sky Diamond in the Grand Prix, Quincy in the Small Tour, Fangio in the Seven-Year-Old, Tito in the Six-Year-Old, and Miana in the Five-Year-Old. “If we think they’re good enough, and confident enough in their work, we might look at that. But at the moment, I think we’ll do DJWTS and then it’ll be time to make some decisions.”
WONDERFUL WILLINGA
It’s been said many times before: Willinga Park is a world-class venue that has to be seen to be believed. It looks simply stunning in pictures, but the sheer scale and flow of the property is something that does need to be experienced in the flesh to truly appreciate. The good news is there are plenty of events coming up this year at the Bawley Point venue, including Eventing@Willinga (22-24 April), the World Championship Gold Buckle Campdraft (11-14 May), and Jumping@Willinga (15-18 September). If you’re yet to visit, it’s time to make travel plans. EQ
Re-watch the live stream from Dressage by the Sea here.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ:
Team WP’s Interstate Raid – Equestrian Life, January 2022
World-Class Dressage at Willinga Park – Equestrian Life, March 2021
