It was an exciting day at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), host of the Week 9 Palm Beach Dressage Derby’s final day of competition. For the first time at AGDF, a Derby Exhibition class was organized, providing a unique opportunity for spectators and fans to further appreciate the sport of dressage. Adrienne Lyle (USA) ultimately won the class, followed by Christoph Koschel (GER), Karen Pavicic (CAN), and Lars Petersen (DEN) respectively.
The class, formatted like a true Derby, paired riders to compete on the same horse in back-to-back tests (Koschel/Pavicic and Lyle/Petersen), with the rider receiving the highest score moving forward to the second round. Riders were given a five-minute familiarization period with the horses before performing an FEI Prix St. Georges level test. “Last year when I heard the Palm Beach Dressage Derby would be held at our venue, I had been told about the history of the show and I thought that a Derby needs a Derby (class). That’s why I set this up this year to test out how it would work,” said Thomas Baur, Director of Sport at AGDF. “It was great that we had four top riders join us, and we will work on something for next year to make the Derby class a larger part of the week.”
Christoph Koschel received the highest overall score of the class, with a 71.421% aboard Kelly Layne’s Von Primaire, which ultimately moved him to the second round to compete against Adrienne Lyle, who received a 66.579% aboard Melody Jackson’s Fortune and Fame, pushing her into the final round of competition. Lyle won the final round of the Derby, scoring a 66.816% aboard Leah Wilson’s Zango with Koschel finishing just behind on a 64.053%.