Kathy Priest Best Field in the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship

Kathy Priest (Versailles, KY.) rode Damon’s Fantasy to the win in the FEI Prix St. Georges Test of the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship. Priest and her eight-year-old Oldenburg mare bested a competitive field with a score of 72.745%. Their test’s highlights included quality trot work, canter half-passes, and flying changes.

Photo - Kathy Priest and Damon's Fantasy (SusanJStickle.com)

“I was really happy with her. She is getting really solid, really nicely forward-thinking on her own now, so it was fun,” said Priest. “It was steady and I wanted to have a good, clean test and she tries real hard so that makes her really special for me.”

Emily Miles (Paola, Kan.) and Java Dulce, Leslie Waterman’s eight-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, finished in second place with a score of 72.549%, while Mike Suchanek (Blaine, Minn.) and Duchess L, Louise and Doug Leatherdale’s eight-year-old Hanoverian mare, came in third place with a score of 70.980%.

FEI Prix St. Georges Test counts for 40 percent of the overall score. The championship concludes on Saturday with the USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Test counting for 60 percent of the overall score.

Complete division results

On the Lamplight Equestrian Center:
Priest: “It is such a beautiful facility and it is so inviting for the horses and the young horses. You have a nice warm-up [area] and then you aren’t totally leaving like you are going in an enclosed stadium, so it is a really positive place to show.”

On their tests:
Miles: “This was an awesome test. He stayed really with me, really quiet. He can get a little hot and tense and he really stayed with me. It was kind of a challenge because I only had 10 days to ride him before coming here after I had been gone for six weeks, so this is really a tribute to my mother who kept him going for those six weeks. … We are beyond thrilled to be back and beyond thrilled with how he did!”

Suchanek: “I really enjoyed her trot work. It was really nice and smooth; she just stayed together with me throughout all of that. We had a little trouble in some of the changes, but I thought it was a good test.”

Barbie Asplundh: “I have doing this sport since 1979 and this is the best horse I have ever had. He is a gift. He is the whole package. He is with me mentally and is physically fantastic. He is gorgeous. Did I mentions he is gorgeous?”

On producing a horse up the FEI levels:
Lindsey Holleger: “I actually started her. She is the first horse I brought to FEI as a horse that I started, so that is really cool for me. I am only 23, so this is the first year that I have ridden professionally. I am really excited to be here and to even be in the top 10. … It is so fun, and I love doing it myself because they feel like yours. It is the best experience.”

Cesar Parra: “I am very happy with the trot; it has developed a lot. We try to bring along the piaffe and passage for the next level, so I have seen a lot of improvement with the trot.”

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