The USEF Four-Year-Old Test and the FEI Five- and Six-Year-Old Tests continued for the second day. Judges’ commentaries after each ride enlightened spectators and riders alike. Those comments glowed for Ulla Petersen and her rides on the full brothers Sabati and Steinway, who topped the Four-Year-Old and Five-Year-Old classes respectively. Both youngsters are owned by Nancy Holowesko and are by Sandro Hit out of Rosalea. Four-year-old Sabati, who Petersen said had been a little rattled in the earlier class, took a big step up from his fifth place on Thursday to win Friday with an 8.4. A winner on both days, Steinway topped his Thursday 7.54 victory with a 7.76 on Friday. Thursday’s four-year-old winner, Aesthete, didn’t compete in the Friday class, but rider Karen Monks-Reilly said that he “loves going forward, loves this test, and loves the crowd,” and that therefore she wants to be especially careful “not to abuse his willingness to perform.” The KWPN gelding, by Trento B out of Unusual, is owned by Betsy Spence.

Photo:  Ulla Peterson with Sabati/Steinway, 2009. (PhelpsPhotos.com)

The Six-Year-Old test produced another double winner. Horses Unlimited’s Hanoverian stallion Pikko Del Cerro HU, by Pik L out of the Rohdiamant mare Rohweena, scored an 8.58 on Thursday and an 8.32 on Friday. Mikala Gundersen, who has ridden the horse since the beginning of his four-year-old year, said “he’s been coming here since age two; he’s grown up at Devon and this year he’s really come through. I feel that he’s starting to carry himself enough for the Prix St. Georges.” Cerro not only won the Overall Born in the USA Breeder’s Award as a two-year-old but has won all of the young horse classes at DAD with scores above 80%, from the USEF Four-Year-Old classes in 2007 and both FEI Five-Year-Old classes in 2008. Owner Anne Sparks beamed with pride at the success of Cerro-“the first baby that I saw born”-and added that he and siblings Pikko Del Rio HU, who was second in both FEI Five-Year-Old classes, and Pikk Elena HU, fifth in today’s Four-Year-Old Test, had all been named by her “phenomenal” farm manager, Mario Sandoval.