D Niro Gets Big Win For Brooks In Devon Grand Prix Special
October-03-11
You"ll have to forgive D Niro for being absent from the Grand Prix Special awards ceremony, it's his first trip to Dressage at Devon (PA) and it's been a little overwhelming.
Jacqueline Brooks rode the 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding (D-Day-Alitalia,Napoleon 625) to win the CDI-W Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. Although the pair has only been together since March, they've come a long way since then.
"He was doing Prix St Georges when I bought him in March," Brooks said "I only started competing him Grand Prix in August. He was obviously tense in the first few shows, and he was tense on Friday, so I said 'ok, be tense,' and he just killed it when I let him be."
Brooks was fourth in Friday's qualifier for the Grand Prix Special on D'Niro with 62.79 percent. Since then, the big grey gelding has been able to relax and settle into the swing of things at Devon.
"For him to come here, in this swirl, to focus like this, is awesome," Brooks said. "For me to go into the training season, before Florida, with a win like this is just amazing."
Books was one of the few riders who didn't have any problems with the new FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special test. The new test, which just became mandatory yesterday, Oct 1, 2011 for CDIs is a shortened version that will be used at the Olympic Games.
Brooks placed sixth on 16-year-0ld Gran Gesto in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday, but she sees D Niro as her horse for the future.
"For me to go to Florida with this kind of confidence is huge," Brooks said. "Our focus with this horse now is the Olympics."
