2004 CDI Sydney

Grand Prix Reveals Young Talent Named Greenoaks Dundee

April 30, 2004

Australian dressage couple Heath and Rozzie Ryan have played starring roles at Sydney's CDI *** International Grand Prix event, and so too has one of their young horses. Having won today's International Intermediate I on Greenoaks Legend and come a close second in Thursday's International Prix St Georges (also aboard Greenoaks Legend), Rozzie took a stadium seat to watch husband Heath compete on their eight-year-old gelding Greenoaks Dundee in the Grand Prix.

"The Grand Prix is such a difficult event and it's so exciting to see our young and amazingly talented horse (Greenoaks Dundee) do this," she said during the competition. "I'm always so much more nervous watching than when I'm riding." Afterwards she said, "'I am really pleased with his performance, but he didn't look quite as settled as last time though." Pleasing indeed.

Greenoaks Dundee, the youngest horse in the Grand Prix field finished third with 65.29 percent behind the Ricky MacMillan/Crisp (68.25 percent) and Mary Hanna/Limbo (66.92 percent) combinations. Heath clearly made time to correct his stated earlier mistake of not having a long enough warm-up prior to Friday's earlier Inernational Intermediate I competition aboard Donna Carrera and DP Christopher, and was full of praise for his young charge.

"I guess it was alright. Rozzie though it was good," he said after the ride. "I still felt that I wasn't in the zone where the horses' soul soars out." "He (Greenoaks Dundee) didn't make a mistake which was good. I look forward to the day where he can be so confident that he shows off to the crowd."

Image copyright Peter Orr/Main Event Photography

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