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- Adrienne Lyle and Debbie McDonald with their new version of dressage style
- © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer
Earlier in the afternoon, fans were all smiles as they saw how much fun dressage can be. A costume pas de deux was held for the first time here, and what a hit it was, pairing Olympic riders with their students for the performance.
Adrienne and Debbie pimped their rides on Wizard and Felix in cherry-colored jackets with zebra-striped lapels and hatbands to match as they rode to "Play that Funky Music, White Boy and "Soul Man." Felix amazed everyone with his fantastic front-leg reach and great animation.
I couldn't help thinking of my last conversation with Olympic multi-gold medalist Reiner Klimke, at the 1996 Olympics, when I hesitantly mentioned how nice it would be to have people wear tailcoats in several different colors for the freestyle.
"This is not circus!" he said with great emphasis, as I slunk away. I wonder what he would have thought of today's performances and the zebra-striped lapels.
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- Guenter Seidel and Elizabeth Ball won the pas de deux with their interpretation of Phantom of the Opera.
- © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer
Charlotte Bredahl, a bronze medalist from the 1992 Barcelona Games, rode Liberty Light while Charlotte Nielsen was aboard Midt-West Dacapo for a disco effort punctuated by rhinestone-studded polo wraps to "Saturday Night Fever" music.
But the best performance came from multi-Olympic medalist Guenter Seidel and Pan Am Games medalist Elizabeth Ball on Fandango and Orion, as they performed their interpretation of Phantom of the Opera. Guenter wore the appropriate mask; Elizabeth as Christine was in a white dress that draped artfully over her horse's back. It was an incredibly polished routine.
Announcer Brian O'Connor jokingly told the crowd that Guenter and Elizabeth had signed with the Bellagio to perform their act there, at $80 a pop. I could believe it, and I'd buy a ticket to see it again.
"It was just perfect. I couldn't ask for a better pas de deux performance," said judge Linda Zang, one of two officials for the event, which of course had nothing to do with the World Cup and everything to do with pure entertainment. Judges' marks weren't the only method of determining a winner. An applause meter was used to get the audience in on the decision, and they voted with their hands overwhelmingly for the Phantom.
Tomorrow night is the World Cup freestyle, which I expect will be spectacular, even if it isn't done in costume. But the jinx that seems to be rampant here has struck again. Sweden's Minna Telde, ninth in the Grand Prix yesterday, has withdrawn her stallion, Don Charly, because he twisted his right front foot. He earned a 10 from one judge in the Grand Prix for his walk. It's a shame, because now there are only 11 starters for the freestyle, as opposed to the 15 originally entered before the field was winnowed by mishaps.
At any rate, what we're really primed for is the battle for the title among Anky van Grunsven, Grand Prix winner Steffen Peters and Isabell Werth (with a dark horse shot by Hans Peter Minderhoud on Exquis Nadine). Let's hope they all stay safe and sound.
Check back tomorrow morning to read my next postcard on tonight's second leg of the show jumping Cup.
Until then,
