Freestyle Sunday dawned cool and breezy at the Phelpssports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby on March 4, but Courtney King was once again atop the leaderboard, this time in the Grand Prix freestyle with Idocus.

The pair scored 75.85 percent to the strains of The Wizard of Oz, and Fiddler On The Roof. 

“I wasn’t sure what the score would be because of a couple of mistakes, but I came out very happy,” said King.  “I didn’t care because I was so happy with Idocus’ enthusiasm.  That’s the most important thing for me with that horse.”

The pair had errors in the tempi changes, something that King said is unusual for Idocus.  “He was a little bit lighter in the bridle than usual,” she said.  “Coming to the changes he felt a little bit behind me.  It took me until the final line of changes to really put him back up in the air before doing them.  The good thing about that freestyle is that on the final centerline I can do anything I want.  It’s supposed to be extended trot to passage, but instead I picked up the canter and did the one-tempis, so at least we could get that.  He was very happy with himself, and I’m really happy with him.”

Arlene “Tuny” Page, yesterday’s Grand Prix winner, took second place with Wild One (72.85%) in the freestyle.  She revised her choreography and changed her medley of 1960s rock songs from her FEI World Cup Final freestyle a year ago.

“I rode that [old] freestyle several times with the shorter extended trots, and there were two many places that invited me to take back,” said Page.  “I think it was one too many segueways in the music.  It flows a little bit better now, and everything’s a little bit less chopped up.”

Denmark’s Mikala Munter Gunderse placed third aboard Galant du Serein (70.75%), ahead of Catherine Morelli on BeSe (68.60%) who tied with George Williams on Marnix for fourth place.

Michael Barisone rode Neruda to victory in the Grand Prix Special (69.64%).  The talented gelding showed off his gaits and collection, but continued to have trouble in the tempi changes.

“The first two thirds of it, I thought was about 75 percent.  The beginning was outstanding,” said Barisone.  “That horse’s gift is piaffe and passage.  He’s really good at it.  Today I think he did it better in one group than he’s ever done before.

“Today was a better ride,” continued Barisone.  “Yesterday I had the same sort of thing where 90 percent of the hard stuff was really good, and I think I was running about 72 or 73, but then you make one mistake and you’re down to 71, and then you make two mistakes, and you’re down to 69.  The good news is that he’s growing up now.”

Barisone, Page and King are all planning to take their horses out to Burbank, Calif. at the end of March for the U.S. Equestrian League Finals and Freestyle Championship to qualify for the FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas, Nev. in April.

Gunderse also had a horse in the Special, placing second with Cipriano (63.36%) over Susanne Dansby Phelps on Goubergh’s Kasper (63.00%).

In the Intermediaire freestyle there was a bit of an upset when Carol Lavell took home the win with Much Ado.  King won the small tour classes on the previous days, but Mythilus, the Intermediaire I champion, got his tongue over the bit early in the freestyle class.

Lavell expressed her sympathy to King and was somewhat critical of her own ride.  “My ride was a little bit out of control in places,” she said.  “Big speakers, big music and then a little bolt.  After that he was better.  I liked it, but it needed more control.  He isn’t a naughty horse but he gets panicky.  He’s afraid, and he wants to go back home.”

Lavell formerly campaigned Much Ado at Grand Prix, but a back injury for her and suspensory injury for him left the pair sidelined last year.  “It’s embarrassing because we’re so rusty,” she said.  “I don’t own a dressage arena, and I’ve never bought one, and I’ve never bought the letters.  It didn’t seem to bother Gifted, and I thought it would be OK with this horse, but this horse needs practice in the ring.  This horse is a lot of horse to pack in a small place.”

She rode Much Ado at the 2003 Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic and hopes to return to Latin America for another chance this summer. 

Erin Brinkman placed second in the Intermediaire freestyle aboard Bella Luna over Shelly Francis and Dominion.