McDonald And Brentina Sweep U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship And U.S. League Final

Defending World Cup Champions Debbie McDonald and Brentina (HAN, Brentano II – Lieselotte) were victorious in the $25,000 U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final held February 27 – 29, 2004 during the CDI-W Burbank & Mid Winter Dressage Fair at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in California. McDonald and Brentina, a chestnut Hanoverian mare owned by Peggy Thomas of Sun Valley, Idaho, scored 82.325% in the Grand Prix Freestyle to win the U.S. Equestrian-sponsored Championship and Final.

Scoring 78.975% in the Freestyle, Leslie Morse of Beverly Hills, California and Kingston claimed the Reserve Championship. Kingston, a brown Dutch Warmblood stallion, is owned by Morse who also rode him to victory in the 2003 Bayer Festival of Champions USET Grand Prix Championship.

Defending champions of the 2003 U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Final, Guenter Seidel and Nikolaus 7 (WES, Weinberg – Elise), a bay Westphalian gelding owned by Richard and Jane Brown of Carlsbad, California, placed third with a Freestyle score of 76.850%. Seidel also rode Aragon (BAV, Abydos – La Sabrina),, a grey Bavarian Warmblood gelding owned by Mr. & Mrs. Brown, to a fourth-place finish with a 74.225% in the Freestyle. Placing fifth in the Freestyle Championship was Steffen Peters and Grandeur (KWPN, John U To Berry xx – Cicsca) with a score of 73.475%. The bay Dutch Warmblood gelding is owned by Lila Kommerstad of Bradbury, California.

McDonald and Brentina now return to defend their World Cup title in Dusseldorf, Germany, April 1 – 4, 2004. As a result of this U.S. League Final, she will be joined by Morse and Kingston and Seidel with Nikolaus 7, who placed fourth in the World Cup Finals in Sweden last year.

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