Riding Forget Me Not, Vittorio Barba, who won the dressage individual gold in the 1995 Chiang Mai SEA Games, took top honors while rookie teammate Danielle Cojuangco placed third on top of Able Agent in the event held at the 3 Q Equestrian Center.
"This is a good sign for us because all of the countries vying in the SEA Games competed," said team manager Mitos Belofsky whose charges plus five horses have been here for nearly a month to adjust to the competitive conditions.
Belofsky added that the RP riders, who also include Janine Santos and Paula Zobel, placed second in the team event in the Nations Cup against virtually the same field over the course which is also the official venue for the SEAG showjumping event.
With rookies Cojuangco, 17, and Zobel, 18, Belofsky said "we have the youngest team competing in the showjumping event. Despite this fact, I’m still confident that we stand a good chance of winning gold."
Two golds – team and individual - are up for grabs in this equestrian discipline as the sport makes a comeback after being dropped from the 1997 Jakarta and 1999 Brunei SEAG, Belofsky said.
The individual qualifying round, she said, would be on Sunday with the team event on Tuesday and the individual competition on Sept. 14.