Success feels thrice as nice for Dr. Cesar Parra of Piaffe Performance right now. After a string of exceptional performances in front of the judges during the HITS-on-the-Hudson series in Saugerties, New York, he and his Piaffe Performance team have qualified three horses— Fashion Designer OLD, Toy Story, and Don Cesar— for the 2015 U.S. Young and Developing Horse Championships, to be held on August 19-23 at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois.
Fashion Designer OLD, owned by Martin Sosnoff and Dr. Cesar Parra, will be competed at Developing Prix St Georges level by Parra. The Oldenburg gelding (by Faustinus x De Niro) earned 75.66 percent at his last show in Florida. "He will probably do one more qualifier in July to tune-up for the Championships," Riley expects.
Also in Developing Prix St. Georges, Riley will ride Toy Story, a Dutch gelding (by Trento B x Jazz) owned by Heather Hornor. Toy Story's strong Prix St. Georges debut at his last Florida show this season earned him a 71.90 percent. "We will compete him locally in June and do one more qualifier in July to prep for the Championships," Riley says of her mount.
Also keeping Piaffe Performance busy will be an exciting entry in the Five-Year-Old division, Don Cesar, owned by Dr. Cesar Parra and Marcela Ortiz Parra. The Westphalian gelding (by Desperados x Manhattan) earned 84.4 percent in his Young Horse 5-year olds Finals Test in Florida in April, and will also be competed locally through the summer in preparation for the August limelight at Lamplight.