Ashlee Bond and Donatello looking to freeze form for Paris

Israel Olympic show jumping team’s Ashlee Bond and Donatello 141 used the closing day of ESP Spring 4 and the $25,000 Spring Grand Prix in their home town of Wellington, to start their build up to Paris with a victory.

Ashlee Bond took first and second at the Spring Grand Prix in Wellington. Here with Donatello 141. Photo: Sarah Eakin

“I’d like to have him feeling just like this [for Paris] to be honest,” Ashlee said of the 13-year old Westphalian gelding that she has partnered with for seven years.

Jad Dana takes third with Leonidas. Photo: Sarah Eakin

The pair went last in the jump-off on the Derby field – with Ashlee already holding the lead on Elka De La Pomme – and finished in a time of 37.466 ahead of her own earlier time of 38.42. Lebanon’s Jad Dana took third place aboard Leonidas in a time of 39.415.

Ashlee Bond had plenty to smile about as she and Donatello 141 set forth for Paris. Photo: Sarah Eakin

“He hasn’t really done a jump off in a while,” said Ashlee, who gave ‘Donnie’ time off at the end of the year. “So I was like let’s attack as if this is like the [Rolex] 500 [thousand] and go and see what we can do and it was so easy. He was right there with me all the time and I didn’t actually have to kick him to go fast, which a lot of times I do, but today he was actually dragging me around. And like that I can be a lot quicker.”

From here the pair go to Thunderbird, Vancouver and the Major League Show Jumping before taking on a 3-star week in Tryon. “He only really has three weeks of competition before he does Paris,” said Ashlee. “You work backwards from the big event and you try not to do too much and you try not to do too little and today he felt himself fitness-wise and mentally. Doing those couple of shows and keeping him in this frame of mind and this energy level will be exactly what he needs.”

Scottie picks up the ribbon thrown to her by her mum Ashlee Bond. Photo: Sarah Eakin

This will be the second Olympics for Ashlee and Donatello after the pair produced the only double clear in the Central & Eastern Europe and Central Asia competition in Prague last July to give Israel the win and passage to the Paris Games.

“This will be my second Games – so I know a bit what to expect,” said Ashlee after the Spring win. “It will be during the day – which the last one was at night so he won’t be as impressed. He always rises a bit more and gets a bit more impressed when it’s night time. But I’d like to have him like this. He was right there with me, he wasn’t too quiet and he wasn’t too crazy.”

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