WEEK ELEVEN
March 17, 2014
Welcome to your 2014 FTI WEF Newsletter for week eleven. In this weekly newsletter, you’ll find a variety of information, horse show updates, competition wrap-ups, sponsor offers, and more!
The tenth week of the FTI WEF was from March 12 – 16 and was sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The eleventh week of the FTI WEF is from March 19 – 23 and is sponsored by Artisan Farms. The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center that conclude on March 30, 2014, and awards $8 million in prize money through the circuit.
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FTI WEF
Upcoming Events
Lunch & Learn Series, presented by Platinum Performance - The Lunch & Learn weekly educational series will feature “Using Supplements to Alleviate Performance Horse Health Ailments (skin & allergy, disposition, digestive health, and more)” during Week 11. Join us at The Wellington Club on the Main Grounds of PBIEC on Thursday, March 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Admission is free for riders, trainers, and owners. Lunch will be provided for all attendees.
Celebration of Life for Bill Cooney - A celebration of the life of legendary horseman Bill Cooney will be hosted on Wednesday, March 19, at The Wellington Club on the Main Grounds of PBIEC from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
$50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 - Another week of world-class show jumping competition begins with Week 11′s $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup. Thursday’s class will set the stage for Saturday’s $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4*. Competition kicks off at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, in the International Arena at PBIEC.
George Morris Excellence in Equitation, presented by Alessandro Albanese - The top junior riders of the FTI WEF will compete for top honors in this prestigious, invitation-only event. The class is one of two spectacular showcases of junior rider talent during Week 11, which give spectators a sneak peak at the show jumping stars of the future. The class begins at 4:30 p.m. in the International Arena on Friday, March 21.
Florida State Special Olympics Finals- Stop by the Van Kampen Arena at The Stadium at AGDF to cheer on Special Olympics riders from Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding CenterFlorida State Special Olympic Finals on Saturday, March 22, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Riders will compete in classes including English and Western Equitation, Dressage, Trail, and Prix Caprilli (a combination of dressage with jumps).
New River Fine Art Hosts Artist Thomas Arvid and Vintner David Long- ”Photo-realistic” artist Thomas Arvid, named one of the top “25 Artists You Should Know” by US Art magazine, will make a special appearance at New River Fine Art’s gallery in Wellington on the grounds of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival on Saturday, March 22nd from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. The gallery is located in the lobby of the International Club. Special guest David Long, proprietor of David Arthur Vineyards, will also be on hand to host a wine tasting during the event featuring his award winning wines.
“Saturday Night Lights” $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* -Week 11 is riders’ last chance to qualify for the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5*, so it will be another battle of the greats as world-class riders and horses pull out all the stops for the top prize. Doors open at 6:30 and the first horse is on course at 8:00 p.m. General admission is free and parking is $20 per vehicle.
$50,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider FEI Grand Prix Final, presented by The Dutta Corp. in association with Guido Klatte - The Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Series comes to a thrilling finish out on the grass field at The Stadium at PBIEC this morning. Riders will lay it all on the line to claim victory in this thrilling exhibition of young talent. The class beings at 8:00 a.m. on the grass field at The Stadium, which is located at 13500 South Shore Boulevard in Wellington.
Artisan Farms Youngest Rider Lead Line Classic - Join us at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the grass field at The Stadium for the Artisan Farms Youngest Rider Lead Line Classic. The youngest (and cutest!) riders will show off their skills and horsemanship for a fun-filled competition for competitors just starting out.
$84,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic - Show jumping returns to the grass field at The Stadium at PBIEC for Sunday’s $84,000 Suncast® Championship Jumper Classic. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the Florida sunshine while watching the world’s best go head-to-head out on the grass. First horse is on course at 2:00 p.m.
Palm Beach Pooch Party - PBIEC is hosting our first Party for the Pooches! Bring the whole family and come out to enjoy a day with your dog on Sunday, March 23, at The Stadium at PBIEC. Join us from 12:00 – 4:30 p.m. for a fun-filled day of pet-related family activities! Don’t forget to take advantage of the shopping at a great selection of pet-related vendors as well. You may even take home a new best friend from one of the South Florida dog rescue organizations that will be bringing plenty of adoptable dogs. Admission and parking is free. The Stadium is located at 13500 South Shore Blvd in Wellington.
FTI WEF
Horse Show Wrap-Up
Week 10
Maher Reigns Supreme in $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*
British superstar Ben Maher added an unprecedented fifth grand prix win to his tally at this year’s FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) with a win in Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* aboard Jane Clark’s Urico. Competing in the tenth week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, Maher topped Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala, and Daniel Deusser (GER) riding Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof, who finished second and third in a six-horse jump-off.
Richard Jeffery (GBR) set the course for 45 competitors in Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*, yielding six clear rounds to advance to the jump-off, where all six then completed double clear rounds and raced against the clock for top honors. Continuing the streak of a lifetime, Ben Maher mastered yet another grand prix track, speeding through the course last to go with Urico in the winning time of 41.01 seconds.
Maher topped Lauren Hough and Ohlala’s time of 41.25 seconds to put the pair in second place. Daniel Deusser and Stephex Stables’ and Double H Farm’s Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof stopped the clock in 41.53 second to finish third.
Also competing in Saturday night’s jump-off, Peter Wylde (USA) and Federico Fernandez’s Zorro were first to go, and set the fourth place time of 42.43 seconds. Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Mike Collins’ Zoe II finished fifth in 42.87 seconds, and Georgina Bloomberg (USA) guided Gotham Enterprizes’ Juvina to the sixth place prize in 46.73 seconds. Maher has been on an incredible roll in Wellington and kept the winning streak alive on Saturday night. So far, he has won week one’s $30,000 Mar-a-Lago Club Grand Prix with Kavanagh IV, week three’s $125,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix CSI 3* with Cella, week five’s $370,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI-W 5* presented by Rolex with Cella, and week eight’s $150,000 Grand Prix CSIO 4* presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty with Urico. Urico also won week five’s $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 Section A in a California Split.
“It is unbelievable,” Maher smiled on Saturday night. “I am on a lucky run right now, and Urico felt great. We saved him specifically for this class this week. Luckily, I was pre-qualified, and he just jumped a training round earlier in the week.”
“He was quite fresh tonight under the lights,” Maher noted. “It seemed like a big atmosphere. I thought it was going to be a bit quieter tonight, but it was quite popular. The course was very difficult; probably one of the most technical courses we have had here and it caused a lot of problems all over. It was not a big course, but very technical and it just felt very hard. Then the jump-off was flowing. I saw Daniel go. I had the lucky draw again to watch all of the riders go, and Lauren was very quick. I just did what I could do, and kind of wanted to get to the last fence as fast as possible. I said to Lauren, it looked like it was coming in slow motion, and luckily I was just fast enough.”
Urico’s other two wins this season have each been during the daytime, so Maher had the added challenge of the lights and atmosphere to take into consideration in his preparation for the night class.
“I think all the horses are different under the lights,” Maher pointed out. “If they are experienced enough, I think they come alive and jump sharper and better, and I think good horses rise to the occasion with a great atmosphere. It just seems great fun every Saturday night. It goes well and everyone really seems to be enjoying it here. It is always nice when the crowd gets behind you in the jump-off.”
Speaking of the jump-off, Maher added, “I have no idea where I got the time over Lauren. It was one of those jump-offs where I met every jump where I wanted to meet them. I had quite a tight turn back to the wall. Urico is probably one of the fastest horses we have in the stables. He is incredibly fast before, over and after the jump, so I think he gains time everywhere. I tried not to panic when I saw Lauren go. I just did what I had to do and tried not to make a mistake.” Maher has put a lot of hard work into forming a solid partnership with Urico since they began competing together last winter and has seen his efforts pay off this year.
“It’s always fantastic to win a class, and especially on Urico,” he stated. “We are still trying new things all the time; we’re testing him, and the other week it was during the day. This was under the lights, so that was nice to get that out of the way and just to get the consistency. He’s a really exciting horse to ride. He wants to be so competitive, he wants to win, and you just have to keep him quiet enough. He had quite a lot of work today because I knew he would be fresh and excited tonight. I am enjoying a great streak for now, and at some point it’s going to change for sure. We lose a lot more than we win in our sport, and at the moment it’s going my way, so I just enjoy great horses, great support from Jane and the team, and make the most of it while it’s happening.”
With a very fast second place finish, Lauren Hough had a great round with her speedy mount Ohlala, and was happy with another top placing this week. She knew she had a good time, but still had a tough competitor to follow.
“You’re never certain you’re the winner, especially when you have Ben following you with the streak he’s been on,” Hough admitted, “but my horse has been fantastic all week. She was second in the ‘WEF’ (Challenge Cup) as well, so we have kind of been knocking on the door, but I was thrilled. I thought Richard did a super job with the course. It suited my horse very well. Perhaps I could have been a bit faster to the last jump, but it was very, very close.”
Deusser was also pleased with his mount, Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof, explaining that this was the horse’s first outdoor grand prix. “He did a very good job,” the rider acknowledged. “He is a very careful horse. Especially under the lights today he was very impressed with the course. I had to work quite hard in the first round, but the jump-off, that was the best I could do I think. With two experienced combinations behind me, it’s always difficult. You never know quite how fast you have to go, but I am very happy with the round. If I think back, maybe from jump one to two I could have done one stride less, but at the end of the day I am very happy with this. I did a few jump-offs in 1.45m classes and a couple of 1.50m’s, but he is not too experienced in jump-offs. It was one of his fastest.”
On behalf of week ten title sponsor and presenting sponsor of the evening’s class, Horseware Ireland founder Tom MacGuinness and his daughter Lorraine were on hand for a fantastic night of competition.
Tom MacGuinness commented on the growth of the competition at the FTI WEF, noting, “I came here probably 15 years ago when it was a grass ring with a mound of sand where people could sit and watch, and then I came back about six years ago and I saw what was going on here, and I said that this was going to be the best horse show in the world. We had been sponsoring Triple Crown blankets for the presentations, but when I came here that time, I just saw the organization. I felt the determination and the focus that they had to make it the best horse show in the world. It is a fantastic show. It is the best show in the world as far as I’m concerned.”
Lorraine MacGuinness explained the incredible contribution that Horseware Ireland has made to this year’s circuit at PBIEC by providing the blankets and coolers that are presented to the winners at not only the FTI WEF, but the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) as well.
“We did 1,400 blankets for the whole circuit between the Global Dressage Festival and here, so that’s a pretty big sponsorship for us; it’s a lot of resources,” MacGuinness noted. “The printed blankets like Ben won tonight are new for us, and they are unique. No other circuit does them. We did 55 of them with all of the sponsors’ logos, and we are really proud of how they work.”
Equestrian Sport Productions thanks Horseware Ireland for their fantastic support as week ten of the FTI WEF and AGDF circuits conclude.
For full results, please visit
www.showgroundslive.com.
FTI WEF
Horse Show Wrap-Up
Week 10
Week 10 Classic winners:
$15,000 Engel & Völkers SJHOF High Amateur-Owner Jumpers – Ali Wolff and Lanoo
$10,000 Sleepy P Ranch SJHOF High Junior Jumpers – Lillie Keenan and Balance
$10,000 Hollow Creek Farm Medium Junior Jumpers – Lucas Porter and Psychee d’Amour
$10,000 Animo USA Medium Amateur-Owner Jumpers – Nicole Bellissimo and VDL Dogan
$10,000 Charles Owen Low Amateur-Owner Jumpers – Jennifer Santana and Horseflight.com Kendall
$10,000 Martha Jolicoeur, Illustrated Properties Adult Jumpers 18-35 – Alissa Kinsey and Grisset
$10,000 Classical South Florida Adult Jumpers 36-49 – Heidi Schaefer and Sonas Douglas
$10,000 Maria Mendelsohn, Illustrated Properties Low Junior Jumpers – Genevieve Meyer and Coral Reef Wise Guy
$10,000 Horseware Ireland Don Little Masters – Lucy Mitchell-Innes and Riley II
Week 10 Champions: FarmVet Adult Modified Jumpers – Lindsay Moss and Zento VDV
EnTrust Capital Children’s Jumper 14 & Under – Isabella Russekoff and Mister Cash van der Veldmden
National Disaster Solutions Children’s Jumper 15-17 – Madison Charlton and Petit Flipper
Griffis Residential Children’s Modified Jumpers – Alanna Fischer and Fiery Equiline Low Adult Jumper 18-35 – Dean Dignelli and Vintage
Paddock Cakes Low Adult Jumper 36 & Over – April Whitten and Prince du Roch
Crown Family Low Children’s Jumper – Carly Dvorkin and Joe Saltim Z; Erika Jakobson and Chocolatier
For full results, pleasehttp://www.showgroundslive.com/.
FTI WEF
Horse Show Wrap-Up
Week 10
Hunter Highlights – Wednesday through Sunday
Maggie Jayne of Elgin, IL, and Pony Lane Farm’s Fredrick bested the Perfect Product High Performance Hunter division on Thursday morning at the FTI WEF. The pair were neck and neck with reserve champions Point Being and Kelley Farmer, who finished just four points behind Jayne and Fredrick.
Fredrick won three over fences classes and the under saddle and placed second and fourth in the remaining two over fences rounds with Jayne in the irons. Farmer and Point Being won two over fences classes and placed second in the others in addition to finishing fourth under saddle.
Laura Lee Montross, of Bedford, NY, took home another championship title with her own Nairobi Nights at the FTI WEF. The pair won the $5,000 Peggy Cone Adult Amateur Classic during World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week earlier this season at the FTI WEF, and followed up that win with a week ten division championship title in the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over division on Friday morning.
Nairobi Nights, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding out of Ingur B. by Nairobi, placed first, second, and seventh over fences for the division championship. The reserve championship went to Shadowplay, ridden by Gay Peterson and owned by Perry Peterson. Shadowplay and Gay jumped to third and first over fences. The pair was also awarded the Champion Equine Insurance Hunter Style Award for their efforts.
Fifteen-year-old Isabella Usenza earned top call with Sebastian in the THIS Children’s Medal 15-17 on Saturday morning at the FTI WEF. Usenza and Sebastian earned an 85.5 in the first round to return third for the test, which called back the top four riders to face off over fences. Usenza ultimately came out on top for her well-executed track aboard Sebastian, a six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she recently purchased from trainer Monty Kelly.
Second place went to Jennifer Hunt, who enjoyed the first round high score of 87 with Winston. Haley Zimmerman and San Paolo finished third after a first round score of 86, and Ashley Denmark was fourth with Vince. The pair earned an 86 in round one.
Julie Coles of The Plains, VA, and Remarkable Farm LP’s Cobalt were champions of Section B of the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over division on Sunday morning at the FTI WEF. Coles and the nine-year-old Wurtemberger gelding, out of Little Lou by Cornet Obolensky, won the final two over fences rounds for the division, as well as jumping to third and second place ribbons. The pair also earned seventh place under saddle.
The reserve champion for the division was Contral, owned and ridden by Martin Schlaeppi. Schlaeppi piloted Contral to third, fifth, second, and third over fences and placed third under saddle.
For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.
Sponsor Feature: Artisan Farms
Sponsor Feature: Engel & Völkers
Sponsor Feature: New River Fine Art
Sponsor Feature: FarmVet
Sponsor Feature: SportFot
Sponsor Feature: Brook Ledge Horse Transportation
Sponsor Feature: The Chronicle of the Horse
FTI WEF
Horse Show Wrap-Up
Week 10
Jumper Highlights – Wednesdaythrough Sunday
Week 10 of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off on Wednesday with a win for Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam with Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farms’ Solerina in the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class. Sweetnam has had an outstanding winter circuit so far with wins in four very competitive FEI World Ranking classes, among other top finishes.
Great Britain’s Richard Jeffery was the course designer in the International Arena at PBIEC for week 10. Jeffery set the speed track for 46 entries in Wednesday’s $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m with 11 clear rounds. Germany’s Daniel Deusser set a fast pace in the very beginning in 66.54 seconds with Stephex Stables’ Mouse, but was eventually surpassed. Sweetnam and Solerina later cleared the track in 65.56 seconds to take over the lead. Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and T&L NV’s Elky van het Indihof jumped into third in 67.48 seconds.
A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was the first competition to be held on Wednesday morning with a win for Hannah Selleck (USA) and Descanso Farm’s Bauer. A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class was also held later in the day with a win for Laura Chapot (USA) and Mary Chapot’s Zealous. Week ten continued on Thursday with a win for McLain Ward (USA) and Zander in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10. The win marked the 25th‘WEF Challenge Cup’ victory for Ward over the years of his illustrious career.
Richard Jeffery set the track for Thursday’s Challenge Cup competition that yielded 17 clear rounds of 85 starters in round one. Two entries opted out of the jump-off, and Jeffery saw eleven double clears out of 15 over the short course.
For his remarkable 25th WEF Challenge Cup victory, Ward guided his ten-year-old KWPN gelding Zander (Cantos x Saygon) to the winning time of 34.36 seconds, setting an uncatchable pace as the second entry in for the jump-off.
Try as she might, Lauren Hough (USA) was not quite quick enough to catch Ward’s time with Ohlala, finishing second in 34.71 seconds. Ramiro Quintana (ARG) and St. Bride’s Farm’s Whitney finished third in 35.59 seconds. Kevin Babington (IRL) and Shorapur placed fourth in 35.64 seconds.
An $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m was also held on Thursday with a win for Eiken Sato (JPN) and Stephex Stables’ Soory de l’Hallali.
Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof sped their way to an exciting win in Friday’s $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m on a beautiful afternoon at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. De Luca and Elky van het Indihof have had several top finishes at the FTI WEFrecently and finally got their victory with a fantastic round to beat out USA’s Caitlin Ziegler and Christine.
Showing in the International Arena on Friday, the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m saw 41 entries in total with 15 clear rounds. The second entry to show over Richard Jeffery’s (GBR) speed track, Caitlin Ziegler set a very fast pace in 67.10 seconds with Artisan Farms LLC’c Christine that would hold the lead through most of the class. Not until Lorenzo de Luca entered the ring, third to last in the order with T & L NV’s Elky van het Indihof, did the lead change hands. The pair blazed through the course in 65.98 seconds for the win.
Abigail McArdle (USA) and David McArdle’s Cosma 20 finished in 67.57 seconds to place third. Ben Maher (GBR) and Kavanagh IV, owned by Maher and John Renick, finished fourth in 67.71 seconds.
Earlier in the day, a $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge was held in the International Arena with the second win of the week for Hannah Selleck (USA) and Descanso Farm’s Bauer. Ireland’s Paul O’Shea guided Skara Glen’s Sienna to victory later in the afternoon in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class.
Week ten of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded on Sunday with a win for Ireland’s Richie Moloney and Alsvid in the $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic.
Richard Jeffery (GBR) concluded week ten with 37 starters in Sunday’s 1.50m Classic with seven clear rounds to jump-off. Richie Moloney qualified two horses for the jump-off, taking the lead first with Equinimity LLC’s Elouise de Muze in 38.45 seconds to eventually finish third. Sixteen-year-old Joao Victor Castro of Brazil briefly took over in 38.25 seconds with Wamira, but settled for second when Moloney returned with his next mount, Equinimity LLC’s Alsvid, last to go to secure the win in 36.94 seconds.
Also showing on in the International Arena on Sunday, Lucas Porter kicked off the day with a one-two finish in the $10,000 Hollow Creek Farm Medium Junior Jumper Classic. Porter won the class with Psychee d’Amour and finished second with Mill’s Georgia, both horses owned by his family’s Sleepy P Ranch LLC. The $10,000 Animo USA Medium Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic was also featured with a win for Nicole Bellissimo and Bellissimo LLC’s VDL Dogan.
A special award was presented to Lauren Hough for week ten as the Leading Lady Grand Prix Rider, an award presented by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler.
For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.
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