Category Archives: Championships

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Show Jumping

Mario Deslauriers and Cella Triumph in $30,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic Finale

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Mario Deslauriers and Cella won the $30,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic during week eleven at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Nick Skelton, Ashlee Bond, and McLain Ward Take Home Bonus Money for Consistent Performances

Wellington, FL – March 27, 2011 – Week eleven of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival concluded on Sunday afternoon with a victory for Mario Deslauriers (USA) and Cella in the $30,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic Finale. Deslauriers and Cella, owned by Jane F. Clark, was the only pair to master the course with double clear rounds for the win.

Guilherme Jorge of Brazil designed the courses in the International Arena this week and concluded the weekend with a challenging course for the 1.50m. Just three of the original 50 competitors were able to go clear in the first round to return for a jump-off.

Daniel Bluman (COL) was the first to return for the short course aboard his own Sancha La Silla. The pair had one rail down to earn four faults in 34.158 seconds, finishing in second place.

Deslauriers returned next with Cella and put down a fast, clear round in 35.853 seconds to take over the lead.

Ashlee Bond (USA) rode Chivas Z, owned by Little Valley Farm, through the course next, but retired from her round after a refusal to automatically finish in third place.

Continue reading Mario Deslauriers and Cella Triumph in $30,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic Finale →

Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Mary Katherine Shaughnessy and King Lear Bring the Championship Home in the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over Section A

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Mary Katherine Shaughnessy and King Lear are the Camping World Adult Amateur 51 & Over, Section A champions during the eleventh week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – March 25, 2011 – The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival continued today with 12 rings of competition. The featured division in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring was the Camping World Adult Amateur 51 & Over Hunters Section A. Mary Katherine Shaughnessy of Wellington, FL, and King Lear, owned by Shamrock Ventures, rode to the championship.

Shaughnessy’s Shamrock Ventures purchased King Lear, a fifteen-year-old Trakehner gelding by Induc, last year. “He is really, really perfect! He never does anything wrong. I’d say that he has changed my life,” said Shaughnessy with a smile.

It has been a very special week for Shaughnessy. Not only was she champion during the same week that is sponsored by FTI Consulting, Inc. (her husband Dennis is the Chairman), but she also became a first-time grandmother two days ago. “I would like to add that I became a grandmother two days ago. My first grandchild! Her name is Avery. It’s been a big week!” beamed Shaughnessy.

Continue reading Mary Katherine Shaughnessy and King Lear Bring the Championship Home in the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over Section A →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Show Jumping

Richard Spooner and Lady Like Race to Finish in $50,000 Vita Flex Match Races

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Richard Spooner and Lady Like won the $50,000 Vita Flex Match Races. Photo © Sportfot

Ali Wolff and Lanoo Lap the Pros in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

Wellington, FL – March 19, 2011 – It was a fun night of competition with a highlight event, the $50,000 Vita Flex Match Races at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Advancing through five rounds of races, it was Richard Spooner (USA) and Lady Like, owned by the C&S Partnership LLC who finished as the winners. In the final round, they topped Daniela Cordero of the Dominican Republic and T Cavalier.

The FTI WEF’s tenth week of competition, sponsored by Artisan Farms, continues through Sunday, March 20. Sunday will conclude week ten at The Stadium with the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Riders Grand Prix at 10 a.m. and the $78,000 Pennfield Feeds FEI CSI 2* Grand Prix at 2 p.m., each held on the grass field at The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center Stadium. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

There were 32 combinations in tonight’s Match Races. The course was set by Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC, and it featured a race down the middle of the ring over the final line on the mirror-image courses. The class was held in bracket format with head-to-head competition.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Ferrell and Moshi Make a Lasting Impression in the Green Conformation Hunters

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Sandy Ferrell and Moshi are the Green Conformation Hunter Champions during the eighth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – March 3, 2011 – The eighth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, is well into its second day of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The sun was shinning along with strong gusts of wind as the Green Conformation Hunters made their way into the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring on Thursday morning.

Sandy Ferrell was aboard the new entry from Stephanie Riggio, Moshi, for the championship win in the Green Conformation Hunters. Riggio purchased Moshi, a seven-year-old Belgium Warmblood gelding by Quintus, around the fourth week of competition at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. “He’s a new ride for me, so I get to be the lucky girl, which is nice,” beamed Ferrell.

Moshi and Ferrell secured the championship honor by winning the model and the under saddle classes. The duo went on to win another over fences class and receive a second and two thirds in the division’s remaining classes.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Victoria Colvin and Ariel Win Four of Five Classes for Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter Championship

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Victoria Colvin and Ariel are the Martha Jolicoeur & Illustrated Properties Small Junior Hunter 15 and Under champions during the seventh week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – February 27, 2011 – As week 7 comes to a close here at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, looks back on another successful week of competition. The younger section of Small Junior Hunters, presented by Martha Jolicoeur and Illustrated Properties, awarded their championship early this morning in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring.

Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, rode Ariel to the championship honor this weekend. Neither her, nor her mount, Ariel, are new to the championship winner’s circle. Scott Stewart, who also trains Colvin, owns Ariel, a six-year-old Brandenburg mare by Lancado.

The winning pair secured the tricolor honor this morning by winning a stunning four out of five classes in their division of nine entries. They placed fifth in the division’s remaining class.

Colvin, arguably one of the best and busiest young riders here in Wellington, keeps very busy showing everything from pony hunters to the junior equitation classes. Furthermore, she does it all successfully and stays focused throughout. Colvin will remain busy throughout the rest of circuit showing numerous horses and ponies as the weeks continue.

Continue reading Victoria Colvin and Ariel Win Four of Five Classes for Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter Championship →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, JRPR

Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF

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Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello won the Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division during the fifth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Louise Serio and Castle Rock (pictured) won the title during week six. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot)

Wellington, FL (February 24, 2011) – The Sanctuary at PBIEC, the new world-class full horse therapy and conditioning center located on the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds, honored two High Performance Working Hunter champions during the fifth and sixth weeks of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello rode away as the High Performance Working Hunter Champions during week five and Louise Serio and Castle Rock captured the High Performance title during week six.

Boyd and Serio are well known in the show world and both have long resumes attesting to their success in the hunter ring. Boyd, who owns Brunello with Janet Peterson, works out of her family’s Finally Farm in South Carolina. Brunello, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, is a veteran hunter who Boyd said she reserves for big classes. In 2010, Boyd and Brunello won the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular.

Serio and Castle Rock, week six winners of The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter Championship, showed the hunter world how to stay on top when they won the 2011 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular under the lights in the International Arena at PBIEC. Castle Rock, a 12-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding by Corland, is one of the country’s leading hunters.

Continue reading Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF →

Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Marie Hecart and Babbe van’t Roosakker Speed to Win Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

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Marie Hecart and Babbe van't Roosakker won the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic during week 6 at the 2011 FTI WEF. Photo © Sportfot

Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried Top $5,000 WCHR Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunter Classic Spectacular

Wellington, FL – February 19, 2011 – The Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic was held today, and it was Marie Hecart (FRA) on Babbe van’t Roosakker, owned by Haras de la Rogue, who were the fastest double clear combination. They won the sixth event in the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series, which will award $50,000 in rider bonus money at the end of the series.

The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival’s sixth week of competition continues through Sunday, February 20. Week six, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, will feature the $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby on Sunday at 3 p.m. at The Stadium. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

There were 34 entries in today’s 1.50m classic, and seven of those were able to find the clear round over a course designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. Hecart and Babbe van’t Roosakker, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Kannan, were able to keep a quick pace and efficient turns for the fastest clear jump-off ride in 39.496 seconds.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Final Startlist Announced For FEI World Cup Driving In Leipzig

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Boyd Exell will be facing strong opponents in Leipzig. FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

Driving fans will be treated to a thrilling Final for the 10th season of the FEI World Cup Driving series in Leipzig, Germany, from 27 April to 1 May 2011.Five of the seven four-in-hand drivers who will start in Leipzig have already won a World Cup round this season, highlighting the incredible level of skills for this year’s FEI World Cup Driving Final.

The finalists will all start from scratch and, as this year’s series was so tightly contested, it won’t be until the very last second of the Final on the afternoon of Sunday 1 May that the new World Cup Champion will be announced.

British-based Australian driver Boyd Exell – double World Cup champion and gold medallist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky last year – will be aiming for a hat trick in Leipzig. Exell has won three out of the six competitions this season and was runner-up three times, but he will be facing up to the strongest ever indoor opponents.

Dutch driver Koos de Ronde, runner-up in the 2010 final and winner at this year’s FEI World Cup Driving competition in Mechelen for the third time in a row, has his sights set on the overall series title once again. De Ronde is a very fast driver and will certainly give Exell a run for his money in Leipzig.

Continue reading Final Startlist Announced For FEI World Cup Driving In Leipzig →

Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Scott Stewart Garners Multiple Championship Wins in WCHR Hunter Week

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Scott Stewart dominated the First Year Green Hunter division during week six at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, earning the championship aboard Inclusive. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – February 17, 2011 – The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival continued on Thursday with World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) hunter competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All of the rated professional hunter divisions concluded today and awarded championship honors for week six. Champion and reserve champion horses will qualify to compete in the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular on Friday evening, showcasing the hunters on an international stage.

No surprise as a qualifier for Friday night’s classic, four-time WCHR Professional Champion Scott Stewart earned multiple championship awards today with his string of talented horses. Stewart dominated the First Year Green Hunter division, earning the championship aboard Inclusive and the reserve championship aboard Reality, owned by Krista Weisman. Inclusive, an eight-year-old Warmblood gelding, finished first in both classes over fences today and earned first and second place ribbons on Wednesday. Reality, an eight-year-old Mecklenberg stallion by D’Olympic, earned second in both classes today and placed third on Wednesday.

Stewart first rode Inclusive to victory in the Future Hunter division at the 2010 Capital Challenge Horse Show this past fall and expects great things from the horse this year. Along with showing in the First Years with Stewart, Inclusive also competes in the Large Junior Hunter 15 and Under division with rider Victoria Colvin and has earned championship honors with both riders.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Show Jumping

Paulo Santana & Taloubet Top $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

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Brazil's Paulo Santana rode Taloubet to victory in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic during week three of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 30, 2011 – The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded its third week of competition on Sunday afternoon with a $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic. Held in the International Arena of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), the class was won by Paulo Santana (BRA) and Taloubet over a starting field of 31 entries. This win was the pair’s first WEF victory.

This week’s course designer in the International Arena was Olaf Petersen Sr. of Germany. Petersen designed a challenging course for the day’s class, which narrowed down the field to just six entries who continued to the jump-off. Santana and Taloubet, owned by Jennifer Santana, were the fastest of three double clear rounds to take home top honors. An eleven-year-old KWPN gelding by Baloubet Du Rouet x Quidam De Revel, Taloubet was smooth and confident in the jump-off and earned great praise from his rider. The pair went second over the short course and put down a clear, fast round in 34.537 seconds that would hold up for the win.

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