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Diego Perez Bilbao Victorious in $36,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI 3*

Diego Perez Bilbao and Helios. Photo © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – The tenth week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) came to an end with a win for Spain’s Diego Perez Bilbao in the $36,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI 3* riding Helios.

Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) set the track for the $36,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI 3* and saw 13 horses advance to the jump-off from a starting field of 63. Bilbao took the win with a double-clear performance in 34.79 seconds, a full second faster than USA’s Katherine Dinan riding Tarioso Mancais for Grant Road Partners, LLC.

“He has all the talent in the world: super careful, so easy to ride, and really balanced. He could be a superstar,” said Perez Bilbao of Helios, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Couleur-Rubin x Grandeur) he owns in partnership with Adrienne Sternlicht’s Starlight Farms, LLC. “Sometimes his mind is not one of a fighter, but today after the second fence I knew he was fighting for me and we could take some risks.”

Alexa Elle Lignelli and Cassie Warren Split Children’s Hunter Younger Champion Title

On the final day of WEF Week 10, 31 young horse-and-rider combinations contested the course set in the FarmVet ring for the Children’s Hunter Younger division. Due to the high volume of entries, the division was divided into a California Split format, which allowed two young riders to be named champion and two more reserve. The first champion title was awarded to Cassie Warren and the second tricolor ribbon was given to Alexa Elle Lignelli.

Warren and Whipstick Farm, Ltd’s Capo Di Capi took top-three placings in four out of the five division classes to land on a total of 30 points for the section A champion ribbon.

Lignelli piloted the Piccolino Farm, LLC’s Pop Rocks to a first, a second, and two third places which secured them the second-highest total of 24 points.

For full results, please visit pbiec.coth.com.

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