Frances Land and Vieanne. Photos © Sportfot.
Tracey Mack-Gorin and Seville Score Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter Section A Division Championship at FTI WEF
Wellington, FL – January 24, 2014 – Frances Land (USA) and Vieanne proved themselves with a win against many of the world’s best in Friday’s $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class during week three of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). An FEI World Ranking competition, the pair held a significant lead through most of the class, jumping clear and fast to top second place finishers Daniel Bluman (COL) and Apardi, with Ben Maher (GBR) and Aristo Z finishing third.
Week three of the FTI WEF, sponsored by Fidelity Investments continues through Sunday, January 26. The week will feature the highlight $125,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday night and the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. The FTI WEF, held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.
Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge set the speed track for Friday’s Spy Coast Farm 1.45m with 53 competitors and 13 clear rounds. Daniel Bluman and Apardi jumped the first clear round and set the pace at 65.23 seconds, but were quickly pushed into second place when Frances Land and Vieanne cleared the course in 63.97 seconds five rounds later. Eighth to go in the overall order, Land and Vieanne held onto that lead to the end despite the roster of impressive horses and riders that followed.
Ben Maher and Jane Clark’s Aristo Z finished third with their time of 66.60 seconds. Tim Gredley (GBR) and Unex Competition Yard’s Unex Omega Star placed fourth in 68.96 seconds. Beezie Madden (USA) and Abigail Wexner’s Amadora were fifth in 70.82 seconds.
McLain Ward (USA) and Wings and Brianne Goutal (USA) wi th Uata were the only two pairs to beat Land’s time, stopping the clock in 61.97 seconds and 63.62 seconds respectively, but each had a single rail on course to finish out of the money. For Land, it was easier to go early and stick to her plan, but she then had to wait nervously for the final result.
“I really like going early,” Land said. “I like to just go in and do my plan so that I don’t sit around and get nervous and have to watch a bunch, because then I always end up changing my plan and riding worse. I knew there were a bunch in the class, and I knew I needed to be fast. Naturally, Vieanne is just really fast, so I figured if I was really smooth and made some tight turns, left out a couple of strides, then we stood a good chance of winning. She was just great. Everywhere she was just with me and perfect.”
“I got nervous when McLain went in,” Land admitted. “Him and Brianne were way faster than me. That’s the worst part for me is just afterwards, waiting. You have to wait through 35 rounds, and your head is in your hands and you’re thinking ‘Oh, please don’t beat me!’ But it is good because I also get to watch them. I learn from them because I see where they do go faster than me, and that just pushes me to do better. If they shave a second or two off of my time, that just means that tomorrow I need to be that much fasteieanne will compete again in Sunday’s $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic and will then be back for FTI WEF week four. Land (19) is a student at Emory University in Georgia and commutes back and forth to show during the week.
Also on Friday, the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge was held earlier in the day with 107 entries and double prize money awarded in a ‘California Split.’ Abigail McArdle and David McArdle’s Cosma 20 had the fastest clear round of the class to win Section A. Santiago Diaz and Tizimin La Silla topped Section B.
Tracey Mack-Gorin and Seville Score Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter Section A Division Championship at FTI WEF
Tracey Mack-Gorin and Seville jumped their way to the Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter Section A division championship Friday morning at the FTI WEF. Mack-Gorin rode Seville, owned by Isabelle Caccamise, to second, fifth, and first places over fences before finishing second in the under saddle class.
The reserve champion for the division was Stephanie Bulger and her own Mariano. The pair won two over fences classes in addition to finishing fourth under saddle.
Mack-Gorin was Circuit Champion of the Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter division at the 2013 FTI WEF with Condor and is already off to a good start in 2014, even after only having the ride on Seville for a few weeks.
“He’s really sweet and comfortable,” Mack-Gorin described. “He’s got a really good attitude. Even if I make a mistake, he’s nice about it and never holds it against me. He just goes to the next jump the same as if I didn’t make a mistake.”
Like some young amateurs, Mack-Gorin doesn’t have the ability to have a horse of her own, and is grateful for the opportunity to ride Seville under the guidance of Ashland Farms’ Ken and Emily Smith and Christy Kear.
“I’ve been really lucky. I just finished law school, so I don’t have my own horses anymore. It’s been really nice to have something to ride, and they’ve all been great,” Mack-Gorin expressed.
Mack-Gorin juggled law school with competing at the FTI WEF in 2013, and this year she’s busy studying for the Florida Bar Examination in between riding on the weekends.
“It’s a lot of stuff going on, but it makes showing a lot more fun because it’s like a treat at the end of the week. I know I get to come here and ride and show and be around the horses. It’s a nice break, so it’s more helpful than hurtful,” Mack-Gorin commented.
Mack-Gorin is originally from Noank, CT, and went to school in New York, but her days of flying south for the winter are behind her now that she’s a full-time Wellington resident. Her fiancé travels most of the year while managing international show jumper Richie Moloney’s barn, but spends enough time in Wellington that the couple chose it as the perfect place to settle down.
Hunter competition for Week 3 of the FTI WEF continues on Saturday morning with the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. The $125,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix CSI 3* will be the highlight “Saturday Night Lights” event at 7 p.m. in the International Arena. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.
About FTI Consulting, Inc.
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 4,000 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The company generated $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.
About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival
The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 8 through March 30. The FTI WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $7 million in prize money will be awarded.
Please visit www.equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.
Lauren Fisher and Laura Cardon for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com