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Lauren Hough and Ohlala Win $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m

Lauren Hough and Ohlala. Photo © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – March 20, 2013 – Week eleven of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Artisan Farms, featured the $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class on Wednesday with a win for Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala. Earning points on the Longines FEI world ranking list, the pair beat Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Solerina, Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Wang Chung M2S, and McLain Ward (USA) and Zhum CW, all within nine one-hundredths of a second separating them.

Week eleven, featuring “AA” hunter and CSI 4* jumper competition, runs March 20-24. Highlights include the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 on Thursday, the $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m and George Morris Equitation Championship presented by Alessandro Albanese on Friday, the $100,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Final on Saturday, and the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix, Don Little Masters Classic and $101,000 Pennfield Feeds CSI 4* Grand Prix all held on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Sunday.

Saturday night’s 1.50m final will be held at 7 p.m., not 8 p.m. as previously stated, due to entries. The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival features 12 weeks of competition running from January 9 – March 31, 2013, and will be awarding almost $7 million in prize money throughout the circuit.

Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, is the course designer in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for week eleven. In Wednesday’s $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m, 37 entries contested Jeffery’s speed track with 14 clear rounds. Lauren Hough and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala were the winners in 61.88 seconds. Just behind, Shane Sweetnam and Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farm’s Solerina finished second in 61.91 seconds. Eric Lamaze and Wang Chung M2S, owned by Morningside Stud and Torrey Pines Stable, finished third in 61.94 seconds. McLain Ward and Zhum CW, owned by Ilan Ferder and Missy Clark, were right there in fourth with their time of 61.97 seconds.

“She is obviously naturally very fast,” Hough said of the winning Ohlala, a ten-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento. “Leaving strides out isn’t normally the way I win; she is just quick across the ground. I made a few last minute adjustments. I wouldn’t say I gave her the best ride today, but she certainly helped me out. She doesn’t like to hit the fences and she enjoys winning, so she makes my job pretty easy.”

“I thought it was a good course today,” Hough stated. “There were a few good turns and I thought he did a nice job. It was a solid 1.45m.”

Commenting on her round, Hough explained, “I really have to stick with my plan. You don’t really end up doing the same number of strides as everybody else, but I did see Eric go. The top three or four were all very close, so I think it was just my lucky day.”

“She is good at everything to be honest,” Hough praised. “She is good indoors; she is good outdoors. I wouldn’t say that there is a particular track that suits her best. She just likes to win.”

Also showing on Wednesday, Wilton Porter and Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Radio City won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m jump-off class. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off, Manuel Espinosa riding Luis Garcia’s Zippo CG and Laura Chapot aboard Mary Chapot’s Umberto were both winners in a split class.

Week eleven of the FTI WEF will continue on Thursday with the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 in the International Arena at 1 p.m. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival
The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 9 through March 31. 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. For more information, please visit www.equestriansport.com.

About FTI Consulting
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 3,800 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 $1.56 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2011. More information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.

Please visit www.equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com

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