Richie Moloney and Alsvid. Photos © Sportfot.
Julie Coles and Cobalt Triumph in Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over Section B
Wellington, FL – March 16, 2014 – Week ten of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Horseware Ireland, concluded on Sunday with a win for Ireland’s Richie Moloney and Alsvid in the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. 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.
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.
Moloney won this same 1.50m class on week ten in 2013 with Slieveanorra and had the added inspiration to defend his title this year. “I just remembered that I won it last year, so I was a little bit motivated to do it again, and I wore the same jacket,” Moloney pointed out.
Class winner, Alsvid, is a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Escudo I x Azur and Elouise de Muze is a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Nabab de Reve x Darco.
“She is pretty green and this is her first 1.50m this year, so I was very happy with her,” Moloney stated. “It is her first time to go that quick in the jump-off, and she was close enough.”
“The second one, I probably would not have gone as quick with, except that I knew I wasn’t in the lead anymore with the other,” Moloney laughed. “He was very good. He is a horse that I have had since I started the job with Equinimity, and he is a lovely horse to work with. They have owned him since he was five as far as I know, and he is always knocking on the door, so he was due a result. It is nice for him.”
“Alsvid is actually very easy to ride at home and easy to jump at home, just as soon as he gets into the ring he sort of gets wound up,” Moloney described. “The first three jumps or even four jumps he can be very strong, but once he settles into a round he is very good. He gets a little bit tense; he worries a little bit, but he is a careful horse and he can do a lot of different classes when we need him. He is very versatile. He jumped the derby in Spruce Meadows two years ago and he has done some big grand prix classes, but I have never had a win like this on him. He is always in the ribbons, so it was nice to get the win today.”
“I have had Elouise for two years now and I have been going pretty slow with her, but she has a lot of potential,” Moloney continued. “She is ten. She is pretty inexperienced for ten, but hopefully if all goes well, she will be a very good horse in six months or next year. She is already good, and she will step up to some grand prix classes hopefully this summer.”
Moloney has had a good FTI WEF circuit, including a fourth place finish with the Irish team in week eight’s $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup, presented by G&C Farm, aboard Carrabis Z.
“It has been really good,” the rider smiled. “It was a little bit slow starting off, but the Nations Cup was good. It was nice to be on the team and we jumped a clear the second round, which was nice. Week nine I was double clear in the World Cup qualifier and placed with two horses in the 1.50m and was fifth in the ‘WEF’ (Challenge Cup), so it has been going well the last few weeks.”
Moloney will show Alsvid and Elouise again next week and then brings his other horses back out to conclude the circuit for week twelve. He looks forward to showing at Spruce Meadows this summer and hopefully traveling to Europe to compete later in the season. He thanks his owners for their fantastic support.
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.
Julie Coles and Cobalt Triumph in Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over Section B
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.
Cobalt is yet another hunter enjoying success after transitioning out of the jumper ring. The gelding originally belonged to grand prix rider Brianne Goutal as her speed horse before coming to Coles and her daughter, trainer Sloane Coles.
“Brianne’s a really good friend of my daughter’s. They were trying to figure out what division he would be happy in, because he just wasn’t quite comfortable as a speed horse or as a jumper. So we shipped him over from France. We thought he’d be a really good hunter and he is,” Coles recounted.
“He just loves being a hunter,” Coles continued. “It’s nice that horses can transition divisions. A lot of times, the jumpers that can’t jump the big jumps; there’s no place else for them to go. It’s amazing; he’s settled right in. This week is the first week that I feel like that he’s really settled in and been quiet about doing the hunters.”
Coles admitted there wasn’t a lot of retraining to be done to prepare Cobalt for his new career. While Coles’ daughter has given her plenty of help along the way, time has been the biggest factor in Cobalt’s newfound success.
“Nobody really had to retrain him. Basically, it’s been very uncomplicated, it’s just giving him the time to realize that he doesn’t have to jump 1.40m!” Coles described.
She continued, “Giving him time [has been the most important part of transitioning Cobalt]. It’s just letting him take a deep breath. Everybody knew that. He had an excellent background with Brianne, excellent horsemanship there; he just wasn’t going to be a top jumper. It’s really nice that he doesn’t have to go down the ranks as a jumper and be worried; he can be a hunter and have a very easy life.”
Cobalt looked every bit the part of a happy hunter, calmly standing ringside while searching Coles’ pockets for treats. It took some time for the ability to relax and hang out by the ring to develop, but his puppy dog personality has been there since day one. Coles has been grateful to enjoy the opportunity to return to the show ring, especially with a gelding that is just plain fun.
“I don’t show very often. It’s fun for me to have a nice, quiet horse. He’s just a real sweetheart,” she smiled. “It’s like riding a made large pony, really!”
Of riding Cobalt, Coles described, “He always jumps in good form. He always jerks his knees. I’m 59 years old, and he doesn’t throw me out of the tack. He’s very uncomplicated. Unless I do something really stupid, he always changes his lead. He’ll land on either lead. It’s just a pleasure [riding him].”
After just six weeks in the hunter ring, Cole declared that Cobalt had “passed the test” of whether he would be suited to life as a hunter. She’s heavily considering making Cobalt her own, but is weighing whether to buy a horse for her daughter instead, an upcoming professional that Coles is eager to support.
“Sloane was very successful as a junior,” Cole noted. “This is her first year as a professional, taking clients and everything. She’s doing really well and has some young jumpers she’s been winning on. I’m very proud of her.”
Competition for the tenth week of the FTI WEF, presented by Horseware Ireland, concluded on Sunday afternoon. Competition resumes on Wednesday, March 19, for Week 11, presented by Artisan Farms. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.
About FTI Consulting, Inc.
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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