Tag Archives: Grace Debney

Debney Takes a Leap of Faith to Win $37k Bainbridge Companies 1.45m CSI5*

Grace Debney and Zarina De Vidau. © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – April 1, 2022 – The third day of international competition on Friday, April 1, during the final Rolex-sponsored week of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), closed out with Grace Debney (GBR) winning her first-ever five-star class in the $37,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.45m CSI5*.

Fourteen nations were represented in the 50-horse lineup of the five-star class. Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) built a track worthy of the day’s main event with a single-round speed challenge to be completed under an efficient time of 76 seconds. Daniel Coyle (IRL) and his top mount, Farona, took the early lead in the speed class as he stopped the clock in 55.30 seconds with Ariel Grange’s 12-year-old KWPN mare (Baltic VDL x Lux Z). The pair held the headline position until nearly the end, but Debney made it clear she did not come to take second.

Debney and her long-time partner Zarina De Vidau, a horse she has had since acquiring her to do the junior jumpers, put complete faith in one another and became the only combination to lower the time on the scoreboard below 55 seconds. By leaving several strides out across the course and relying on the trust they have built, Debney and the Temple Equestrian LLC’s 11-year-old CDE mare (Diamant De Semilly) shook up the competition with a final time of 54.97 seconds.

Gilbertson’s New Partnership Successful in $37,000 CabanaCoast 1.45m Qualifier CSI2*

Jorge’s course for the $37,000 CabanaCoast 1.45m Qualifier CSI2* left only 13 of the original 76 entries eligible for the class’s short course. The tight time allowed of 71 seconds played a factor for 10 riders, while five more fell victim to a downed rail. Riders from the U.S., Germany, Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain made up the jump-off.

Trailblazer Lacey Gilbertson (USA) was the front runner as the final adjustments were made and set the time to beat with a blazing fast double-clear performance of 38.58 seconds. Samuel Hutton (GBR) immediately followed with another clear round but settled into the temporary second place with a slightly slower time. The remainder of the competitors gave it their best shot with all but five going fault-free, but Gilbertson and Seabrook LLC’s 12-year-old BWP mare Karlin Van’t Vennehof (Fantomas De Muze x Quasimodo Van De Molendreef) held tight to the top position throughout the entirety of the second round.

Ireland’s Tom Wachman shot into the victory gallop with HH Fireball as the pair flew to a fast second place. He and Coolmore Show Jumping’s 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding (Number One D’Isp x Toulon) landed roughly half a second behind Gilbertson for the honors. Hutton slipped into the third-place position as his time of 39.67 seconds with Abdel Saïd’s 12-year-old BWP gelding H&M Kirlo van den Bosrand (Cardento 933 x Utrillo VD Heffinck) fell just below Wachman’s time of 39.10 seconds.

For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.

Caroline Mawhinney Triumphs in $25k Hermès Under 25 Semi-Final Grand Prix

Caroline Mawhinney with Stella Levista. © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – March 4, 2022 – The highlight class on Friday, March 4, of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) week 8, sponsored by Premier Equestrian, was the $25,000 Hermès Under 25 Semi-Final Grand Prix. Sixteen-year-old Caroline Mawhinney (USA) triumphed over a field of 66 competitors with her own Stella Levista.

The top young talent in show jumping showed up for the Hermès Under 25 Semi-Final Grand Prix, the third grand prix event of the series, which offers a variety of opportunities for U25 riders to experience grand prix competition against their peers. Nick Granat (USA) and Steve Stephens (USA) set a challenging course that included a triple combination and an open water, over which just nine of the opening field finished clear.

As the pacesetters in the opening round, 21-year-old Isabella Russekoff (USA) and Balou’s Fly High, owned by Suave Pony LLC, were the first to tackle the jump-off course. They set a quick time of 39.85 seconds with a clear round that would hold up for third place.

Mawhinney and Stella Levista zoomed through the short course in 35.56 seconds with no faults to go straight to the top of the leaderboard, and with two remaining that were slower or had faults, they held the winning spot.

Caitlyn Connors (USA) and Falcon de Hus, owned by Caitlyn Connors LLC, slid into second place with a speedy clear round in 39.63 seconds.

Grace Debney and Zarina De Vidau Zoom to the Top of the $37,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate 1.45m CSIO4*

Daytime competition in the International Arena highlighted the $37,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate 1.45m CSIO4*. Course designers Granat and Stephens set a delicate, single-round track that would see 46 horse-and-rider combinations elect to contest the course. John Perez (COL) and Gigi-Carmen wasted no time kicking the class into gear as the first in the line-up to go and laid down a fast, clean trip from the start. An impressive 22 combinations managed to successfully navigate the test without penalty, but 15 would suffer a single dropped obstacle.

Of the 19 nations represented in the field, it was Great Britain’s anthem that was played as young talent Grace Debney (GBR) and her long-time partner Zarina De Vidau rose as the victors of the event. The 18-year-old athlete and Temple Equestrian LLC’s 12-year-old CDE mare (Diamant De Semilly) stopped the clock in a blazing 56.10 seconds.

For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.

Bertram Allen Repeats Victory in $140k IDA Development Grand Prix CSI3*

Bertram Allen and Harley VD Bisschop. © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2022 – The sixth week of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), sponsored by IDA Development, concluded on Sunday, February 20, with a day full of show jumping on the grass Derby Field at Equestrian Village while hunters continued on the main stage of the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Olympian Bertram Allen (IRL) sped to victory for the second year in row in the $140,000 IDA Development Grand Prix CSI3*, this year riding his own Harley VD Bisschop.

Forty-five entries took to the field to contest the three-star grand prix over a course designed by Ana Catalina Harris Cruz (MEX). Fifteen competitors found the key to a clear round, and with one retirement from the jump-off, 14 contested the short course.

2020 Tokyo Olympic Games individual gold medalist Ben Maher (GBR) and Oakingham Stud’s Faltic HB were the eighth to go in the jump-off list, chasing a time of 42.47 seconds set by Harrie Smolders (NED) and Monaco, owned by Evergate Stables, LLC. Maher galloped through the course and set the new time to beat at 40.92 seconds.

The two subsequent riders made a good bid for the lead but finished just off the pace: Conor Swail (IRL) and his own Count Me In were double clear in 41.84 seconds for fourth place, while Nayel Nassar (EGY) and Coronado, owned by Evergate Stables, LLC, finished in 42.30 seconds for fifth place. Barnmate Smolders ended up in sixth place.

Following Nassar in the ring was Olympian Eduardo Pereira de Menezes (BRA) with H5 Sport Horses LLC’s H5 Elvaro. They slotted into third place with a final time of 40.95 seconds, just three-hundredths of a second off Maher’s time.

With the best position in the order, Allen and Harley VD Bisschop were the final combination into the jump-off. With a giant gallop and flowing rollbacks, the pair flew through the timers in a class-winning 39.66 seconds.

Grace Debney and Boheme de la Roque Turn and Burn Their Way to Another Victory in the $25,000 Hermès Under 25 Grand Prix

Young riders took to the Derby Field first thing Sunday morning, with 74 combinations on the list to challenge Ana Catalina Cruz Harris’s carefully designed track for the $25,000 Hermès Under 25 Grand Prix. While the course proved challenging, 15 riders found the clear path to advance to the jump-off. After an electric race over the short course, it was Grace Debney (GBR) and her partner Boheme de la Roque who added yet another blue ribbon to their growing collection.

Ashley Vogel (USA) was the third rider on the grass this morning with her horse Ceres van het Moeshof, and she set the pace in the jump-off, going clear in 41.99 seconds. She would eventually finish in sixth place as the time to beat got faster and faster with each rider who followed.

Caelinn Leahy (USA) managed to slice the leading time down to 39.35 seconds with Steve Schaefer’s Coldplay 31. It looked like Leahy’s time couldn’t be caught, though Ireland’s Francis Derwin came close, crossing the timers in 40.47 seconds with Scarlett du Sart, owned by Vlock Show Stables LLC.

Two horses later, it was Grace Debney’s chance to turn on the gas with her superstar mare, Boheme de la Roque. They gave it their all to shave just a fraction of a second off of Leahy’s time to claim victory in 39.20 seconds. Leahy finished in second, and Derwin rounded out the top three.

For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.

Samuel Hutton Wins $75k CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic CSI4*

Samuel Hutton and H&M Kirlo Van De Bosrand. © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – February 6, 2021 – Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded its international events on the turf on Sunday with two top-level jumper classes. The morning started with the $75,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic CSI4* which saw victory for Samuel Hutton (GBR) and Abdel Saïd’s 13-year-old BWP gelding H&M Kirlo Van De Bosrand (Cardento 933 x Utrillo VD Heffinck).

Anderson Lima’s (BRA) final 1.50m track of the week stumped a majority of the 42-horse field with several finishing on time faults and a multitude of others enduring a four-fault ending. Only a total of nine pairings were successful in their navigation of the course, and consisted of representatives of Ireland, United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Belgium. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) set the pace in the jump-off as the first to return and produced another clear round for a double-clean effort in a tight time with the Gizmo Partners LLC’s James Kann Cruz. Sweetnam held tight to the lead until Great Britain’s Samuel Hutton made his way back onto the field as one of the last to go. Hutton executed another flawless round to shave seven-tenths of a second from Sweetnam’s final number and finished in a time of 37.35 seconds.

Sweetnam’s time was still good enough to join the victory gallop with the red ribbon. He and the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Kannan) had put forth a clear round through the timers in 37.42 seconds. Hyde Moffatt (CAN) rounded out the top three with Ariel Grange’s 14-year-old KWPN gelding Donjo (Zirocco Blue x Ahorn) after leaving all rails standing with a time of 39.55 seconds at the finish.

Grace Debney Races to Win the $50,000 Helgstrand Jewellery 1.45m Grand Prix CSI2*

The afternoon culminated in a total of 45 combinations vying for the prize in $50,000 Helgstrand Jewellery 1.45m Grand Prix CSI2*. The USA’s Christine McCrea celebrated her birthday in style as the first on the field to produce a clear round and earn a spot in the jump-off with Julieta. Tom and Max Wachman (IRL) were the next to carve out space for themselves in the short track with Lazzaro Delle Schiave and Berlux Z, respectively. By the halfway mark, only Lexi Ray (CAN) and Lucy Deslauriers (USA) had managed to add their names to the call back. Several more saw success in the second half and, at the first round’s end, an even dozen entries had qualified to return for Lima’s final jump-off test.

McCrea kicked off competition across the short course with another fantastically flawless effort by leaving all rails in the cups with an impressive time of 41.03 seconds. Tom Wachman followed suit by producing a quicker time but faulting one rail. The lead changed hands rapidly after that, with Max Wachman first shaving two seconds off of McCrea’s time, and Grace Debney (GBR) immediately knocking off an additional two seconds to shoot to the top.

Many followed and gave it their best shot, but none could come close to the young rider’s blazing fast time of 37.57 seconds with Temple Equestrian LLC’s 11-year-old CDE mare Zarina De Vidau (Diamant De Semilly).

For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.

Grace Debney and Boheme de la Roque Rock $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic

Grace Debney and Boheme de la Roque. © Sportfot.

International competition during week one of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded with the $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Jumper Classic as part of the weekly CaptiveOne Advisors Jumper Classic series. Grace Debney (GBR) flew to the win with her trusty mare Boheme de la Roque.

Stormy weather threatened to derail afternoon classes, but the clouds parted ways long enough for the $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Jumper Classic to run as scheduled.

There were 20 combinations that competed over a course set by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) and Andy Christiansen Jr. (ECU). Time allowed was a factor with eight riders accumulating time faults. Only three riders ultimately advanced to the jump-off.

First to jump off was Brian Moggre (USA) riding Stevie Macken’s Dior P Z who set the time to beat at 36.95 seconds for an eventual third-place finish. Next to challenge was Debney and her own Boheme de la Roque. They shaved almost two seconds off of Moggre’s time, finishing in 35.02 seconds. Matthew Boddy (GBR) was last to go in both the first round and the jump-off, but he couldn’t quite catch Debney, crossing the timers in 36.20 seconds and finishing in second place.

Debney was competing in the $10,000 SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic, presented by Griffis Residential, when it started torrentially downpouring, and management eventually had to put the show on hold.

In Writing and Sterling Malnik Dazzle in T&R Development Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under Division

The first championship in the Rost Arena was for the T&R Development Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division. Sterling Malnik of Ocean Ridge, FL with her horse In Writing topped three out of the five classes in the division on their way to the championship title.

The division started Saturday and resumed with the under saddle on Sunday morning, in which Philippa Ammann strutted to the win with Katarina Ammann’s Balousock B.B.S. Ammann and the 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding by Balougraph went on to score an 85 in the stake class for their second win of the day, boosting them to the reserve championship honors.

It was Malnik and In Writing’s consistency over the two days of competition that ultimately clinched the championship. The pair won both over fences classes on Saturday including the handy with scores of 86 and 88. They finished on Sunday with a win in the third over fences class with a score of 86.

For more information and results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.

Samantha Takacs and Grace Debney Earn Green Hunter Tricolors at USEF Pony Finals

Photo: Samantha Takacs and Galianna.

Lexington, Ky. – Aug. 10, 2018 – The penultimate day of hunter competition concluded Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park with two new 2018 USEF Pony Finals champions hoisting their titles. In the Medium Green Pony Hunters, Samantha Takacs and Galianna extended their day one lead to secure the overall championship and the Grand Green Pony Hunter rosette, while Grace Debney and Lafayette Park led the victory gallop and took home the final green pony division championship in the Large Green Pony Hunters in addition to the Grand Reserve Green Pony Hunter title.

Beginning the day as the early leaders and the last to ride over fences out of 72 entries, Takacs and Kim Wolf’s Galianna needed 236 points to surpass Cecelia Jackson and Northwind Marwyn, the current leading pair, as they entered the ring for their over fences ride. A steady stream of solid performances throughout the class kept the top of the leaderboard close, but luckily Takacs and the dappled dark bay pony had finished the first two phases of competition with a 16-point lead, easing some of the pressure. Pulling in scores of 84, 85 and 87 from the judges’ panel for a total 256 points after a first-rate trip, the 13-year-old rider and Galianna earned the over fences blue ribbon and boosted their cumulative two-day score to 1,040.02, claiming the division title and Grand Green Hunter Pony championship as the highest scoring of the three size-based Green divisions.

Takacs and Galianna, affectionately known as “Adele” or “Deli Sandwich,” are newfound partners, with the young rider only just getting the reins on the mare one short week ago. When California-based Gabrielle Sokolow was not able to attend the 2018 USEF Pony Finals with trainer Corinne Bevins, New Jersey-based Takacs stepped in to take over the ride. Though their time together was scant, the combined talent of the rider and pony proved to be the perfect match, earning top marks in all three phases.

Jackson and Susan McDade’s Northwind Marwyn finished in the reserve position with 1,000.50 points, the only other pair to break the 1,000-point threshold, closely followed by owner-rider Lola Head and Goldhills As You Like It in third position overall. Kierstin Antoniadis and Elizabeth Garcia’s Blank Check finished fourth in the standings, while Alexa Lignelli and The Lignelli Family’s EMC Entourage rounded out the top five placings.

Concluding the afternoon was the Large Green Pony Hunters, comprised of a pack of 81 pony-and-rider combinations vying for the top spot. Riding fifth-to-last in the order of go, 14-year-old Debney and Temple Equestrian, LLC’s Lafayette Park executed a near flawless trip over the 10-fence track to usurp the sitting class leaders, Kierstin Antoniadis and Winter Tietjen’s Pokerface, who leapfrogged from 20th position to the top of the field with a 259-point over fences score. The remaining four contenders each navigated satisfactory rounds, but were unsuccessful at matching the finesse shown by Debney and “Jake,” who ultimately finished in the top spot overall with 1,018.85 points and second in the over fences portion of competition. With their composite score, Debney and Lafayette Park secured the Grand Reserve Green Pony Hunter tricolor.

Debney is hot off a standout performance at the Devon Horse Show with the famous pony, Storyteller, who she piloted to the Large Pony Hunter Championship, the Grand Pony Hunter title, and the Best Child Rider on a Pony title in May. With her win Friday, Debney can add another accolade to her mounting trophy case.

The only other duo to hit 1,000 points, Antoniadis and Pokerface finished in the reserve position with 1,005.03 points, trailed by Isabella Griffin and her own Heaven’s Gift with the bronze. Owner-rider Jessica West and Stoneledge Just My Style captured fourth place, while Takacs added another top placing to her repertoire with fifth position aboard Rendezvous Farm’s Small Romance.

In the Medium Regular Pony Hunters, the last hunter division of the week, Toblerone carried Ava Berman to the forefront of the standings after two strong showings in the model and the hack. Narrowly missing first place by less than half of a point in the model, Berman and Sofia Baiker’s Toblerone secured the divisional lead with a ninth place finish under saddle, propelling them to the top of the overall scorecard with total marks of 519.55.

Contact: Rebecca Walton
phone 561.753.3389 fax 561.753.3386
rjw@phelpsmediagroup.com