Wellington, FL — February 16, 2018 — With his second win in two days, Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) took home the top prize in the $132,000 Rushy Marsh Farm Grand Prix CSI 3* on Friday, February 16, at the 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
There were 43 entries in the Friday night grand prix, and seven of those were clear over the course designed by Ana Catalina Cruz-Harris of Mexico. As the second to last in the ring for the jump-off, Philippaerts and H&M Ikker, a ten-year-old BWP gelding by Ogano Sitte x Up To Date owned by Roger Van Nuffelen, put down a smooth and fast round in 38.85 seconds for the win.
Gustavo Prato of Argentina rode Carna Z, a 13-year-old Zangersheide mare by Crown Z x Grannus owned by Equus Forte LLC, to second place with a clear round in 40.38 seconds, while Canada’s Mario Deslauriers finished third on Bardolina 2, a nine-year-old Holsteiner mare by Clarimo x Landros owned by Wishing Well Farm LLC.
The International Arena welcomed back Stella Propp, aboard Maraschino, and Kathryn Hall, aboard Cansas, for their championship presentations on Friday in the UHealth Junior Hunter 15 & Under 3’3” division.
As hunter competition continued into the early evening on Friday, Caroline Ratigan, aboard Trust, and Ella Bostwick, riding Ecko, prevailed as champions in the UHealth Junior Hunter 16-17 3’3” division.
Jennifer Bliss exited the International Arena aboard her mount, Google It, owned by James Lala & Virginia Confer, on Friday evening with a top score of 85 and claimed the championship win in the Young Hunter 3’6” 7 Year Olds division.
Fonteyn, owned by John & Stephanie Ingram and ridden by Martha Ingram of Nashville, TN, and Enough Said, owned and ridden by Stephanie Danhakl of Pacific Palisades, CA, were named champions of the Adequan Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 3’3” division after a California split in the International Ring on Friday.
Margot Peroni of Califon, NJ piloted her own Orlon to a championship in the Osphos Amateur-Owner 36 & Over 3’3” division. The eight-year-old German Sport Horse gelding by Olympic Fire carried her to top honors with two victories over fences.
Wellington, FL — February 15, 2018 — It was the 24-year-old Belgian rider Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) who triumphed over 53 fellow competitors to take the $35,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup Round 6 in week six of the 12-week 2018 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
Aboard the 10-year-old gelding H&M Ikker — who is still owned by his breeder Roger Van Nuffelen — Philippaerts posted a blistering 37.61 seconds to take an unassailable lead. Second-placed Francisco Musa (BRA) and Catch Me Imperio Egipicio were almost two seconds adrift, with the only other clear in the jump-off coming from American rider Callan Solem (Davidson), who finished third. The course designer for CSI competition this week is Ana Catlina Harris of Mexico.
Philippaerts, who is 24 and competing at WEF for the first time, said: “I watched the first [jump-off] round, but decided to just go my own round and see where I ended up; luckily it was fast enough today. He turns very well in the jump-off, which is what makes him quite fast.”
Mitchell, Stewart, and Colvin Win Double Championships in WCHR Week
Brady Mitchell and King of Blue, a six-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding by Bravour, were second, third, and fourth over fences and second in the under saddle to also claim the championship in one section of the Equine Tack & Nutritionals Green Hunter 3’6″.
Mitchell and his mount, Seaside, owned by Eliza Kimball, won the Heathman Farm Performance Hunter 3’6” Section A championship after they placed first in the under saddle and first, second, and third over fences.
Mitchell has placed third, fourth, and fifth in the Hunter Spectacular at WEF, but is still searching for a win, saying, “I am dying to win it; it’s like the Aachen of hunters.”
Scott Stewart took home two championship wins today aboard Catch Me, owned by Gochman Sport Horses LLC, in the Antares Sellier France High Performance Working Hunter division, and aboard Lucador, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker, in the High Performance Conformation Hunter division.
Catch Me, an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding, was champion last week in the WEF 5 Amateur Owner Hunter Over 35 with Becky Gochman, and continued to impress the judges into week six as Stewart piloted the grey to first place in the High Performance Working Hunter under saddle. The pair was first, first, and second over fences.
Victoria Colvin was named champion in one section of week six’s Marshall & Sterling Insurance Performance Working Hunter 3’3” division. Colvin and her mount, For Ever, owned by Victoria Colvin LLC, were first, first, and second over fences.
Colvin, who has had the six-year-old gelding for a few years now, emerged from her championship presentation in ring seven and hopped on the young Holsteiner bareback with a big smile on her face.
Lexington, KY – October 30, 2014 – Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts guided Armstrong Van de Kapel to victory on Thursday night at the 131st National Horse Show, topping a starting field of 42 and then a massive jump-off roster of 21 to win the marathon Copernicus Stables $75,000 International Open Jumpers, presented by the Coulter Family. In the dash for cash, Philippaerts was the only rider to break the 40 second barrier as he raced home in 39.35 seconds for the win.
A star-studded roster of the best riders from around the world challenged the 1.50m course designed by popular builder Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. Tonight, the rider’s got the best of the deal with the 21 horse and rider combinations emerging from the first round. “They beat me up all day,” laughed Jorge referring also to an earlier Junior/Amateur class, one that saw a majority of the starters go clean and a huge twenty-five horse jump-off that followed. Speaking of the main event tonight, Jorge explained, “It’s a great challenge with such great riders on such terrific horses, jumping on beautiful footing and being limited to 1.50m to create a course that’s tough enough. For sure,” he admitted, “I should have dropped the Time Allowed by at least two seconds.”
Jorge’s claim was bolstered by the fact that not a single time fault was issued during any clear ride over the first round course.
Eleven of the 21 that jumped off went clean the second time around, with Philippaerts emerging as the star of the night.
“Well, in the beginning it was difficult enough, because you know with 21 in the jump-off, it’s going to be a very, very fast,” Philippaerts said. “It was a little too bad there were so many clear rounds. But I think for Saturday he will make sure there are less. For me, it worked out well. But for many people who rode horses for the World Cup as well today, it’s quite a lot to jump fast like that and then go again on Saturday,” he said.
As far as his winning strategy, the personable Belgian rider said, “I just tried to go as fast as possible. It was a little bit of a tricky jump-off. At the last fence, normally you should always go left, but we all took the risk to go to the right side. I think that made the difference in the jump-off.”
As far as his equine partner, Philippaerts said, “I got this horse in January and he had only jumped two star grand prix. He’s a little bit inexperienced, like the World Cup classes here, he never did that before. That’s why I brought him to America, to get him to this level, and hopefully he’ll go up to the highest level because I think he’s one of my best horses.”
Finishing just off the torrid 39.35 second pace set by the speedy Belgian was Jessica Springsteen of the United States on Lisona, who clocked in at 40.10 seconds, just 7/10ths off the winning time. “I don’t have that much experience going really fast with Lisona, so we just recently tried to go a little bit quicker. She was incredible tonight and I think she really enjoyed it, so I’m really happy with her,” Springsteen said.
Ireland’s Richie Maloney and Alsvid were 3/10ths of a second further back of Springsteen to finish third in 40.45 seconds. “He can be quite quick in the jump-off,” Maloney noted. “This is probably as big a class as he’s done. I normally use him for speed classes, but he does a bit of everything. He’s a little bit tense when he comes in the ring, but he tries very hard.”
Rounding out the top four was Roberto Teran of Colombia who tripped the timers in 41.01 seconds on Woklahoma. Exactly one second behind in fifth place was Beat Mandli of Switzerland piloting ZaZa Harvey to a final time of 42.01 seconds. Candice King of the United States took home sixth place honors in 43.48 seconds on Balous Day Date.
Paulo Santana, first to go on Taloubet, finished seventh and Georgina Bloomberg with Juvina was eighth.
Two in a Row! Farrington Races to $45,000 Staysail Farm International Open Speed Win
Red-hot Kent Farrington made it two in a row at the 2014 National Horse Show on Thursday, racing Waomi to her second win in as many days. The speedy pair outgunned a field of 34 to win the $45,000 Staysail Farm International Open Speed in a blazing time of 54.55 seconds, one of only two riders to break the 55 second barrier in today’s faults converted formatted class.
Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam finished a close second with Cyklon 1083, ripping across the finish line in 54.99 seconds, while Lexington’s Reed Kessler finished third aboard Ligist in 55.06 seconds.
The creatively designed Guilherme Jorge speed track allowed for a good number of fault-free performances and saw the top eight placings all finish within two seconds of Farrington’s winning time.
Kent Farrington and Waomi
Farrington talked about today’s speed course. “Yeah, I think yesterday was a little bigger of a course. I think it was built typical of a fast faults-converted class, with the inside options and things like that where you could really make up time. But, with these riders that you have here and the speed that they get on this indoor footing, the classes always turn out to be very, very competitive,” he said.
Farrington did not get a chance to watch Sweetnam’s earlier leading round. “When it’s so very close like that, I think it’s really hard to say where the difference is. The rounds were probably almost neck and neck all the way around. They’re both fast horses. I probably just got a little lucky today,” he smiled.
While the top 20 or so were very competitive, a number of riders were just warming up for Saturday night’s main event, the $250,000 CP National Horse Show Grand Prix. Farrington had the advantage of having a speed specialist in the barn, in addition to Willow, who he will be riding on Saturday. “Yeah, that’s fun!” he said. “I like horses that win. I always try to pick horses that win at whatever level they’re going to do. I like horses that have a great heart and just want to win classes, and I think she’s a real winner. She was a good horse when Megan (Nusz) had her, and she’s a good horse now,” he said, and added, “And I think she’s going to continue winning.”
Finishing fourth this afternoon was Colombia’s Daniel Bluman who was first to go with Believe and came home with the speedy time of 55.29 seconds. Following up on a second place finish yesterday, Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts finished fifth with J’Espere Dream in 55.630 seconds. Sixth place went to Roberto Teran, also from Colombia, tripping the timers in 56.070 on Farina.
Rounding out the top eight were Lillie Keenan and Francois Mathy. Keenan piloted Balance to a final time of 56.760 seconds while Mathy, a third place finisher yesterday, broke the beams in 56.82 seconds on Ornellaia.
Kalvin Dobbs Wins Second Leg of U-25 Championship; Michael Hughes Takes Lead in Championship Rankings
Twenty-four contenders made their way to the short track during the Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $65,000 Under 25 Championship. It was a race to the finish with the top three finishing only tenths of a second apart, and Kalvin Dobbs led the victory gallop aboard Woodstock O, owned by Treesdale Farm, for his blazing jump off round.
Katherine Strauss set the pace early on in the jump off, clearing the course in 35.85 seconds. Strauss used All In’s large stride to shave the seconds, and she took the opportunity to take a shot at the win. Her time proved solid as the other competitors were forced to compensate accuracy for speed.
Strauss noted, “I wasn’t very high coming back in the standings so I didn’t feel too much pressure. I just wanted to give it as good a shot as I could. I haven’t done too many jump offs with my horse, so I really wanted to practice going fast.”
Dobbs was the first to break the barrier she set. His time of 34.35 seconds proved good enough for the victory. For Dobbs, his partnership with Woodstock O has been short, but with the help of trainer Olympian Laura Kraut, he showed how far they have come. They competed in Europe during the summer months, riding against some of the world’s best. He acknowledged that ‘Woody’ is a “step-up-a-tier horse,” very different than any mount he has ridden before.
“I’ve really had to learn how to make a horse jump clear and how to think about every single detail as I’m going around the course,” Dobbs explained. “I’m not just looking for a distance and trying to get around. I’ve really had to maintain my mentality about what I’m doing. Especially in Europe, I was with Laura, and it forced me to become more aware as an individual, know what my horse is like that day and ride him to how he’s going.”
Dobbs showed no hesitation during the second round, even though his first course was less than ideal.
“For the first round, I was schooling, and it was going really well. Then I totally missed, and it was unraveling. So I made what I could out of it. I’ve learned a lot on this horse. I think a couple months ago I wouldn’t have been able to pull out a clear round, but I did,” Dobbs smiled. “I was a little hesitant going into the jump off knowing I didn’t love the first round, but Woody knows exactly what he’s doing, so I just let him go and do his thing. Everything kind of came out of stride. I love it when that happens.”
A change in the ranks is nothing unfamiliar when it comes to the World Cup format. Tonight it was Michael Hughes and Macarthur, owned by Christina Fried, who topped the positions to lead the Under 25 Championship standings after earning their second consecutive red ribbon of the championship. Hughes currently sits at the pinnacle of the standings with 56 points, while Dobbs follows close behind with 52 points. Wilton Porter, yesterday’s leader, now sits in third after an unfortunate dismount during the jump off.
“I’m a little bit nervous going into Saturday, but my horse is usually a lot better the more he jumps, so hopefully that’ll work to my advantage. He feels really good this week, so hopefully it’ll keep going like that,” Hughes said of the pressure now resting on his shoulders.
The Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farms $25,000 Under 25 Championship will conclude on Saturday.
Rinaldi Racks Up Another Win for Second Day Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers
Guilherme Jorge’s first round course for the Amalaya Investments $10,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers didn’t fool the field of 31 talented riders as they traversed the opening track. Twenty-four horse and rider combinations would make it through to the jump-off, but the jump-off would prove more demanding with only 11 posting double clear efforts.
It was 14-year-old Giavanna Rinaldi, representing Illinois, who raced to the top of the ranks early in the order with G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise. The pressure was on after her win in Wednesday’s $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers, but she didn’t let it get to her, racing to an untouchable time of 31.822 seconds.
“I didn’t think that many horses would make it through,” Rinaldi admitted. “I have never been in a jump off that had more than 20 horses, so I got a little bit nervous. I knew I had to set the pace because I went a little bit earlier in the course.”
Rinaldi continued, “I knew the turn after the third jump was going to be a little bit hard because his left turn isn’t as smooth. I knew I had to make up time from 1 to 2, so I did that. I made sure I got down to the skinny in three strides, and then I just kind of took a chance at the last line.”
Michael Hughes and Luxina tried to catch Rinaldi’s time, but their time of 32.217 seconds was just off the pace, earning second place. The third place went to Catherine Tyree and Wetter for their jump-off time of 32.769 seconds.
The $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship will take center stage tomorrow afternoon at the 131st National Horse Show.
For more information on the 131st National Horse Show, please visit www.nhs.org.
Watch live streaming of the National Horse Show all week on USEF Network at www.usefnetwork.com, and find out more about the show at www.nhs.org.
About the National Horse Show
Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social event calendars. The National Horse Show Association’s primary activity is the annual production of the National Horse Show and all ancillary events. Over the years, the National Horse Show has provided financial aid to many worthwhile charities.
With $755,000 in prize money offered, this year’s National Horse Show offers an International Open Jumpers with $460,000 in prize money, while the top rated hunter sections have a total purse of $195,000. Meanwhile, $100,000 in total is offered to the Amateur-Owner and U 25 Jumper sections.
For the fourth consecutive year, The National Horse Show received a top ranking from NARG, the North American Riders Group and was named the Show Hunter Hall of Fame Horse Show of the Year in four back-to-back years.
What:
The Alltech National Horse Show is a week-long championship event featuring “AA”-rated hunters, open jumpers, junior/amateur jumpers, and the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals. The event will run October 28 – November 2, 2014, indoors in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Parking:
The Kentucky Horse Park has waived the normal parking fee during the Alltech National Horse Show. Parking is free. While dogs are permitted at the Kentucky Horse Park on a leash, no dogs are allowed in the Alltech Arena during the ANHS.
Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located at 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511. The KHP is 8 miles northeast of Lexington at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.
Information:
2245 Stone Garden Lane Lexington, KY 40513
Cindy Bozan
email: cindy@nhs.org
Phone: (859) 608-3709
Fax: (866) 285-9496
Hotels:
HILTON – DOWNTOWN – 859-231-9000 – Approximately 6 miles
CLARION HOTEL (formerly Holiday Inn North) – 859 – 233-0512 – Approximately 4 miles
FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES BY MARRIOTT – 859 -977-5870 – Approximately 4 miles
FOUR POINTS SHERATON – 859-259-1311 – Approximately 4 miles
LA QUINTA – 859-231-7551 – Approximately 4 miles
KNIGHTS INN – 859-231-0232 – Approximately 4 miles
EMBASSY SUITES – 859-455-5000 – Approximately 4 miles
MARRIOT GRIFFIN GATE – 859-231-5100 – Approximately 4 miles
RESIDENCE INN – 859-231-6191 – Approximately 5 miles
COURTYARD BY MARRIOT – 859-253-4646 – Approximately 5 miles
HOLIDAY INN GEORGETOWN – 502-570-0220 – Approximately 6 miles
RAMADA INN – 859-299-1261 – Approximately 6 miles
RED ROOF INN – 859-293-2626 – Approximately 6 miles
HAMPTON INN – 502-867-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
SUPER EIGHT – 502-863-4888 – Approximately 6 miles
MICROTEL INN & SUITES – 502-868-8000 – Approximately 6 miles
9 September 2012 – Riding Cabrio van de Heffinck, 19 year old Philippaerts won the prestigious title and prize money of CAN$335,000 / €265,000, ahead of second place Beezie Madden (USA) riding Simon, and Olivier’s father Ludo Philippaerts (BEL) riding Challenge VD Begijnakker.
On a tough track from course designer Leopoldo Palacios, Olivier Philippaerts was the only rider to jump two clear rounds, though he incurred one time penalty in each to finish on a total score of two faults. Both Beezie Madden and Ludo Philippaerts incurred four faults in the first round and went clear in the second, but Beezie was the quicker of the two in the first round and captured second place overall.
Speaking about his horse Cabrio van de Heffinck, Olivier Philippaerts said, “He has a very good character and he wants go and he wants to win, and this is very important.”
