Lorenzo de Luca and Egano van het Slogenhof.
Annabel Revers Tops Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search
Wellington, FL – February 26, 2016 – Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Stephex Stables’ Egano van het Slogenhof jumped to victory in the $35,000 Illustrated Properties 1.45m Classic on Friday during week seven of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival.
WEF 7, sponsored by Suncast®, runs February 24-28, 2016. The week’s remaining highlight classes include the $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix CSI 5* on Saturday evening and the $86,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. The 12-week WEF circuit runs through April 3 offering more than $9 million in prize money.
Santiago Varela (ESP) set the speed track for 69 starters in Friday’s 1.45m with 20 clear rounds. Lorenzo de Luca and Egano van het Slogenhof were the winners in a blistering time of 64.72 seconds. Laura Chapot (USA) took second and third place honors, finishing second aboard her own and Mary Chapot’s Thornhill Kate in 65.12 seconds, and placing third with her own and McLain Ward’s Quointreau un Prince in a time of 65.41 seconds. Richie Moloney (IRL) and Equinimity LLC’s Alsvid clocked in fourth in 65.73 seconds. De Luca also took fifth place honors aboard Stephex Stables’ and his own Limestone Grey with a time of 65.78 seconds.
De Luca went 26th in the order aboard his first mount, Limestone Grey, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Try-Time. His time with Limestone briefly held the lead, until Chapot and Quointreau un Prince came in 37th to take over. De Luca was not to be outdone, however, and returned three rounds later with Egano van het Slogenhof to reclaim his top spot. Chapot then jumped into second with Thornhill Kate, and Moloney jumped the fourth place time with Alsvid, pushing Limestone into fifth place overall.
Class winner Egano van het Slogenhof is a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Electro x Nagano. The horse showed successfully under Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet until very recently when the horse flew to Florida and De Luca took over the ride.
“Last week he jumped a couple of classes and today was already good,” De Luca stated. “He is a very competitive horse; so sweet, so fast, so I am really happy to have him here.”
De Luca has been riding for Stephex Stables since December 2014 and brought eight horses to compete for Stephex at this year’s Winter Equestrian Festival. Speaking about his two rounds aboard Limestone and Egano, De Luca noted, “I tried a little bit with Limestone and then Laura Chapot went straight away into the lead. I know she is always really fast, so I tried again with Egano. Even if I do not know him that well, I know that he is really fast and smooth, and he jumped everything good. I am pleased about Limestone too. He jumped really well today. I have a few horses that are in really good shape, so I am happy about that.”
Speaking about the difference between the two mounts, De Luca detailed, “Limestone is a really light horse. He is really, really careful. I have known him a little bit longer than Egano, so he is really easy. He is really elastic. I will try to build him in the bigger classes over the next few weeks and try to jump him in some grand prixs.”
“Egano for me is a new horse,” the rider continued. “I tried today to win, but of course he has already jumped a lot of big classes with some other riders. He has all the potential to do something bigger. I stay here until the end, so they are all going to have the chance to jump in bigger classes.”
Speaking of his winning round and where he caught Chapot’s time, De Luca added, “I think I made up time a little bit everywhere. The time was so quick and so careful. The last line I was quite close on the vertical, and then I kept going for the five (strides), and everything worked really well. He is a really nice horse. His brain is like a computer. He is a genius.”
Also competing in the International Ring on Friday, Jorge Matte and Conquest topped the $2,500 MAYBACH – ICONS OF LUXURY Power & Speed. The $6,000 Illustrated Properties 1.40m Speed Challenge was held in the afternoon in a California Split with 113 entries in total. Georgina Bloomberg and Gotham Enterprizes’ South Street were the winners of Section A with the fastest time overall. Alex Granato and Paige Tredennick’s Carlchen W topped Section B with the second fastest round.
Annabel Revers Tops Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search
In the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search, Annabel Revers (16) of Weston, MA, rode Quax, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Quite Capitol owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, to the win. Revers, who trains with Olympic gold medalist Peter Wylde, started riding Quax a year ago and they converted the horse from the jumper to the equitation ring.
“I’m so happy with our win today. We have been working on getting him smooth for the equitation,” she said.
Revers topped a strong field of 32 riders for the win over Madison Goetzmann on Contelido and Sydney Shulman with Snatch de Cordrac. T. J. O’Mara and Kaskade were fourth, while Francesa Dildabanian and Checkland were fifth.
The Talent Search has both over fences and on the flat phases. For jumping, Revers commented, “The course was great. It tested adjustability. You could make the lengthening and shortening necessary. If your horse wasn’t adjustable, it was tough. We were thinking about having a forward pace for this course. You needed it for the forward lines.”
The overall look of Revers and her mount helped them secure victory. “Quax is awesome on the flat. He makes a nice picture and is really beautiful, which always helps. He really makes my flatting what it is.”
Revers, who is in tenth grade, comes to the Winter Equestrian Festival on the weekends and also competes in the hunter and jumper rings. She has been victorious in the ASPCA Maclay and WIHS Equitation classes so far this circuit.
She said, “I think the equitation helps, because it teaches you the skills you need for the jumper ring, the smoothness you need in the hunter ring.”
WEF 7 continues on Saturday, featuring the $380,000 Suncast® Grand Prix CSI 5* in the International Ring in the evening. The THIS Children’s Medal 14 & Under will be the highlight in Ring 8. For more information and full results, please visit www.pbiec.com.
Lauren Fisher and Jennifer Wood for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com
Gladstone, NJ – The prestigious 2012 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East got underway Saturday with the flat phase and gymnastics phase. Held at the beautiful USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey, 92 competitors competed in the first two phases of the event, vying for the coveted winning title. Seventeen-year-old Jacob Pope of Columbia, MD, is currently atop the leader board after winning today’s gymnastics phase with a score 95.5, and also earning a score of 86 during the flat phase for a total of 229.25.
Gladstone, NJ – The top young talent will be showcased at the 2012 Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East this weekend at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey. Ninety-six competitors will vie for top honors in the prestigious competition highlighting their skills in four phases of competition judged by Karen Healey and Robert Ridland.
Los Angeles, CA – The 2012 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West kicked off at the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on September 20. The final consists of four phases: flat, gymnastics, jumping, and a work off. On Thursday, the thirty-three finalists competed in Phase 1 and were split into groups of five to six riders to compete on the flat. Riders were asked to demonstrate the usual flat movements, such as the counter canter and lengthening of stride, and the judges also asked for a rein back, a turn on the haunches, and a flying change of lead. After judging all of the competitors, the judges (Chrystine Tauber and Bernie Traurig) asked seven riders to come back for additional testing.
Los Angeles, CA – The best junior and young riders on the West coast are ready to take part in the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West during the LA International Jumping Festival in Los Angeles, CA on September 19-23. Thirty-one riders will showcase their skills in three phases of competition judged by Chrystine Tauber and Bernie Traurig.