Tag Archives: Winter Equestrian Festival

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Sweetnam and Cyklon 1083 Can’t Be Beat in $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m

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Shane Sweetnam and Cyklon 1083. Photo © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – March 19, 2014 – The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off its eleventh week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Wednesday with a win for Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Cyklon 1083 in the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class, marking Sweetnam’s fifth world ranking class win of the circuit.

FTI WEF week eleven, sponsored by Artisan Farms LLC, runs March 19-23, 2014. The week will feature the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 on Thursday afternoon. The $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m will be held during the day on Friday and the George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championship, presented by Alessandro Albanese, will be held Friday starting at 4:30 pm. The $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* will be the feature event on Saturday night at 8 pm. The grass derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC will host the $50,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Series Final (8 am) and the $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic (2 pm) on Sunday.

Live streaming of three events will be featured on The Chronicle of the Horse website. The links to view the live streaming are:

Germany’s Olaf Petersen, Jr. is the course designer in the International Arena at PBIEC for week 11. In Wednesday’s $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m, Petersen saw 55 entries over his one round speed course with 19 clear rounds. Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Cyklon 1083 set the winning time of 59.19 seconds about halfway through the class.

Germany’s David Will and Black Jack 163 completed the next best time of 60.14 seconds at the very end. Brazil’s Joao Victor Castro finished third with Wamira in 60.15 seconds. Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Alain van Campenhoudt’s Citizenguard Million Dreams placed fourth in 60.64 seconds. Sweetnam also took fifth place honors with Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farm’s Solerina in 61.23 seconds.

Sweetnam has been on a roll in this year’s ranking classes and noted that his horses have stepped it up a notch in 2014. “I have never won that many, but last year I think I was in the hunt a lot,” Sweetnam stated. “I had a lot of seconds last year in those ranking classes and I won one grand prix and was second and third in other grand prix classes. I was close to having that many wins, but I just didn’t get them, and this year those two horses (Cyklon and Solerina) have been great. They have been really up there in nearly every speed class, so it has been really nice.”

Sweetnam had already set the leading time with Cyklon in 1.45m, so he went a little easier with Solerina, knowing that she will show again on Thursday and Sunday this week. “I wanted to be quick enough to get a piece of it, but I didn’t plan on beating Cyklon’s time,” he explained.

With Cyklon, one less stride down a line and a couple of quick rollback turns made the difference, plus his always impressive foot speed.

“He does cover the ground,” Sweetnam detailed. “He is always galloping, so he is always quick. The course was delicate, but he is really careful and he is always trying to leave the jumps up. I think we were a little lucky to the water today. He helped me out a little bit, and other than that, he was very good.”

Sweetnam had some very fast competitors that followed in the last half of the class, so all he could do was wait for the final result. “There are always a lot of very fast rounds, especially here. The standard is so high, and there are so many good riders,” Sweetnam acknowledged. “There are always going to be ones to watch for. You always have to have an eye over your shoulder, and you are always hoping that you are going to win, but you never know.”

The talented Cyklon 1083 is a 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion (Cardento x Cortus) that is currently available for breeding through Spy Coast Farm LLC. The farm, owned by Robert and Lisa Lourie, specializes in the breeding and development of top quality performance horses.

“There is frozen semen definitely available with Spy Coast Farm, and then if you are lucky enough if Cyklon is not traveling, you can get fresh semen as well,” Sweetnam explained. “If you contact www.spycoastfarm.com, you can see if it is possible to breed to him. He breeds very well; they have good brains.”

“We have a few yearlings by him, and they are looking good,” Sweetnam added. “We are excited; it will be interesting to see what they do. He also has a son in Sweden called Cobalt that wins a lot of classes, and I think it did the world championships last year in the young horses. He has already bred one good horse and we are hoping that for the future I can have a few Cyklon babies later on in life.”

“Lisa Lourie is very enthusiastic about the breeding program and always has been,” Sweetnam pointed out. “I pick the stallions for myself and then when they are finished their jumping careers they are to breed and they do breed during their careers as well. We are always discussing it, and we are always trying to find different matches. We have a lot of good mares and good stallions. We have Rolette and Werly Chin de Muze. I think we have a Rolette, Big Star embryo at the moment, so hopefully that stays. A limited supply of Big Star semen has been collected, so if people are interested they can contact Spy Coast.”

A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was the first competition to be held on Wednesday morning with a win for Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Hyperion Stud LLC’s Chin Quidam VDL. A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class was held later in the day with a one-two finish for Laura Chapot (USA) aboard Umberto and Zealous.

Week eleven 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.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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 for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Live Streaming Available for Three Events at FTI WEF 11

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Photo copyright Sportfot.

The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival is in its eleventh week of competition, and live streaming will be available for three events this week.

The $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 is the featured class on Thursday, March 20, at 1 p.m. See the top show jumpers compete for a qualifying spot for Saturday night’s grand prix.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE $50,000 RUBY ET VIOLETTE WEF Challenge Cup Round 11:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/2014-wef-cup-round-11-live

Friday’s live stream of the George H. Morris Excellence in Equitation Exhibition presented by Alessandro Albanese will feature the country’s top equitation riders. Competition starts on Friday, March 21, at 4:30 p.m.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH GEORGE H. MORRIS EXCELLENCE IN EQUITATION:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/2014-george-morris-equitation-live

The $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* will feature the top show jumping combinations on Saturday, March 22, at 8 p.m.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE $100,000 ENGEL & VÖLKERS GRAND PRIX:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/2014-100000-engel-volkers-grand-prix-live

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Richie Moloney and Alsvid Win $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

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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.

Julie Coles and Cobalt
Julie Coles and Cobalt

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.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Maher Reigns Supreme in $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*

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Ben Maher and Urico. Photos © Sportfot.

Isabella Usenza Wins THIS Children’s Medal 15-17 with Sebastian

Wellington, FL – March 15, 2014 – British superstar Ben Maher added an unprecedented fifth grand prix win to his tally at this year’s FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) with a win in Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* aboard Jane Clark’s Urico. Competing in the tenth week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, Maher topped Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala, and Daniel Deusser (GER) riding Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof, who finished second and third in a six-horse jump-off.

FTI WEF week 10, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, concludes on Sunday with the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. The FTI WEF features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.

Richard Jeffery (GBR) set the course for 45 competitors in Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*, yielding six clear rounds to advance to the jump-off, where all six then completed double clear rounds and raced against the clock for top honors. Continuing the streak of a lifetime, Ben Maher mastered yet another grand prix track, speeding through the course last to go with Urico in the winning time of 41.01 seconds.

Maher topped Lauren Hough and Ohlala’s time of 41.25 seconds to put the pair in second place. Daniel Deusser and Stephex Stables’ and Double H Farm’s Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof stopped the clock in 41.53 second to finish third.

Also competing in Saturday night’s jump-off, Peter Wylde (USA) and Federico Fernandez’s Zorro were first to go, and set the fourth place time of 42.43 seconds. Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Mike Collins’ Zoe II finished fifth in 42.87 seconds, and Georgina Bloomberg (USA) guided Gotham Enterprizes’ Juvina to the sixth place prize in 46.73 seconds.

Maher has been on an incredible roll in Wellington and kept the winning streak alive on Saturday night. So far, he has won week one’s $30,000 Mar-a-Lago Club Grand Prix with Kavanagh IV, week three’s $125,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix CSI 3* with Cella, week five’s $370,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI-W 5* presented by Rolex with Cella, and week eight’s $150,000 Grand Prix CSIO 4* presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty with Urico. Urico also won week five’s $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 Section A in a California Split.

“It is unbelievable,” Maher smiled on Saturday night. “I am on a lucky run right now, and Urico felt great. We saved him specifically for this class this week. Luckily, I was pre-qualified, and he just jumped a training round earlier in the week.”

“He was quite fresh tonight under the lights,” Maher noted. “It seemed like a big atmosphere. I thought it was going to be a bit quieter tonight, but it was quite popular. The course was very difficult, probably one of the most technical courses we have had here and it caused a lot of problems all over. It was not a big course, but very technical and it just felt very hard. Then the jump-off was flowing. I saw Daniel go. I had the lucky draw again to watch all of the riders go, and Lauren was very quick. I just did what I could do, and kind of wanted to get to the last fence as fast as possible. I said to Lauren, it looked like it was coming in slow motion, and luckily I was just fast enough.”

Urico’s other two wins this season have each been during the daytime, so Maher had the added challenge of the lights and atmosphere to take into consideration in his preparation for the night class.

“I think all the horses are different under the lights,” Maher pointed out. “If they are experienced enough, I think they come alive and jump sharper and better, and I think good horses rise to the occasion with a great atmosphere. It just seems great fun every Saturday night. It goes well and everyone really seems to be enjoying it here. It is always nice when the crowd gets behind you in the jump-off.”

Speaking of the jump-off, Maher added, “I have no idea where I got the time over Lauren. It was one of those jump-offs where I met every jump where I wanted to meet them. I had quite a tight turn back to the wall. Urico is probably one of the fastest horses we have in the stables. He is incredibly fast before, over and after the jump, so I think he gains time everywhere. I tried not to panic when I saw Lauren go. I just did what I had to do and tried not to make a mistake.”

Maher has put a lot of hard work into forming a solid partnership with Urico since they began competing together last winter and has seen his efforts pay off this year.

“It’s always fantastic to win a class, and especially on Urico,” he stated. “We are still trying new things all the time; we’re testing him, and the other week it was during the day. This was under the lights, so that was nice to get that out of the way and just to get the consistency. He’s a really exciting horse to ride. He wants to be so competitive, he wants to win, and you just have to keep him quiet enough. He had quite a lot of work today because I knew he would be fresh and excited tonight. I am enjoying a great streak for now, and at some point it’s going to change for sure. We lose a lot more than we win in our sport, and at the moment it’s going my way, so I just enjoy great horses, great support from Jane and the team, and make the most of it while it’s happening.”

Lauren Hough and Ohlala
Lauren Hough and Ohlala

With a very fast second place finish, Lauren Hough had a great round with her speedy mount Ohlala, and was happy with another top placing this week. She knew she had a good time, but still had a tough competitor to follow.

“You’re never certain you’re the winner, especially when you have Ben following you with the streak he’s been on,” Hough admitted, “but my horse has been fantastic all week. She was second in the ‘WEF’ (Challenge Cup) as well, so we have kind of been knocking on the door, but I was thrilled. I thought Richard did a super job with the course. It suited my horse very well. Perhaps I could have been a bit faster to the last jump, but it was very, very close.”

Deusser was also pleased with his mount, Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof, explaining that this was the horse’s first outdoor grand prix. “He did a very good job,” the rider acknowledged. “He is a very careful horse. Especially under the lights today he was very impressed with the course. I had to work quite hard in the first round, but the jump-off, that was the best I could do I think. With two experienced combinations behind me, it’s always difficult. You never know quite how fast you have to go, but I am very happy with the round. If I think back, maybe from jump one to two I could have done one stride less, but at the end of the day I am very happy with this. I did a few jump-offs in 1.45m classes and a couple of 1.50ms, but he is not too experienced in jump-offs. It was one of his fastest.”

On behalf of week ten title sponsor and presenting sponsor of the evening’s class, Horseware Ireland founder Tom MacGuinness and his daughter Lorraine were on hand for a fantastic night of competition.

Tom MacGuinness commented on the growth of the competition at the FTI WEF, noting, “I came here probably 15 years ago when it was a grass ring with a mound of sand where people could sit and watch, and then I came back about six years ago and I saw what was going on here, and I said that this was going to be the best horse show in the world. We had been sponsoring Triple Crown blankets for the presentations, but when I came here that time, I just saw the organization. I felt the determination and the focus that they had to make it the best horse show in the world. It is a fantastic show. It is the best show in the world as far as I’m concerned.”

Lorraine MacGuinness explained the incredible contribution that Horseware Ireland has made to this year’s circuit at PBIEC by providing the blankets and coolers that are presented to the winners at not only the FTI WEF, but the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) as well.

“We did 1,400 blankets for the whole circuit between the Global Dressage Festival and here, so that’s a pretty big sponsorship for us; it’s a lot of resources,” MacGuinness noted. “The printed blankets like Ben won tonight are new for us, and they are unique. No other circuit does them. We did 55 of them with all of the sponsors’ logos, and we are really proud of how they work.”

Equestrian Sport Productions thanks Horseware Ireland for their fantastic support as week ten of the FTI WEF and AGDF circuits conclude.

Isabella Usenza and Sebastian
Isabella Usenza and Sebastian

Isabella Usenza Wins THIS Children’s Medal 15-17 with Sebastian

Fifteen-year-old Isabella Usenza earned top call with Sebastian in the THIS Children’s Medal 15-17 on Saturday morning at the FTI WEF. Usenza and Sebastian earned an 85.5 in the first round to return third for the test, which called back the top four riders to face off over fences. Usenza ultimately came out on top for her well-executed track aboard Sebastian, a six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she recently purchased from trainer Monty Kelly.

Second place went to Jennifer Hunt, who enjoyed the first round high score of 87 with Winston. Haley Zimmerman and San Paolo finished third after a first round score of 86, and Ashley Denmark was fourth with Vince. The pair earned an 86 in round one.

Usenza has been riding Sebastian for the past eight months and made him her own at the beginning of the FTI WEF circuit. Usenza had watched several videos of the horse go over the years, and after sitting on him once, made the decision to begin competing with him. The pair clicked almost immediately; Usenza praised the gelding for infinitely boosting her confidence level.

“He is so easy for me to ride. I used to have a horse that didn’t get my confidence high. He just takes me around like ‘It’s okay, relax; I’m going to jump.’ He really taught me a lot about how to be more relaxed, and my confidence has gone up a lot,” Usenza explained.

The pair picked up circuit championship honors last fall at HITS Saugerties (NY) as well as a win in the THIS Children’s Medal 15-17 during Week 1 of the FTI WEF. Usenza has been thrilled with their early success and is excited to have her first horse to learn on and eventually move up to 3’6″ divisions with.

Usenza felt her first round course went well but had room for improvement, despite earning well over 80 in a field of over 30 talented young riders. She planned on working on not twisting her body and maintaining a straighter track when she contested the Equitation 15-17 division later in the day.

For the test, the judge asked riders to canter fence one, then halt before continuing at the canter to fence two, which created a bending line to fence three. The final fence was a trot jump in the middle of the ring that aimed riders directly at the judge. Usenza opted to promptly halt after fence one and return to the walk almost immediately after the trot jump to exit the arena.

“I had to be very consistent. Since I was third, I would have to move up some points to win,” Usenza noted. “I had to make sure I was really concise with my halt. I had to make sure I halted right away and got a good canter going to the bending six to make sure that rode well. To my trot jump, I made sure I kept it together and trotted early enough. Then I walked right away after the jump. I walked as soon as I could because that’s what the judge asked.”

While one rider attempted to earn extra points by asking for a flying lead change in the bending line, Usenza purposefully stuck with the lead she landed on.

Of her strategy in the bending line, Usenza shared, “I landed on the left lead and counter cantered the line. My trainers always say, every lead you land on in a line that’s only six strides, you just stay on that. You don’t want to risk changing it and missing the change in a line. I’ve been very [well] schooled in my counter canter; I’ve been practicing a lot. So we just stay on whatever lead we land on.”

Usenza trains with Monty and Sandy Kelly, Shaine Brooks, and Amy Momrow of Stepping Stone Farm. She enjoys the fun atmosphere where having a good time is just as important as doing well in the ring. Usenza has travelled back and forth from Albany, NY, to Wellington to have the opportunity to compete with Stepping Stone at the FTI WEF, an endeavor her school has been more than happy to support.

“It’s sort of hard, but they’ve been really good about it. [My school is] really supportive. They’ve given me all my work. They’re really enjoying the fact that I’m pursuing my dream of coming here,” Usenza smiled.

Hunter competition for the tenth week of the FTI WEF, presented by Horseware Ireland, concludes on Sunday with Section B of the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over division in the Rost Arena at the Main Grounds of PBIEC. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof Race to Victory in $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m

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Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof. Photos © Sportfot.

Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights Are Best in Camping World Adult Amateur Hunters 51 & Over

Wellington, FL – March 14, 2014 – Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof sped their way to an exciting win in Friday’s $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m on a beautiful afternoon at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. De Luca and Elky van het Indihof have had several top finishes at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) recently and finally got their victory with a fantastic round to beat out USA’s Caitlin Ziegler and Christine.

FTI WEF week 10, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, continues through March 16, 2014. The week will feature the $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday and the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. The FTI WEF features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.

Showing in the International Arena at PBIEC on Friday, the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m saw 41 entries in total with 15 clear rounds. The second entry to show over Richard Jeffery’s (GBR) speed track, Caitlin Ziegler, set a very fast pace in 67.10 seconds with Artisan Farms LLC’s Christine that would hold the lead through most of the class. Not until Lorenzo de Luca entered the ring, third to last in the order with T & L NV’s Elky van het Indihof, did the lead change hands. The pair blazed through the course in 65.98 seconds for the win.

Abigail McArdle (USA) and David McArdle’s Cosma 20 finished in 67.57 seconds to place third. Ben Maher (GBR) and Kavanagh IV, owned by Maher and John Renick, finished fourth in 67.71 seconds.

De Luca (26) first got Elky van het Indihof in July of 2013 and has had great results with the ten-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Toulon x Thunder van de Zuuthoeve), including wins and top finishes throughout Europe. This was Elky’s first time traveling to Florida for the winter, and she has made consistent improvement with each week of competition.

The mare started out with sixth and seventh place finishes during week five in the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m and $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic respectively. In week six, she moved up to place fourth in the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m and fifth in the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m. During week eight’s CSIO competition, she stepped up her game once more to finish second in the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m. Now in week ten, the speedy horse kicked things off by placing third in Wednesday’s $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m and then finally got her win in the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class.

De Luca was thrilled with the win and praised his horse on an excellent round. “It is nice to finally win a class with her here,” he smiled. “She is fantastic. She is a super fast horse, and she wins a lot. She is so competitive, and she loves the speed classes. Sometimes I try to jump some grand prix classes with her, but she is very competitive in the speed ones.”

“We made 65 seconds,” de Luca said of his time. “That was actually my plan to do 65, because I saw Caitlin go and her horse has a really big stride, but I think my horse is faster on the turns. She is very quick. It was quite a tricky, delicate course, but it was really nice.”

This was Elky van het Indihof’s last day showing this week. She will go to the Equine Conditioning Center for some pampering and then head home to rest up for the last two weeks of FTI WEF competition. De Luca will show his top horse, Zoe II, in Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix 3*. Zoe is also already qualified for week twelve’s $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5*.

De Luca came to the FTI WEF for the first time last year and explained that this is the first year that he has had some really good horses here. He is from Italy, but has spent the last three years living in Belgium, riding for Neil Jones Equestrian. This year they brought seven horses, some for sale, some for the small classes, and four for the bigger classes. They are stabled with sponsor Tim Collins.

“Mr. Collins has a stable here, so we started the partnership with him last year, and now we are going to keep coming in the winter. It is beautiful to come here,” de Luca noted. “It is a perfect show to go to in the winter. In Europe it is really cold, and we don’t like showing indoors that much actually. This is the best show to make the horses ready for the season.”

“It was quite a shock,” de Luca said of his first trip to Wellington last year. “The level of competition is unbelievable. That is the top level in the world I think. They are the best riders with the best horses, and you just learn a lot staying here. Last year I didn’t have too many horses to compete, but it was a great experience just being here because you meet some people who have always been your idols for a long time. McLain Ward is I think one of the best, Nick Skelton, Laura Kraut… they are all here. Ben Maher – Ben is unbelievable. Scott Brash… I mean, the best are here. It is a perfect way to compete with them and get stronger and learn a lot.”

“You just learn from watching the classes, and the jump-offs are amazing,” de Luca added. “I think last year, when I came back to Europe, I was way better after the three months here because you get better so quickly. Three months here is like one year in Europe to show in the big level.”

After competing in Wellington in 2013, de Luca moved up to jump at the five-star level for the first time and felt confident because of the experience that he had gained.

“When we went back to Europe we got two very good horses,” he explained. “We started to do the 5* Nations Cup with my good mare, and we also got a horse to show at the World Cup in Verona. It was actually very good because then you go there and you are already competitive. If you go there and maybe you have not come here to compete, you try just to get around, but this show makes you so much stronger.”

Earlier in the day, a $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge was held in the International Arena with the second win of the week for Hannah Selleck (USA) and Descanso Farm’s Bauer. Ireland’s Paul O’Shea guided Skara Glen’s Sienna to victory later in the afternoon in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class.

Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights Are Best in Camping World Adult Amateur Hunters 51 & Over

Laura Lee Montross, of Bedford, NY, took home another championship title with her own Nairobi Nights at the FTI WEF. The pair won the $5,000 Peggy Cone Adult Amateur Classic during World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week earlier this season at the FTI WEF, and followed up that win with a week ten division championship title in the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over division on Friday morning.

Nairobi Nights, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding out of Ingur B. by Nairobi, placed first, second, and seventh over fences for the division championship. The reserve championship went to Shadowplay, ridden by Gay Peterson and owned by Perry Peterson. Shadowplay and Gay jumped to third and first over fences. The pair was also awarded the Champion Equine Insurance Hunter Style Award for their efforts.

Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights
Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights

Montross was thrilled to pick up another win at the FTI WEF given the caliber of competition that attends the show. “I’m very happy to have such a nice horse and a great trainer. I love this show. It’s nice to be here the whole season, and to be consistent as well is very rewarding,” Montross said. “I think everybody likes to come here and you get the majority of adult riders. In summertime, people spread out. I think it is one of the more competitive horse shows that we see.”

Since their week six win, Montross thought Nairobi Nights still felt fantastic, describing him as a horse that truly enjoys the show ring, particularly the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring at PBIEC.

“He felt very happy. He likes this ring a lot, so he walks right in there and does his job really well. It’s nice I can gallop around, and that’s when he does the best. He was good yesterday in the Rost too, but we really love this ring.”

Montross has owned Nairobi Nights for eight years, and while she is grateful to have such a well-developed bond with the gelding, she acknowledged he was difficult as a young horse. She turned the reins over to trainer Jimmy Torano and hunter professional Holly Orlando before taking the ride back five years ago.

“I would try every once in a while, and then give him back to the professionals. The past five years or so, I’ve had him [to show on my own], and it’s been great,” Montross smiled.

Of Nairobi Night’s development over the years, Montross noted, “He is very quiet in the ring. He puts his ears forward and just goes around. When he’s feeling good, he keeps a nice even pace and he jumps a nice jump. He stays even and has a nice temperament.”

Nairobi Nights has turned into the perfect amateur hunter partner for Montross. While he has a tendency to feed off any nerves he can sense from his rider, Montross can take it all in stride after getting to know the horse so well.

“I think that comes with just knowing him so well, that’s why it’s nice to have a horse for so long that you feel comfortable,” Montross commented.

Showing in the adult amateur hunters has been especially rewarding for Montross, who finds her division in particular to exude an atmosphere of camaraderie.

“[I find that is true] especially here in Florida, because we’re here for the whole twelve weeks. Even the weeks we’re not showing we still come and watch our division. Everyone’s very friendly, especially the 51 and over. We’re all here and having a good time. It’s competitive, but everybody’s enjoying it.”

Competition for week ten of the FTI WEF continues on Saturday in Ring 8 with the THIS Children’s Medal 15-17. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

McLain Ward and Zander Master $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10

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McLain Ward and Zander. Photos © Sportfot.

Maggie Jayne and Fredrick Top Perfect Products High Performance Hunters

Wellington, FL – March 13, 2014 – Week ten of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Thursday with a win for McLain Ward (USA) and Zander in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10. The win marks the 25th ‘WEF Challenge Cup’ victory for Ward over the years of his illustrious career.

FTI WEF week 10, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, runs March 12-16, 2014. The week will feature the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45 on Friday, the $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday, and the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. 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.

Great Britain’s Richard Jeffery set the track for Thursday’s Challenge Cup competition that yielded 17 clear rounds of 85 starters in round one. Two entries opted out of the jump-off, and Jeffery saw eleven double clears out of 15 over the short course.

For his remarkable 25th WEF Challenge Cup victory, Ward guided his ten-year-old KWPN gelding Zander (Cantos x Saygon) to the winning time of 34.36 seconds, setting an uncatchable pace as the second entry in for the jump-off.

Try as she might, Lauren Hough (USA) was not quite quick enough to catch Ward’s time with Ohlala, finishing second in 34.71 seconds. Ramiro Quintana (ARG) and St. Bride’s Farm’s Whitney finished third in 35.59 seconds. Kevin Babington (IRL) and Shorapur placed fourth in 35.64 seconds.

“I actually think sometimes in those big jump-offs, when you know there are going to be a lot of double clears and a lot of fast horses, that is not the worst thing when you know your horse,” Ward said of going early. “The other night in the grand prix I went late, and I was trying to do something impossible. Today I just kind of rode my round. I know he is a quick horse. I had a few nail biting moments; Lauren was close, but it worked out in our favor.”

“I have a very big stride. I think I have a bigger stride than Lauren (with Ohlala),” Ward detailed of his winning round. “I was able to do four strides to the skinny and then I had a good rollback. It showed up well. She lost her horse a little bit on the rollback, but it was a hair.”

This is the first class that Zander has won during the 2014 season, but Ward feels like he is finishing out the winter well. “He had a little bit of a rough start to the circuit. He had a small injury and we were just a little behind, but the Nations Cup week he was great,” Ward noted. “He was second in the WEF (that week) and had other good ribbons. The last three shows, he has been really solid and seems to be in pretty good form, so we will try to keep going in that direction.”

Ward also commented on the difficult job for Richard Jeffery, who had 96 starters in the class originally (85 showed). “Richard did a good job,” Ward acknowledged. “It is a tough thing. It is tough for the riders, and it is tough for the course designers. It’s supposed to be a 3*, but you have 90 plus entries, and I thought it was smart. It was difficult, hard to jump a clear round. When they see 17 clear, they think it must have been easy, but 17 clear out of 96 isn’t a very high percentage. He didn’t over tax them as well, you didn’t see a lot of large, large scores, so I thought he got it pretty good.”

An $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m was also held on Thursday with a win for Eiken Sato (JPN) and Stephex Stables’ Soory de l’Hallali. Jumper competition continues in the International Arena on Friday with the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m.

Maggie Jayne and Fredrick Top Perfect Products High Performance Hunters

Maggie Jayne of Elgin, IL, and Pony Lane Farm’s Fredrick bested the Perfect Product High Performance Hunter division on Thursday morning at the FTI WEF. The pair were neck and neck with reserve champions Point Being and Kelley Farmer, who finished just four points behind Jayne and Fredrick.

Fredrick won three over fences classes and the under saddle and placed second and fourth in the remaining two over fences rounds with Jayne in the irons. Farmer and Point Being won two over fences classes and placed second in the others in addition to finishing fourth under saddle.

Maggie Jayne and Fredrick
Maggie Jayne and Fredrick

Jayne has ridden Fredrick, a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Couleur Rouge, for nearly three years and is quite pleased with his early success in the high performance division.

“This is the second week doing high performance, and he’s been really good at it. He likes the bigger jumps,” Jayne explained.

Fredrick also pulls double-duty in the junior hunter ring with Madeline Thatcher, an easy adjustment for the laidback chestnut. Jayne admitted the gelding can have a lazy streak, so the bigger jumps earlier in the week don’t light him up before Thatcher takes over the ride.

“He’s beautiful and he moves well and he jumps well, and he’s quiet and relaxed. He’s the total package!” Jayne described. “He can be a touch spooky, but I think that makes him jump carefully.”

Fredrick’s spooky side showed itself a bit in Jayne’s first course on Friday, but it didn’t affect them too much; the pair placed second with an 88. They came back for the final course and laid down a high score of 90, which Thatcher noted was one of their better scores together.

“This is only the second week we’ve done the high performance, and it’s definitely our best score in that. He’s normally pretty consistent by the second day. The last class is usually his best class,” Jayne pointed out.

She continued, “I’m just happy that he’s stayed so consistent over the years, and he’s going to have a bright future. He’s so easy [to ride] and so easy on himself.”

Fredrick has easily stepped up the challenge of higher fences, and his niche is more conventional hunter classes. Fredrick will continue to compete in the high performance hunters with Jayne as well as step into the ring with Thatcher as her trusted junior hunter.

Competition for week ten of the FTI WEF, presented by Horseware Ireland, will continue on Friday, March 14, with the Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51 & Over division, Section A, in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Arena at the Main Grounds of PBIEC. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Shane Sweetnam Scores Another Win in $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m at FTI WEF

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Shane Sweetnam and Solerina. Photo © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – March 12, 2014 – Week 10 of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off on Wednesday with a win for Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam with Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farms’ Solerina in the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class. Sweetnam has had an outstanding winter circuit so far with wins in four very competitive FEI World Ranking classes, among other top finishes.

FTI WEF week 10, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, runs March 12-16, 2014. The week will feature the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 on Thursday, the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45 on Friday, the $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday, and the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. 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.

Great Britain’s Richard Jeffery is the course designer in the International Arena at PBIEC for week 10. Jeffery set the speed track for 46 entries in Wednesday’s $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m with 11 clear rounds. Germany’s Daniel Deusser set a fast pace in the very beginning in 66.54 seconds with Stephex Stables’ Mouse, but was eventually surpassed. Sweetnam and Solerina later cleared the track in 65.56 seconds to take over the lead. Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and T&L NV’s Elky van het Indihof jumped into third in 67.48 seconds.

“I think it was a tricky enough course,” Sweetnam stated after his win. “There didn’t seem to be too many clear. I didn’t get to see all of the class, but from what I saw, it looked like it was hard enough to jump a clear round in the first place.”

“I saw Daniel Deusser go and he was quick, and that is a quick horse, so I knew that I had to be on it to be in contention,” Sweetnam said. “She is a very quick horse, and she stuck to the plan. I think I did one less stride to the water, and I think I did one less after the water. She was good at the triple combination. I came pretty quick to the last line and she was good to me there; I think she tried hard to leave it up. She jumped very well.”

Jeffery’s track featured a lot of set strides and tight roll back turns instead of big runs, so efficiency was key to a good round. “There were more lines and numbers and staying tight, and if you could do that right, then you could be quick enough,” Sweetnam noted. “She doesn’t spend a lot time in the air anyway, so that is a little bit of an advantage with her.”

Sweetnam has had a lot of success with Solerina and explained that she showed with fellow Irish rider Conor O’Regan before he got the ride. She had done well in some smaller grand prix classes at that point and has since stepped up to have great success with Sweetnam in the last few years.

‘Summer,’ as Solerina is known at home, is what Sweetnam calls a typical chestnut mare. The feisty redhead is not without a few quirks, but she always tries hard for her rider.

“She is a quirky mare for sure,” Sweetnam said of Solerina’s personality. “She is not the most lovable horse in the stable, but Lilly Johnson, her groom, does a great job with her. Lilly loves her, and I love her because she does her job in the ring; you’re just not going to be hanging out with her in the stable or anything.”

A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was the first competition to be held on Wednesday morning with a win for Hannah Selleck (USA) and Descanso Farm’s Bauer. A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class was also held later in the day with a win for Laura Chapot (USA) and Mary Chapot’s Zealous.
Thursday’s competition in the International Arena will feature the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 at 12 p.m. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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 for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

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

Competitions, Show Jumping

Live Streaming Available for $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*

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Photo copyright Sportfot.

The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival will live stream Saturday night’s $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* on March 15 at 8 p.m. EST.

WATCH HERE:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/2014-horseware-ireland-grand-prix-live

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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.

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

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Eiken Sato and Egano van het Slogenhof Win $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

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Eiken Sato and Egano van het Slogenhof. Photos © Sportfot.

Elizabeth Faraci and Posh Are Best in Sylvester Center Adult Amateur 36-50 Hunters

Wellington, FL – March 9, 2014 – Week nine of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by The Bainbridge Companies, concluded on Sunday with a win for Japan’s Eiken Sato and Egano van het Slogenhof in the $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic showing at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL.

Alan Wade (IRL) finished the week out with a tough course for 59 entries in the 1.50m Classic with just three clear rounds to advance to the jump-off. Eiken Sato and Stephex Stables’ Egano van het Slogenhof were the first combination to jump off and set the leading time in 46.15 seconds. Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Hello Annie, owned by Lord & Lady Harris and Lord & Lady Kirkham, jumped another clear round and finished second in 47.03 seconds. Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguez and Arao Enterprises LLC’s Caballito had one rail down over the short course and finished third in 53.06 seconds.

Twenty-eight-year-old Eiken Sato grew up riding in Japan. His father was a horseman as well, and Sato started riding at the age of eight. At 18 years old he moved to Belgium to pursue his passion, and four years ago he began riding for the world-renowned Stephex Stables.

“I moved to Belgium when I was 18 years old, and it was really hard,” Sato admitted. “I didn’t speak English at all, and I didn’t know anybody. I have been riding for Stephex for nearly four years now, and we have a really good team. We have Daniel Deusser in the top 10 riders in the world. Every day we are training in the same place and that is really important for us. We have top grooms and a good boss, Stephan Conter. We have top management at the moment and top sponsors, so the whole team has been really good.”

Sato began riding Egano van het Slogenhof, a ten-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Electro x Nagano), six months ago.

“I have ridden this horse for six months, and I have always jumped 1.40m or 1.45m and he has gotten better and better,” Sato explained. “This show was really good. Last week in the grand prix he had one down. The ‘WEF’ (Challenge Cup) was not so good. He had two down, so I didn’t qualify for this week’s grand prix, so I was really motivated for this class.”

“I was first to go, so it was difficult to say what would happen with Scott going behind me,” Sato said of the jump-off. “I tried to do my best. My horse is naturally fast and he is very careful, so I can go fast and it really works out. I have nothing bad to say; I am really happy.”

“He is quite big for me,” Sato noted. “He is a big horse, but he has a lot of scope and so much quality and I am so happy that I can ride him. He is really amazing.”

Sato will remain in Wellington for the remaining three weeks of FTI WEF competition, showing Egano again during the last two weeks of 4* and 5* competition. He has his sights set on qualifying for the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* during week twelve.

Elizabeth Faraci and Posh Are Best in Sylvester Center Adult Amateur 36-50 Hunters

Elizabeth Faraci, of Annapolis, MD, topped the Sylvester Center Adult Amateur 36-50 Hunter division on Sunday morning at the FTI WEF with Posh. At just five years old, Posh bested a field of experienced horses with two wins over fences and a second place finish in the hack.

The reserve champion for the division was Sea Walker, owned and ridden by Nicole Oliynyk. Oliynyk and Sea Walker were sixth, fifth, sixth, and first over fences and first under saddle to secure the reserve champion title.

Elizabeth Faraci and Posh
Elizabeth Faraci and Posh

Faraci bought Posh, a five-year-old Warmblood gelding by Christ, at the end of last year and was thrilled that her young horse has taken so well to the show ring.

“This was his first show,” Faraci revealed. “He’s just turning five, so I couldn’t be more pleased with him! He’s just adorable. He went right around yesterday and today, and I really can’t say enough about him. He’s the real thing, I hope.”

Faraci bought the stunning black gelding after only watching a video of him, but she admitted it was love at first sight.

“I actually bought him off a video and really lucked out! I saw him and fell in the love with him. Typical black stallion thing I guess!” Faraci laughed.

Faraci had Posh gelded and went to work training Posh at home at her farm in Annapolis. With the help of trainers Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley of River’s Edge Farm as well as hunter professional Sandy Ferrell, Faraci has successfully brought Posh along.

“It’s my favorite thing to do, to buy the young ones and bring them along. You’re just so pleased when they get it and they do something right, it’s even more rewarding,” Faraci explained.

“He’s been great. He’s always quiet and focused. He just wants to do a great job. He’s been one of those that from the very start he wants to do it right,” she continued. “He’s a dream to ride. He’s very smooth and balanced. He has a good rhythm with easy lead changes. That’s nice on a young one like that.”

The atmosphere of the PBIEC showgrounds can be a lot for any horse to handle, much less a five-year-old that had yet to step foot in a show ring. “I was really worried, but he kind of put my fears to rest yesterday when he just marched in the ring and marched around. He was totally focused,” Faraci explained.

Hunter competition for week nine of the FTI WEF, presented by The Bainbridge Companies, concluded on Sunday afternoon following Faraci’s victory. Competition for week ten of the FTI WEF, presented by Horseware Ireland, will kick off on March 12. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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

*Featured/Spotlights, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Rodrigo Pessoa and Citizenguard Cadjanine Z Capture $280,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI-W 4*

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Rodrigo Pessoa and Citizenguard Cadjanine Z. Photos © Sportfot.

Stephanie Danhakl Dominates FarmVet Amateur-Owner 18-35 3’3″ Hunters

Wellington, FL – March 8, 2014 – Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa jumped to victory with Citizenguard Cadjanine Z in Saturday night’s $280,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix CSI-W 4*, presented by The Bainbridge Companies, at the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) in Wellington, FL. The class featured a roster of the world’s top riders and saw a win for the legendary show jumper and his promising new mount ahead of three young U.S. riders. Jessica Springsteen and Vindicat W, Wilton Porter and Paloubet, and Katie Dinan with Nougat du Vallet finished second, third and fourth respectively.

Watch an interview with Rodrigo Pessoa after his win!

FTI WEF week nine, sponsored by The Bainbridge Companies, concludes on Sunday with the $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Please remember to set your clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. The FTI WEF features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.

Alan Wade (IRL) set the track for 45 competitors that qualified during the week to compete in Saturday night’s World Cup qualifying grand prix competition. Seventeen combinations jumped clear to advance to the jump-off and seven of those were able to clear the second round course without fault. Rodrigo Pessoa and Alain van Campenhoudt’s Citizenguard Cadjanine Z blazed to victory in 39.52 seconds.

Twenty-two-year old Jessica Springsteen flew to a second place finish with Stone Hill Farm’s Vindicat W in 41.97 seconds. First to go in the jump-off, 20-year-old Wilton Porter set a very fast pace with Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Paloubet in 42.64 seconds to finish third. Twenty-one-year-old Katie Dinan finished fourth with Grant Road Partners’ Nougat du Vallet in 43.11 seconds.

The Leading Lady Grand Prix Rider Award was also presented to Dinan on Saturday night for her success throughout week nine. The award is presented by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler.

For his win, Pessoa was presented with the Herman ‘Kappy’ Kaplan Perpetual Memorial Trophy, established for Kappy with fondness by the Farriers of the 1995 WEF. Pessoa has won the trophy twice before, topping the week nine grand prix in back to back years in 2010 aboard Double H Farm’s Night Train and 2011 with Double H Farm’s HH Let’s Fly.

Pessoa started riding Citizenguard Cadjanine Z, a 12-year-old Zangersheide mare (Canabis Z x Feinschnitt I Z), in July of 2013 and has been working on developing a good rapport with what he calls a “special” and particularly quirky horse.

The pair made big steps competing in Wellington this winter, including a shared victory with fellow Brazilian Alvaro de Miranda in week seven’s $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challene Cup Round 7. Pessoa has big hopes for the mare and thinks that she has great potential. She has already done big things, including a 2012 Olympic Games appearance in London with Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet.

“She had a couple of good shows last year,” Pessoa detailed. “In Barcelona in the Nations Cup Final we were second and she went clear, and then she won the Grand Prix in Arezzo. Slowly, we have been getting better. She is not an easy mare, but she has a lot of potential, a lot of scope and she’s really a fighter. She has her own way, and we are starting to understand her better, and she really turned a corner here in Florida. She has been really comfortable, jumping well and it’s good.”

“She has the potential to jump any track. She is super brave and she has tremendous scope; it’s just that some days she can be a little bit quirky,” Pessoa noted. “She’s special. She has days that she is not really into it and she doesn’t give you any warning. She is fairly unpredictable, but when she is in the mood to go, she is as good as any horse out there, and she was definitely in the mood today!”

Pessoa spoke about the course, which yielded a large number of clear rounds. “I didn’t expect the 17 clears,” he admitted. “The course had a really nice flow to it. It was nice, but maybe a little bit too nice. The starting order had a lot of really good horses, and immediately we saw clears coming. It was more than what he wanted I think, but we had a nice jump-off. The conditions were really perfect. The temperature was perfect, the footing was perfect, so I think maybe Alan was a little bit too soft given the quality of horses and riders that were on the start list, but he’s a great builder nonetheless. They can’t get it right every time, but he is still one of my favorite course builders.”

“The jump-off suited my horse really well,” Pessoa added. “I thought if I did the plan that I had in mind, and everything showed up right, it could be good, so I was lucky that everything really showed up how I wanted. Coming out, I thought okay, ‘It’s fast, but you never know.’ With so many fast combinations coming behind you, you never know. I thought if it wasn’t good enough to win it would be close – second or third – but in the end it held up, and I’m really happy.”

Jessica Springsteen and Vindicat W
Jessica Springsteen and Vindicat W

Jessica Springsteen was very happy with her second place finish with Vindicat W, especially since the young rider has been commuting back and forth between Florida and North Carolina for school. She is in her third year at Duke University.

“He felt great tonight,” Springsteen said of Vindicat. “I rubbed the third fence really hard, so I’m lucky it didn’t come down, but it was great. I thought by the end the fences got a lot bigger, so I was surprised there were so many clear, but I was really happy with him.”

Springsteen admitted that although she has gone fast with Vindicat before, this was probably the fastest she has gone while still leaving the fences up. “That’s my problem. I usually go a little bit too fast and get too much going, so I tried to keep it together,” she stated.

Springsteen had the additional challenge of going after the very fast round that Pessoa put down, and she did her best to keep up. “I wasn’t expecting to beat him, but yeah, I was happy,” she smiled. “Wilton was so fast too. There were so many fast rounds I wasn’t really expecting tonight, but he’s naturally a really fast horse, so if I get to the jumps correctly it works out.”

Springsteen explained that she has been going back and forth to school and skipping two weeks in a row to show. “This is my second week. I showed last week, so it was kind of nice,” she admitted. “I was practicing more, and I think that helped.”

“It’s hard to really train a lot,” she said of the challenge to stay competitive while not riding regularly. “I fly down Wednesday night and go straight into the ‘WEF’ (Challenge Cup). I think I have gotten better at not riding as much. I used to get jumped loose all the time, but I have gotten used to it a bit more. I’m lucky that I know my horses really well that I am riding. If I had a new horse it would be different, but with Vindicat, it’s my third year with him. I know him really well, so I feel confident stepping into a big grand prix.”

Third place finisher, Wilton Porter, is also a young rider traveling back and forth from school as a freshman at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and has faced the added challenge of staying up to par to compete against the world’s best riders in Wellington.

“I personally kind of feel like an underdog,” Porter admitted. “If I don’t do well it’s not the end of the world, but I’m trying to prove something, so I am constantly pushing myself harder. Being a young rider and balancing school and riding, I have a great team helping me out, so I can always count on them when I’m competing.”

Porter went first in the jump-off with his horse, Paloubet, and set a very fast time. “I think the first round course actually suited me because it was a little more open, which is better for me and Paloubet because he is definitely a horse that I try to be softer with,” Porter said. “The softer I can be, the better he is. In the jump-off, going first probably worked out better for me as well because if I had seen Rodrigo go first, I would have tried to go faster than I should have! The last jump, it was definitely fast. I wasn’t sure how it was going to end up. I’m actually on spring break this past week, so I have been able to ride all week, which has helped for sure.”

Stephanie Danhakl Dominates FarmVet Amateur-Owner 18-35 3’3″ Hunters

Stephanie Danhakl took both the division champion and reserve champion title on Saturday morning in the FarmVet Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 3’3″ division during week nine of the FTI WEF. Danhakl, of Palisades Park, CA, and her eight-year-old Warmblood gelding Enough Said earned the championship title after winning every class in the division. Danhakl also finished as reserve champion with her other horse, Quest. The pair was second, third, and second over fences and third under saddle.

Stephanie Danhakl and Enough Said
Stephanie Danhakl and Enough Said

Danhakl, 27, was extremely happy with her horses’ performances in the division, especially since she has only owned them since the end of last year.

“It’s really exciting. I definitely wasn’t expecting for them to be so consistent this early on. I knew they’re both great horses, and it’s been really exciting to be able to ride them. I feel like we’re just starting to figure them out, which is really fun. They both have a lot of scope and give you a great feeling over the jump,” Danhakl commented.

Of Enough Said’s clean sweep of the division, Danhakl said, “He was perfect in every round. I’m so proud of him. He was amazing. He just keeps getting better and better.”

Danhakl, who trains with Scott Stewart and Ken Berkley at River’s Edge Farm, admitted she is slightly more comfortable on Enough Said since she has had a few more weekends to show him than Quest, who Danhakl has only competed twice before week nine of the FTI WEF.

“Our styles are really compatible because [Enough Said] is the kind of horse that you just kind of loop the reins and don’t use a lot of leg, and that’s how I like to ride. You’re basically just steering around the course and being really soft,” Danhakl described.

That soft ride is what Danhakl believes makes him so competitive, along with how adjustable Enough Said’s stride is.

“He’s got a huge stride but if you jump in big, you just put your shoulders back and he fits the strides in perfectly. I think it makes for a very soft, nice, hunter-y way of going. I’m able to ride him pretty smoothly, and he likes that kind of ride,” Danhakl explained.

From the first time she tried him, Danhakl liked the way Enough Said went, but what attracted her to him most was his puppy-dog personality.

“He’s such a sweet horse. He always has his head sticking out of his stall looking for treats, and he is very loving. He loves to be pet; he acts more like a Golden Retriever. I love to spoil my horses. He’s just been getting progressively more spoiled! Other people will walk up to him, and he’ll start going at their pockets for treat. Maybe I’ve gone a little overboard!” Danhakl laughed.

The most preparation Enough Said needs is a tour around the ring at the beginning of the show week, when Danhakl is more than happy to let him peek at anything that may catch his eye.

“He likes to go in the ring in the morning, at least the first day, and look around. He’s not spooky at all, but he likes to look sometimes outside of the ring if there’s a photographer or a sign or things like that. I just let him look, and he doesn’t ever spook. I don’t feel like he needs to focus 100% of the time, so I think he appreciates that I allow him to look around and I trust him not to spook,” Danhakl described.

While Danhakl is originally from California, she moved east for college and is currently in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania getting her master’s degree in Art History. She commutes back and forth from Philadelphia each week, which she acknowledged can be exhausting, but is well worth the opportunity to escape the cold and enjoy her horses.

Hunter competition for Week 9 of the FTI WEF, presented by The Bainbridge Companies, concludes on Sunday morning with the Sylvester Center Adult Amateur Hunter 36-50 division in the Rost Arena. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

About FTI Consulting, Inc.

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 4,000 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 $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.

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