Shane Sweetnam Soars to MARS Equestrian Grand Prix Win with Coriaan van Klapscheut Z

Shane Sweetnam & Coriaan van Klapscheut Z. Photo ©Sportfot

Wellington, Fla. – January 31, 2026 — Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam and the 10-year-old Coriaan van Klapscheut Z left nothing to chance on the grass Derby Field at Equestrian Village by winning the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix, highlighting Saturday afternoon during Week 4 at Wellington International’s Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).

Six advanced to course designer Anderson Lima’s (BRA) tie-breaking jump-off, and five double clears left the fate of the winner to the clock. Sweetnam shaved three seconds off the current leading time with Coriaan van Klapscheut Z, a Zangersheide gelding by Comme Il Faut 5 x Lord Z Z. After a final push to break the timer beam, the clock read an uncatchable 41.40 seconds.

“I thought it would take more time [to get to this level], but I didn’t have many horses when he stepped up to FEI last year,” said Sweetnam, who has had the ride on the gelding he owns together with Voquest, LLC since the middle of 2024. “His first week here last year, he’d never done an FEI class and was second in the WEF [Challenge Cup]. He took to it like a duck to water and was very competitive from the start — even though he was green. He really wants to leave the jumps up.”

The win was a battle among fellow countrymen as Bertram Allen (IRL) took second by a half second aboard Conquest de Rigo, a 10-year-old Belgian-bred son of Fantomas de Muze and VDL Indoctro owned by Aloga Stables. The pair stopped the clock at 41.95 seconds to settle as runners-up.

“We’ve been second a lot, which was my year last year, so it’s nice to have him put me up one spot and get the win,” laughed Sweetnam, who finished 2025 on a high note with Coriaan van Klapscheut Z by winning a three-star grand prix at Wellington International. “With horses, they’ll tell you what the plan is, especially at this level, but he’s comfortable already, and now we can smooth it out.”

BrainJuice Under 25 Grand Prix Series Athletes Gain Valuable Team Experience

Team riders for self-named Jet Run — a combination of North Run and JET Show Stable competitors — were the ones to beat on Friday evening of Week 4 at WEF in the $25,000 BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Team Event. Campbell Brown, 18, of Fayetteville, AR; Alexander Alston, 22, of New Albany, OH; Eva Fisherman, 22, of Brookline, MA; and Jole Kosloske, 18, of Keystone, CO were led by chef d’équipe John Brennan and put in a stellar performance across two rounds for the top of the podium.

Set in the International Stadium at Equestrian Village, 12 teams of four up-and-coming international riders went head-to-head, gaining valuable experience in a team structure that mirrors a Nations Cup. Six teams returned for a second round to decide the final standings.

The only team to sit on a score of zero after the first round, Jet Run’s fate was sealed when Brown, winner of the BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix during WEF 2, brought home a double-clear day riding MMK Equestrian’s Colina Z. The team’s youngest members proved to be the anchors, and Kosloske also posted a fault-free performance aboard Crystal Claire. Alexander Alston kept his score to four in each round riding Spider for owner Alston Alliance, and Eva Fiserman posted a clear and an eight-fault round in the irons of Casallvano.

“This is great practice for senior team environments,” said Fisherman, who is entering her third season of U25 competition at WEF. “Learning how to handle that added pressure will help us in the long run, and it’s fun to get to do it with good people.”

Wellington International
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