Shane Sweetnam and Cyklon 1083. Photo © Sportfot.
Wellington, FL – February 19, 2014 – The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) began its seventh week of competition on Wednesday with a win for Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Cyklon 1083 in the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL.
Sponsored by Adequan, FTI WEF week seven runs February 19-23, 2014. The week will feature the $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 on Thursday, the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m on Friday, the $280,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI 4* on Saturday, and the $84,000 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.
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Week seven kicked off its competition on Wednesday with the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m as the highlight class of the day in the International Arena at PBIEC. Fredric Cottier of France is the international course designer this week and set the speed track for 85 competitors in the class with 29 clear rounds. Fifth to go, Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Cyklon 1083 set the unbeatable pace of 59.10 seconds.
Germany’s David Will and Black Jack 163, owned by Eveline Kraus, finished second in 59.49 seconds. Lauren Hough (USA) and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala were third in 59.84 seconds. Brianne Goutal (USA) and Cloverleaf Farm’s Uata placed fourth in 61.19 seconds.
Wednesday was the third trip to the winner’s circle for Sweetnam and Cyklon at this year’s FTI WEF after also winning the $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed classes during weeks three and five. The 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion (Cardento x Cortus) has been a consistent top horse for Sweetnam and continues to excel.
“He is very consistent, and he has improved each year since I have gotten to know him better,” Sweetnam stated. “I know his little quirks and things now. He was very good last circuit here as well and obviously he is having a great run at the moment.”
“He felt great today,” Sweetnam said. “The last class I did with him he won two weeks ago, and he had last week off, so he felt fresh. I was early to go and I wasn’t really sure if my time would hold the whole way because you know when you go early in this class, there are a lot of good riders and good horses, so I was very happy today at the end to still be on top.”
Sweetnam explained that although he would prefer to go later in the order to be able to watch more rounds, his round would not have been much different today.
“It’s nice to watch to know what you have to do,” he noted. “The last class that I won I was later to go, so I knew exactly what I had to do, where this one I am really taking chances and risks and sometimes they don’t come off. You can be a little bit more careful if you are later in the class, but my plan didn’t really change. I would have probably still had to do the same as what I did to win the class.”
Sweetnam and Cyklon have been a winning partnership for two years now with top finishes around the world, and the rider recalled that the last time Cyklon jumped one of Fredric Cottier’s courses last year in La Baule, he won.
“He is a very good course designer, and the course was good today,” Sweetnam acknowledged. “The top 10 or 12 were all within a few seconds of each other, so the rollbacks had to be tight and then if you were to leave out a stride in places, that was going to play an advantage. I think that is what worked for me. I left out a stride from jump two to three and then from four to the in-and-out, and then even the last line. Not everyone did five strides there and I did five. I think if you were leaving out strides, it was going to help you win today.”
A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was also held on Wednesday with a California Split for the placings due to the large number of entries. Pedro Muylaert (BRA) and Wessel, owned by Henrique Tielas, had the fastest clear round to earn top honors in Section A of the class. Daniel Zetterman (SWE) and Springfield Showjumpers’ Jolly Joker were the winners in Section B. A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class concluded the day with a win for Joao Victor Castro (BRA) aboard Wamira.
Week seven of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival will continue on Thursday with the $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 in the International 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 for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com