Tag Archives: Laura Lee Montross

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

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

Santiago Diaz and Tizimin LS Top $50,000 Equestrian Sotheby’s Jumper Derby

Santiago Diaz and Tizimin LS. Photos © Sportfot.

Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights Champion the $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic

Wellington, FL – February 16, 2014 – The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded its sixth week of competition, sponsored by Salamander Hotels & Resorts, with action on both sides of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Sunday. On the beautiful grass field at The Stadium at PBIEC, 25-year-old Santiago Diaz of Colombia earned the biggest win of his career riding Tizimin LS in the $50,000 Equestrian Sotheby’s Jumper Derby. In the International Arena on the Main Grounds, Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights were victorious in the $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic.

Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England set the track for Sunday’s jumper derby that featured 20 numbered obstacles, including the derby bank, table bank, open water, devil’s dyke and more. The number of challenging natural obstacles along with the length of the course tested the stamina of all of the horses and riders competing, resulting in no clear rounds. Last to go, Santiago Diaz and Tizimin LS had one rail down, combined with a fast time in the faults converted format, to finish in 143.98 seconds for the win.

Nicholas Dello Joio and Nathalie de Gunzburg’s Ganjana were faster, but incurred eight faults to bring their total time up to 144.92 seconds to finish in second. James North and Fair Play Farm’s The Man to See had four faults added to his time to place third in 146.17 seconds.

Diaz has owned Tizimin LS, an eight-year-old La Silla gelding, for three years. Tizimin is by the stallion Tlaloc La Silla, out of the Polydor mare Sonora La Silla, the same dam as Daniel Bluman’s Olympic mount Sancha LS. Living in Colombia, Diaz moved up the children’s and junior ranks and is now a professional rider. Diaz showed at the FTI WEF for the first time in 2013 and made his second trip worthwhile on Sunday with the biggest payday of his career.

Diaz explained that although Tizimin is young and very green, he did a derby in Colombia last year, and he felt confident aiming the horse at this class. “I brought him here for the season to have a different experience for him,” Diaz stated. “He is young for this, but I knew that he can do it well. He was really good, and I am so happy.”

Diaz noted that his horse is very fit, and the only thing he did to prepare was practice some water jumps and hills last week. “He is really brave,” the rider added. “When I walked the course, I didn’t have any worries. My horse already did those kind of jumps, and I knew that he was fit for that.”

Diaz stuck to his plan on course as the last to go, but he did have an enthusiastic Colombian cheering section and lots of encouragement as his round went on. “I heard people around the course whistling and saying go forward. In every corner there was somebody,” he laughed.

For Nick Dello Joio, the opportunity to show Ganjana was great, and the rider was happy with his round. He was showing the 12-year-old Hanoverian mare for owner Laura de Gunzburg and started riding her a few weeks ago.

“She had come from a background of doing some derbies in Germany, so Laura said it would be fun for me to ride her in this derby,” Dello Joio explained. “I don’t know her that well, but luckily today it was a friendly course. Richard did a great job, and he made it really inviting. I think I got a little bit flat at the end, but I was thrilled with her. She was great. She jumped well, and she made my job a lot easier.”

He continued, “This is a fun class. It is nice for all of these horses to come out here. You could go out and have a gallop around and have fun. I think a lot of people who watched it probably regretted not showing today, and I think next year there will be a lot more people in this class.”

James North has done this class the last three years in a row with his 14-year-old Holsteiner stallion The Man to See and noted that the course was exactly the same as last year.

“I had a little advantage with that,” he acknowledged, “and I know my horse is super brave, but he is a little cold and slow, so that has always been my issue with him is to keep him fit enough for the course. The last two years I had the last jump down, so this year I was not going to have the last jump down! I was a little careful to that one, but he is a super horse.”

“My plan was exactly the same as last year,” North said. “These courses you don’t worry too much about the rails, you just have to go fast. Mine is a little slow. He is a stallion, and he dwells up in the air, so I just know that I have to keep kicking.”

“It was a good day to go jumping around out there,” North added. “It is beautiful; the sun is shining. It was great.”

Equestrian Sotheby’s representative Tom Baldwin also had fun as a supporter of Sunday’s class and was happy with the great result.

“This is our first time sponsoring an event like this,” Baldwin stated. “We were presented with the idea and we just thought it was so different and original and out of the box. We thought it was a great opportunity to come out here and be a part of a really unique athletic event. It is truly athletes out there, horse and rider at their best on a really beautiful day, so we were really happy to be a part of it.”

In addition to Sunday’s fantastic derby, a special award was presented for week six competition. American rider Kaitlin Campbell was named the Leading Lady Grand Prix Rider of the week after top finishes with her mount Rocky W. The award is sponsored by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler.

Laura Lee Montross and Nairobi Nights Win in Classic

Sunday was the Adult Amateur Hunters’ turn to take on the International Arena at PBIEC for World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) competition. The $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic saw the top hunter horses and riders, who qualified for the classic earlier in the week in their regular divisions.

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

Laura Lee Montross and her own Nairobi Nights topped the $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic on Sunday afternoon at the FTI WEF. Montross and “Nairobi” bested a field of 77 horse/rider combinations with a total score of 172.5. The pair qualified for the second round of competition after earning a first round score of 86.5. Montross piloted Nairobi to an 86 round two to give them the lead.

Samantha Sommers and Graffiti were second in the class, which called back the top twelve riders to contest a second round of competition. With a first round score of 86.75, Sommers returned in round two to ride Graffiti to a score of 83, finishing second with a total score of 169.75. Wendy Gifford rounded out the top three with Weekend Affair. Gifford and Weekend Affair were the final pair to return for round two after earning a high score of 87 in round one. The duo earned a round two score of 82 to finish narrowly behind Sommers with a 169.

Montross has owned Nairobi, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, for eight years and has enjoyed experiencing their partnership develop. “He’s a nice, big horse. His trot and his canter are very comfortable. I was showing him and he was a little tough. He was very young when I got him and very green, so I turned him over to the professionals for a while,” Montross recounted.

She continued, “He’s always been great in the barn and great to flat, and now he’s just a nice adult horse. He would do anything, I think. His father’s the famous Nairobi, and I think he was difficult for a while too. Morgan [Thomas, former rider] told me they take a long time to grow up and then they’re really good.”

Montross, of Bedford, NY, admitted having a few butterflies walking into the International Arena, but quickly found her stride with Nairobi and simply had fun with their courses.

“I was a little nervous at first. But then, quite honestly, after the second jump I was just having fun. It was beautiful. It was wonderful; I like that it was wide open and I could gallop. The six to the two [stride] was a little bit snug, but he handled it and it was fun,” Montross commented. “I didn’t worry about anything. I could move up to the jumps, and he didn’t look at anything. He didn’t spook; he was just very soft.”

Montross grew up in the foxhunting tradition today’s show hunter classes are rooted in, hunting with her mother with the Golden’s Bridge Hounds in North Salem, NY. She was an avid Pony Club participant as a child before trying out the show ring. After taking some time off from riding, she got back into hunting when her mother moved to Tryon, NC, joining her on hunts with the Tryon Hounds.

The pull of the show ring was still strong, and while Montross still gets plenty of offers to come join the field after returning to the world of show hunters, she admits she may not have the most appropriate mounts.

“Nairobi’s a good trail horse. He actually probably would hunt now; he’s such a good boy,” Montross joked.

Riding is now a third-generation tradition for Montross, who shares the sport with her 15-year-old daughter and husband. Montross’ daughter shares a trainer with her, contesting the jumper ring under Jimmy Torano’s watchful eye, while Montross’ husband Tad enjoys touring around the 2’6″ Low Adult Hunters.

The 3’3″ classics followed the $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic, with the $5,000 WCHR Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunter Classic being the next to hand out awards. Barbara Spizzirro and Hundred Acre topped the class with a cumulative score of 171. Spizzirro rode Hundred Acre to a first round score of 84 before following up with an 87 in the second round to clinch the first place prize.

Martel and owner-rider Olivia Easton earned top call in the $5,000 WCHR Junior 3’3″ Hunter Classic with an overall score of 162. Easton rode Martel to an 80 in the first round before earning a score of 82 for round two.

Earlier in the afternoon, Mary Jane King was recognized as the Grand Adult Hunter for WCHR competition at the FTI WEF for her three over fences wins with Boss, Inc.’s Ebony in the Camping World Adult Amateur 51+ division.

Lillie Keenan and Soulja Boy
Lillie Keenan and Soulja Boy

Correction: Lillie Keenan was division champion of the Large Junior Hunters 16-17 with Soulja Boy, not on Grayon as previously published. The pair won the under saddle and placed fifth, first, and fifth over fences in the division. Keenan and the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding’s over fences victory came in the handy round, which the pair won with a high score of 94. The score held up for the High Score Junior award, presented to Keenan and Soulja Boy prior to their round in the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Hunter Spectacular. Soulja Boy, owned by James Fairclough’s Stone Horse Farm, ultimately finished tenth in the Hunter Spectacular.

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