Jessica Springsteen and Naomi van het Keizershof Get Their Win in $32k 1/ST CSI2* Qualifier
Jessica Springsteen & Naomi van het Keizershof. Photo © Sportfot
Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Naomi van het Keizershof had been knocking on the door of a major win since the beginning of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). The wait was over on Friday of Week 5 as they got their victory in the $32,000 1/ST CSI2* Qualifier.
“I went for it today,” Springsteen said of her approach to Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo’s (FRA) jump-off track, where she was one of 16 to contend after a clear first round. “I took a risk from one to two; I wasn’t sure I could get there and I really went for it.”
The Tokyo Olympic team silver medalist competed early in the order of 68 entries with several fast pairs behind her also joining the jump-off. She put in her best shot, and it proved to be enough by a tenth of a second with a winning 36.74 seconds on the clock. Nicole Walker (CAN) took second with Atout des Trambles in 36.84 seconds, and France’s Marie Hecart was third aboard Vahinee, owned by Normandie Connection, with a time of 37.07 seconds.
Springsteen knows as well as anyone how competitive WEF is, especially as the season builds, so she was thrilled to get the win. “[Naomi] is a mare you can be competitive on, so I try to use her speed to our advantage,” explained Springsteen, who also picked up a five-star win on the mare at the end of 2024. “I felt really fast but it’s so competitive here; you can do a fast round and end up somewhere in the top 10. Luck was on our side today and it worked out.”
The Kristen Baran $100k Neil S. Hirsch Boys & Girls Club Team Hunter Exhibition Returns for a Night under the Lights
Hunter riders went under the lights on Friday at Wellington International for the second annual Kristen Baran $100,000 Neil S. Hirsch Boys & Girls Club Team Hunter Exhibition. The exhibition featured hunter teams of three athletes jumping a 3’3” course in the International Arena to benefit the local chapter of the Boys & Girls Club. 19 teams gave their Friday night best in hopes of taking the team title, but it was Nick Haness, Ashley Weiman, and Wyatt Rofey who bested the rest.
Teams consisted of a professional, amateur, and junior hunter rider. Held in a relay format, each rider jumped a portion of the 20-fence course. Scores were given from three judging panels for an average final score. Each team was afforded one drop score with the opportunity to erase their lowest-ranked performance akin to a jumper Nations Cup. High scores of 91 from Haness and 89 from Weiman delivered their team the victory.
Professional Haness of Temecula, CA piloted Queen Celeste, amateur Ashley Weiman of Ramona, CA rode More Fun, and junior Wyatt Rofey of Brooklyn, NY rode his own mount Becoming.
It was a night of many firsts for the winning team after forming just days before the class. Haness was determined to get a team together in support of The Boys and Girls Club. “I called Ashley earlier this week who I know from California and told her we needed to get a team together,” explained Haness. “She flew here yesterday making today her first time in Wellington, first time under the lights in the International Arena, and even her first time on this horse.”
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