Richard Vogel and Cydello Score Sweet Victory in $215k MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix

Richard Vogel & Cydello. Photo © Sportfot

Everyone on the Wellington International showgrounds wants to know Richard Vogel’s (GER) secret to winning so consistently. His answer on Saturday was “My secret is Cydello!” after the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix during Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).

Saturday’s win came just two weeks after a win with the same horse in a CSI3* grand prix on the same grass derby field. “He’s such a cool horse, so intelligent and such a fighter,” said Vogel after accepting the Village of Wellington Cup for the win. “He naturally doesn’t have the most scope in the world, but he does it with his mindset and his will to do his best. That’s what we rely on. He loves this grass field; that’s why we chose these two weeks and luckily it worked out well.”

Against some of the top international pairs in the world, Vogel was one of six to jump clear over Anderson Lima’s (BRA) track. The win didn’t come easy, especially after Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam went just prior and laid it down with James Kann Cruz, owned by Gizmo Partners.

Having been paired with Cydello for about a year and a half, Vogel now knows the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cascadello x Forsyth FRH) and they have a great trust in one another. He knew he could attack the course with a competitive plan and the horse’s natural speed would give them a strong chance.

“I have to give Cydello a lot of credit for fence number two,” remarked the German Olympic team gold medalist about the way the jump-off played out. “I saw Shane and he got there well on nine strides. I tried to [push for nine] for the first seven strides but then realized we weren’t quite getting there. Cydello knew that also, so luckily he’s very smart and clever so we adjusted to add an extra stride. I had one more stride in the last line, but I think since he’s so naturally fast we were overall a little bit quicker.”

Damas de Tannerre and Emily Williams Best the Rest in $25k USHJA International Hunter Derby

Damas de Tannerre didn’t have experience on his side in Friday afternoon’s $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by BluCreeq Spirits, but that didn’t stop him from taking the top spot. With Emily Williams aboard, Autumn Janesky’s 12-year-old Selle Français gelding jumped to the win during Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), presented by MARS Equestrian.

“That’s actually the first derby I’ve ever done with him,” said Williams, who hails from North Salem, NY. “This was his first shot and he rose right to the occasion. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Scores of 91 for the classic portion and 94.25 for the handy portion of the single-round “hunter & go” class put Williams and “Dan” into a promising position a little over halfway through the order. With some competitive pairs still to come, they ended up holding the lead and claiming victory with their 185.25 total.

Team “Fore-Real” Is the Real Deal in $25k BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Team Event

It was a real-deal victory for Team “Fore-Real” Friday evening of Week 4 at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in the $25,000 BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Team Event, a pinnacle event for young show jumpers at Wellington International.

Emilie Conter, age 24, Tony Stormanns, age 17, Zayna Rizvi, age 19, and Ansgar Holtgers, Jr., age 19, led by chef d’équipe Helena Stormanns, put in a stellar performance across two rounds and a jump-off for the top of the podium.

Set in the Global International Arena at Equestrian Village, 19 teams of four up-and-coming international riders went head to head, gaining valuable experience in the team structure that mirrors a Nations Cup. Every team member jumped two rounds to decide the final standings.

Team “Run Ferder Run”, consisting of Emily Dehoff, Karime Perez Nunez, Alexander Alston, and Jake Endicott, had pole position after round one, with a zero score. As the last to go, Endicott returned to try to seal the deal with a clear round; however, one rail down with Game Over put the team into the third-place position.

Stella Propp Scores Champion and Reserve in Kiton 3’6” Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35

It was another stellar week for Stella Propp of New York, NY as she rode to championship and reserve championship honors aboard her two mounts, Grand Remo and Lifestyle, respectively. Both horses, owned by Aquitaine Equine, picked up top ribbons in the Kiton Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 division to take the top two spots cumulatively during WEF 4, presented by MARS Equestrian.

“They are exceptional,” Propp, 22, said of her two rides in this division. “All my horses are incredible. I am so lucky to have a family that supports me and allows me the opportunities I have and also a team that takes such beautiful care of these animals. It all comes down to the horses themselves. They are the best partners I could ask for and I know whenever I go into the ring they will be there for me and try their best. Having this success early on in the season feels amazing.”

Propp topped the charts, claiming first in the under saddle with Grand Remo, as well as taking the top title in two of the over fences, scoring as high as an 88. She followed in good form with Lifestyle, taking home a 1-2-3 finish across the over fences and the under saddle.

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