Lauren Hough rode Valinski S to the victory at the $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI 2* at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL.
An initial field of 100 entries competed in Thursday’s featured event, the $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI 2*, with 15 going on to jump off over the Oscar Soberon designed short course.
As the sixth pair to return for the jump-off, Hough (USA) and Valinski S had a clear round time of 38.812 seconds. Hough edged out fellow U.S. Olympic veteran McLain Ward who completed in second place with a time of 39.449 seconds aboard Queen Jane, owned by Walstib Stables LLC. Rounding out the top three with a time of 39.550 seconds were Alex Granato and Carlchen W, owned by Page Tredennick.
While Valinski S, a 17-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Wyndmont, is a WEF veteran having most recently been shown at the venue by Todd Minikus and Shawn Casady, the partnership with Hough is new.
While Hough elected to forego an inside turn in the jump-off, Valinski S’s natural foot speed more than made up for it and secured them the win over the course. Hough will now set her sights on Saturday night’s featured grand prix with Valinski S before taking the remainder of the season week by week.
Highlight events of the second week of Winter Equestrian Festival competition, sponsored by NetJets, include the $72,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI2* on Saturday, January 19, at 7 p.m. and the $25,000 Hermes U25 Grand Prix CSI U25 on Sunday, January 20, at 8 a.m., followed by the $36,000 1.45m CaptiveOne Classic. Visit pbiec.coth.com for more details.
Final Results: $36,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup CSI2*
1 VALINSKI S: 2002 KWPN gelding by Nijinski x Julius
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), Wyndmont: 0/0/38.812
2 QUEEN JANE: 2008 KWPN mare by Colman x Corland
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Walstib Stables LLC: 0/0/39.449
3 CARLCHEN W: 2008 Mecklenberg gelding by Chacco-Blue x Continue
ALEX GRANATO (USA), Page Tredennick: 0/0/39.55
4 SUPER CHILLED:2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Gelvin Clover
KEVIN BABINGTON (IRL), Debra Wycoff: 0/0/39.926
5 JUST A GAMBLE: 2009 BWP mare by Toulon x Corofino
ADRIENNE STERNLICHT (USA), Starlight Farms 1 LLC: 0/0/40.340
6 BRIGHTON: 2006 KWPN gelding by Contendro II x Quick Star
TIFFANY FOSTER (CAN), Artisan Farms LLC: 0/0/40.734
7 AMICE Z: 2007 Zangersheide gelding by Air Jordan Z x Odermus R
CHARLIE JAYNE (USA), Charlie Jayne:0/0/41.036
8 AMSTERDAM 27: 2010 Holsteiner gelding by Catoki x Acord II
MARIO DESLAURIERS (CAN), Wishing Well Farm LLC: 0/0/41.476
9 DIABLO VII: 2008 KWPN gelding by Douglas x Cavalier
MAGGIE MCALARY (USA), Ben Maher & Vivien Thompson: 0/0/42.583
10 OASIS SPIRIT: 2010 Irish Sport Horse mare by Cobra
AMANDA DERBYSHIRE (GBR), Amanda Derbyshire: 0/0/48.184
11 VICTORIO 5: 2006 Hanoverian stallion by Uccello x Graf Top
ABIGAIL MCARDLE (USA),Victorio Equine Group LLC:0/4/42.144
12 CHANCE STE HERMELLE: 2008 SBS mare by Calvaro x Hemmingway
MICHAEL MORRISSEY (USA), QBS Equestrian LLC: 0/8/51.414
Show jumping photos for this article were sourced from the HorseBuff Equestrian Marketplace Instagram account. To see more show jumping photos from HorseBuff.com please visit www.Instagram.com/realhorsebuff.
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington FL. and Jennifer Wood Media, Inc. Please visit Palm Beach International Equestrian Center at pbiec.coth.com or call (561) 793-5867, or email info@equestriansport.com. Please visit Jennifer Wood Media, Inc. at jenniferwoodmedia.com or email info@jenniferwoodmedia.com.
