Starting of 2020 on the right hoof: it was a week of firsts on the Wellington Turf Tour. The first official week of competition in the winter equestrian capital welcomed riders to The Ridge’s home farm for .80M-1.40M show jumping, and laid the foundation for marking milestones. From Grand Prix debuts to half a century in horse sport, the Turf Tour’s competitors and staff set the tone for a fantastic New Year.
Gusty winds and sporadic showers interspersed with sunshine, tenets of a fine Irish summer, set the stage for Friday’s $10,000 1.40M Welcome Grand Prix, held on The Ridge’s newly upgraded and expanded 325′ x 285′ grass field. Irishman Michael Kearins was unfazed by the weather, putting in the only double clear effort aboard his own Sligo Balou Boy. Costly rails for Jordan Coyle aboard Dundaik and Stella Manship aboard Colorado put them in second and third. All of the Turf Tours subsequent weekly Grand Prix classes, excluding even higher valued Finale, boast $15,000 in prize money.
Wednesdays on the Turf Tour are headlined by the $5,000 1.30M Rising Star Classic, a perfect early week warm up for the bigger classes held later in the week. Week one’s Rising Star was won by Venezuela’s Luis F. Larrazabal and San Francisco Stables’ Caristina, jumping off in 39.397 seconds. Second went to Sloan Coles and Pembrey Condors Diamond, owned by Spring Ledge LLC, also double clear with a jump off time of 41.834 seconds. Camille Maddrix and M & M Sporthorses’ Jack Straw rounded off the top 3, finishing the jump off in 42.636.
Both days of competition during Turf Tour Week 1 featured courses by Olympic designer Leopoldo Palacios.
As the first show of 2020, a theme of debuts and milestones met tied together with the top finishes for riders in the Turf Tour’s Rising Star and Grand Prix classes. The Turf Tour’s longtime announcer, Frank Waters, began his 50th year of announcing. The Ridge’s co-founder and organizer, George d’Ambrosio welcomed riders for the first time onto his newly expanded Grand Prix field. With all natural footing one of the principle tenets of the Turf Tour, both rings at all of the weekly venues are meticulously monitored. And in addition to all of the riders beginning their official 2020 winter equestrian season, putting their best foot forward with new mounts or being able to level up to new heights is another core goal of the Turf Tour.
CEO and founder of Shiraz Creative, Shai Tertner, utilized the Turf Tour’s laid back atmosphere and world class course designs to kick off a new season with two new partners, Duniki and Tycoon D’Argences. On Wednesday, he jumped Duniki to their first victory on US soil in the morning’s 1.25M since the chestnut gelding arrived from Europe two months ago. It was also their first time showing under new trainer Alvaro Lozada, and on Friday they finished their first national Grand Prix in the Turf Tour’s Welcome 1.40M.
This is such a great show to start off the season,” said Tertner, who is based out of Miami, Florida. “It was definitely a strong series of firsts for us to begin 2020, and major progress towards our goals. Super grateful to Alvaro, my team, and all the people who make it possible here at The Ridge.”
All of the riders in the Turf Tour’s 1.20-1.25, 1.30M Rising Star Classic, and 1.40M Grand Prix classes also logged their first round of points towards the series’ Leading Rider honors. Following the season Finale at Black Watch Farm, The Ridge will present the Leading Rider with a gorgeous golf cart courtesy of Iron Horse Transit!
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from the The Ridge Showjumping in Wellington FL. and Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC. Please visit The Ridge Show Jumping at TheRidgeShowJumping.com or call (561)791-1471 , or email info@ridgeshowjumping.com. Please visit Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC. at www.equinium.com or email holly@equinium.com. All photos are property of Romeo Ghete and Equinium/The Ridge at Wellington
