On the first day of ESP Holiday and Horses, Ashley Vogel of the USA won the $6,000 Bainbridge Companies Holiday & Horses Opener 1.40m. Vogel, riding her own entry, Bellissimo Z, beat the field of twenty-eight horse-and-rider competitors in 20.52 seconds to become the fastest double-clear. Carly Anthony (USA) and Jet Blue, owned by Portfolio Horses LLC, completed the podium with a time of 31.43 seconds, while Elena A. Haas (USA) and Centana came in right behind Vogel to win the red rosette with a clean 31.25.
This Thursday’s $50,000 TRM CSI4* Grand Prix Qualifier took place in the International Ring. 32 entrants competed on the expansive and challenging course that was created by Anthony D’Ambrosio of the USA. Luiz Francisco De Azevedo of Brazil stopped the clocks at 37.29 seconds, making him the fastest of the four double-clears on the shorter course. Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Dhalida, owned by Artemis Equestrain Farm LLC, came in second with a clean 37.95, while David O’Brien of Ireland finished third atop El Balou Old, owned by Chansonette Farm LLC & Leap Year Farm LLC, in 38.05 seconds.
Friday morning’s jumper competition featured the $39,000 Score at the Top 1.45m in the International Arena. On board Astemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s Lord Lucio, Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) easily won.
Thirty-two entries in all tested the course, with almost half registering a clear ride. Pesso and his horse, Lord Lucio, were the twelfth pair to tackle the course, recording the fastest clear ride in 64.01 seconds. For second place, Caroline Mawhinney (USA) and her own entry, Stella Levista, put out a flawless performance in 65.27 seconds. Luiz Francisco De Azevedo (BRA) finished in third position by stopping the time on the HFG Quaman owned by Santa Cecelia Stables in 65.6 seconds.
Richard Neal of the USA led 36 other competitors in Friday’s $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Stake after he piloted his own entry, Catemaco LS. Out of the thirty-six participants, ten were able to guarantee their place in the jump-off round over D’Ambrosio’s track, but four were eliminated.
Wilton Porter (USA) finished with a final time of 30.618 seconds, narrowly missing the lead by a mere 1.5 seconds as they concluded two consecutive rounds with perfect scores. Sydney Shulman Desiderio of Israel rode her way to a podium position on Jill Shulman’s J-Boston S.E. with a time of 31.382 seconds.
Competing in the $226,000 Holiday & Horses CSI4* Grand Prix, sponsored by Keyflow Feeds USA, were twenty-nine elite show jumping combinations. Saturday evening. World-class riders competed in the race for the win, but it was young professional Rene Dittmer (GER) and his companion Corsica that took the lead.
D’Ambrosio, a tough course designer, created another excellent test for the field of participants. Just four riders made it to the jump-off once the first round was completed. Early in the first round, Dittmer made the first successful attempt and executed the same strategy in the jump-off.
“Of course, for the first round my plan was to go clear. In the jump-off, I wanted to go fast but not over do it; just fast enough to put pressure on the others,” said Dittmer on his plan.
Dittmer was the first to successfully clear the course and was the first to return, pressing forward to gallop across the flowing jump-off course. Dittmer proved to be a talent to watch as he conquered the task with a double-clear effort, finishing the Corsica entry, owned by Mark Miness, in 42.32 seconds.
Dittmer stated, “I’ve had Corsica for about a year and a half now.” ““She’s been doing amazing this whole year. I’m so happy the owner, Mark Miness, let me ride her and she’s just really taking off.”
Jiselle NS and McKayla Langmeier (USA) put out a commendable effort, crossing the finish line in a solid 44.5 seconds to take second place for owner Linda Langmeier. With a clean 44.77 second time, Peter Lutz (USA) and Hollerno—owned by Lovsta Stuteri—finished third.
The $39,000 Dover Saddlery CSI4* 1.50m was the second-to-last class in the International Arena to conclude the ESP Holiday & Horses competition. Amidst intense competition, Lebanon’s Jad Dana emerged victorious on Wyndmont’s ABC Quantum Cruise. The two turned and blazed across the abbreviated course, finishing in a distinct 34.09 seconds. Shane Sweetnam’s time of 35.65 seconds alongside Irandole Du Flot from Seabrook LLC was the second-best double clear time. Simon McCarthy of Ireland rode the Rock Ridge.
“Grooms are extremely important and I think that if you don’t have trust in your groom, you can’t really focus on your job,” explained Dana. “If you’re doing your best and your groom isn’t, the result isn’t going to pay off. My groom [Geovanni Velasquez] has become like my family. I trust him with everything. We are very good at communicating and I don’t think it’d be possible without him.”
The Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix, worth $25,000, concluded the action for the week. Carly Anthony (USA) and her Portfolio Horses LLC-owned pony Jet Blue defeated the field of eighteen. The pair set the stage for their triumph with a double-clear 37.674 time. Ansgar Holtgers Jr. (USA) and Tulum secured the second position with a flawless time of 39.441 for Gut Einhaus LLC, and Flip De Wandel (Belgium) completed the podium with a time of 40.905 aboard Manhattan Van’t Leeuwerikenhof.
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from Wellington International in Wellington FL. Please visit Wellington International at https://wellingtoninternational.com.
