The day’s main competition for Holiday III began on Thursday with the $10,000 Bainbridge Companies Stake. Thirteen of the thirty horse-and-rider pairs that attempted Hector Loyola’s (PUR) course advanced to the reduced course. With a final time of 33.473 seconds, Lucy Matz (USA) rode Dorothy Matz’s Fyolieta in the fastest double-clear ride. With a flawless 34.296 time, Andrea Torres (COL) and Picara Polka Amouretta, owned by the Santa Catalina farm, came in second. Delaney Flynn (USA) and My Lady Carthago, owned by Windsor Show Stables, completed the podium with a flawless 34.831 second time.
The $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by Open Minds Academy, was held in Ring 7 on Thursday as well. In the Thomas Carlson-designed National Hunter Derby, eleven riders participated; the winners were Victoria Colvin (USA) and Gabriel, owned by J T Farm.
With a score of 176, Colvin and her mount, Gabriel, won the lead, half a second ahead of the runner-up. With a near 175.5, Meghan Knapic (USA) and Blue Icon from First Blue LLC were awarded the red rosette. Jennifer Bliss (USA) completed the podium with a score of 173 on Harris Hill Farm LLC’s Sugarman.
The $25,000 ProElite Holiday III Grand Prix, the week’s grand finale, was held late on Saturday morning in the International Arena. Slicing and dicing their way through Hector Loyola’s second test, riders gave it their best, but only four of the twenty-nine competitors made it to the jump-off. USA’s Molly Ashe Cawley and Loukas De La Noue, owned by Oakridge Farm, pulled out all the stops and won. Together, they presented the fastest clear time, with the timepieces stopping at 36.325 seconds.
Speaking highly of Loukas De La Noue’s performance, Cawley said, “I only started riding him last year and then I had back surgery in August. He’s done nothing since the first week of August and has just been waiting to get going again. This was his first class back and he was amazing. He’s always amazing.”
Paul O’Shea (IRL) claimed the second-place title, securing his spot on the leaderboard with a clear 37.706 time aboard Spy, owned by Eye Candy Jumpers, while Catherine Wachtell (USA) rounded out the podium aboard Morgana V/D Brouwershoeve, owned by Autumn View Farm, with a four-fault time of 41.529 seconds.
The 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival gets underway with the WEF Premiere Week. Starting January 3rd and running through March 31st, Wellington International’s prestigious Winter Equestrian Festival will be taking place with plenty of action and entertainment for the whole family!
Major reporting contributions for this article were received from Wellington International in Wellington FL. Please visit Wellington International at https://wellingtoninternational.com.
