Last Updated on March 24, 2024 by adminahb
Twelve weeks of 1.50m competition came to a peak on Saturday evening in the $150,000 Hermès CSI4* 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Final during the penultimate week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International. From a field bursting with talent and international accolades, Ireland’s Jordan Coyle sealed the deal with For Gold from a 13-horse jump-off with less than a second to spare.
Forty-four qualified entries moved forward to the Hermès Final during the IDA Development sponsored WEF 11 over courses designed by Andy Christiansen (ECU). Coyle and For Gold, a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding (For Fashion x Heraldik), owned by Falkirk Farm, returned halfway through the short course and posted a difficult time to beat.
“Winning anything here [at WEF] is pretty good. To be honest, that was one of the only times I ever went into the arena in a big competition and felt like I was one of the favorites,” said Coyle. “He felt very fast tonight, and I have come to know him very well.
“I thought Conor [Swail] was for sure going to beat me going to that last jump,” continued Coyle with a laugh. “He’s beat me plenty before, but luckily today it’s been the other way around. This is the first Saturday night that I’ve won. I’ve been trying for a while, so it’s pretty nice.”
Fellow Irishman Conor Swail traveled from California to finish his winter season in Wellington and returned last in the jump-off on Gamble for owner Asta Torokvei. He put the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding’s massive stride to good use, crossing the timers in 39.84 seconds. The effort was strong, but not enough to beat Coyle’s time of 39.69 seconds.
Nicky Galligan and VDL Nikita Van De Leeuwerk Give It Their All in BrainJava CSI2* Grand Prix
Ahead of ‘Saturday Night Lights,’ two-star riders took to the International Arena on Saturday afternoon for the BrainJava CSI2* Grand Prix. Forty-five riders attacked the Andy Christiansen (ECU) designed course, with eight riders returning for the short course.
Of the returning group, it was Nicky Galligan (IRL) and VDL Nikita van de Leeuwerk, owned by the Santa Rosa Group, who sped to the grand prix win. The win came just in time for the pair’s one-year anniversary. They jumped double-clear and claimed the win with a time of 38.09 seconds.
“We bought her as a project horse this time last year, actually, here in Wellington. We’ve gotten to know each other over the course of the year and really enjoyed the benefit of a season here and gotten to work on the small things being here at WEF throughout the season,” said Galligan of the 11-year-old mare (Zavall VDL x Argentinus).
Lillie Keenan Wins CSI4* Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round 11
Lillie Keenan (USA) scored a four-star win at the 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Friday’s $62,500 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup during the IDA Development-sponsored Week 11 at Wellington International in Wellington, FL. Keenan, 27, and Agana van het Gerendal Z led the way in the qualifier for Sunday’s $200,000 IDA Development CSI4* Grand Prix.
A competitive field of 15 moved forward to the tie-breaking jump-off over an Andy Christiansen (USA) designed course. Keenan guided “Aggie” — as her horse is known around the barn — to a time of 37.39 seconds for the win.
“He has really become my soldier; he does whatever class I need him to do, whether it’s a speed, Nation’s Cup, or grand prix,” said Keenan of the 13-year-old Zangersheide stallion (Aganix du Seigneur x Topas), owned by Chansonette Farm. “It’s like he’s a chameleon; he can morph into whatever I need him for.
“Once I was clear, I was debating even jumping off because he’s my grand prix horse this week,” continued Keenan, a tap for the U.S. team at the 2022 FEI World Equestrian Games in Herning, Denmark. “He has a real shot in the grand prix, but he’s a competitor and always wants to win. He’s the type of horse that when you put him under pressure and ask him to give everything, he gets better.”
Greg Crolick and Chappy Jump to Blue in International Hunter Derby
Derby action returned to the Equestrian Village Derby Field on Friday with the International Hunter Derby, presented by Marshall & Sterling/Great American. Thirty-three riders braved the rain and tested themselves across the Ken Krome (USA) designed Hunt-and-Go track, ahead of the weekend’s largest International Derby, presented by Yeti.
Held in a Hunt-and-Go format, horse and rider combinations performed their classic and handy rounds as two phases over a single track. Fences 1-7 made up the Classic phase while fences 8-14 represented the Handy phase, consisting of a single trot fence and options for tight, “handy” turns.
Proving derby best was Greg Crolick of Clarkston, MI and Chappy, owned by Carole Chase. The pair swooped in for the win as the second-to-last to take to the course, putting out a classic phase score of 93 and a handy score of 90.75 for a grand total of 183.75.
“Our partnership has been going on for about three years now. Right from the get-go it was wonderful,” said Crolick of the 13-year-old gelding. “We only had him for five or six weeks, and he did his first derby with me, and the second derby we did he won the $50,000 class during week 12 down here.”
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