Sunday, February 27, 2011

Hunters: Wellington: WEF: Victoria Colvin and Ariel Win Four of Five Classes for Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter Championship

Victoria Colvin and Ariel are the Martha Jolicoeur & Illustrated Properties Small Junior Hunter 15 and Under champions during the seventh week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.sportfot.com.

For Immediate Release
Brooke Bidgood for Equestrian Sport Productions

Wellington, FL - February 27, 2011 - As week 7 comes to a close here at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, looks back on another successful week of competition. The younger section of Small Junior Hunters, presented by Martha Jolicoeur and Illustrated Properties, awarded their championship early this morning in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring.

Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, rode Ariel to the championship honor this weekend. Neither her, nor her mount, Ariel, are new to the championship winner's circle. Scott Stewart, who also trains Colvin, owns Ariel, a six-year-old Brandenburg mare by Lancado.

The winning pair secured the tricolor honor this morning by winning a stunning four out of five classes in their division of nine entries. They placed fifth in the division's remaining class.

Colvin, arguably one of the best and busiest young riders here in Wellington, keeps very busy showing everything from pony hunters to the junior equitation classes. Furthermore, she does it all successfully and stays focused throughout. Colvin will remain busy throughout the rest of circuit showing numerous horses and ponies as the weeks continue.

The reserve champion today in the Small Junior 15 & Under Hunters, presented by Martha Jolicoeur and Illustrated Properties, was awarded to Bold Venture. Bold Venture is a thirteen-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by the Zeidler Farm, all the way from Canada. Michael Hughes was aboard Bold Venture for the reserve championship honor. The pair secured the award by placing second in three classes and fourth in another class.

Stay tuned next week as the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival moves on to Week 8 of the winter circuit on March 2-6.

For full results please visit www.showgroundslive.com or for more information, visit www.equestriansport.com.

Jumping: Wellington: WEFPeter Wylde and Lipton De L'Othain Win $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

 Peter Wylde and Lipton De L'Othain won the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic during week seven of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival,
www.sportfot.com.

For Immediate Release
Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL - February 27, 2011 - The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded its seventh week of competition on Sunday afternoon with an exciting victory for Peter Wylde and Lipton D'Lothain in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic. Wylde and his mount of six years, owned by Windward Farm and Jessica Siuda, mastered the jump-off course and galloped to the win.

This week's course designer in the International Arena was Olaf Petersen Jr. of Germany. Petersen built a fitting course for today's competitors and saw seven of the 49 entries jump clear in the first round. A fall kept one competitor from returning for the short course, but the remaining six riders jumped off to determine top honors.

Peter Wylde and Lipton De L'Othain were the fastest of four double clear rounds and stopped the clock in 36.013 seconds for the win.

Pablo Barrios and Nathalie Mathers' Costa cleared the course in 37.384 seconds to finish in second place. Nick Skelton and Big Star, owned by Beverly and Gary Widdowson, finished in 37.844 seconds to earn third place, and Sergio Niento Del Rio galloped Fabiana Banco Del Bajio through the timers in 39.124 seconds to place fourth.

Enrique Gonzalez and Obelix 148 finished with eight faults to earn fifth place honors and Richard Spooner and Molly Ohrstrom's Billy Bianca incurred eight jumping and four time faults after a refusal to finish in sixth.

Commenting on what made the difference in his time, Wylde smiled after the class, stating, "That horse makes the difference; he's like a Ferrari. He is so fast and careful and competitive. He wins many, many classes. I saw Nick go and he was really fast and left strides out and I thought, 'Oh boy, in order to win you've really got to take every risk.' I tried. That's his nature, to win. It makes it fun and easy. He's a brilliant animal and I was lucky he was on form today."
Peter Wylde and Lipton de L'Othain with ringmaster
Cliff Haines and Lauren Tisbo of Suncast
Lipton De L'Othain is a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding by Kashmir Van Schuttershof x Prince Du Logis. "We bought him as a six-year-old," Wylde explained. "We have had him for many years and he's been a winner all of his life. We had a little bit of a slow start at the beginning of circuit, but he is incredibly careful and will almost never knock a jump down. That's why I don't ride him in the biggest grand prix (classes). This level for him is good. Last year he did 18 ROLEX ranking competitions and was in the first three in 15 of them. He has an impressive record. It is not a surprise that he can win a class like this; it's right up his alley."

Commenting on the course, Wylde noted, "I thought it was one of the hardest 1.50m tracks we've jumped here. It was quite big and there were some difficult distances. It wasn't far off from an international grand prix."

"It's great to win here," he added. "No matter what the class is, to win in Palm Beach is brilliant."

Wylde has been based in Germany for seven years, but enjoys the opportunity to compete in Wellington each year. "I hope to be able to come here every winter," he said. "The sport is very exciting here. I have two very good American owners - Jessica Siuda and Windward Farm and Beth Johnson and Louisburg Farm. We all like to be here in the wintertime. As long as it is financially possible and we have good enough horses to come here, we'll make the effort to be here. It is an incredible circuit."
 Peter Wylde and Lipton De L'Othain won the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic during week seven of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival,
www.sportfot.com.
Earlier in the day the International Arena held week seven's $10,000 EquiFit High Junior Jumper Classic. With the only clear round in the class, Katie Dinan and Belle Dame D were the winners.

The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival will continue with its eighth week of competition beginning on Wednesday, March 2. Sponsored by G&C Farm, week eight will feature many exciting classes and is a CSIO rated competition.

A $5,000 CSIO Welcome Stake will be held on Wednesday and the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 8 will run on Thursday. Friday will feature a $31,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic and the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm. Saturday's schedule includes a $10,000 Speed Stake and a $25,000 ESP Jumper Stake during the day, with the Eventing Pro Cross Derby at 5:30 p.m. and the $35,000 Hermès Puissance. On Sunday the week will conclude with a $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic followed by the $150,000 Trump Grand Prix CSIO 4*.

For full results please visit www.showgroundslive.com and for more information, visit www.equestriansport.com.

Final Results: $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

1 LIPTON DE L'OTHAIN PETER WYDLE WINDWARD FARM & JESSICA SIUDA: 0/0/36.013
2 COSTA PABLO BARRIOS NATHALIE MATHERS: 0/0/37.384
3 BIG STAR NICK SKELTON BEVERLY & GARY WIDDOWSON: 0/0/37.844
4 FABIANA BANCO DEL BAJIO SERGIO NIENTO DEL RIO SERGIO NIENTO DEL RIO: 0/0/39.124
5 OBELIX 148 ENRIQUE GONZALEZ ENRIQUE GONZALEZ: 0/8/37.568
6 BILLY BIANCA RICHARD SPOONER MOLLY OHRSTROM: 0/12/50.977
7 ES CARANDO Z OTAVIO PENEDO OTAVIO PENEDO: 0/WD
8 VAILLANT S LAUREN TISBO TEQUESTRIAN FARMS LLC: 4/64.796
9 KATINA ENRIQUE GONZALEZ ENRIQUE GONZALEZ: 4/64.905
10 G&C FLASH PABLO BARRIOS PABLO BARRIOS & GUSTAVO MIRABAL: 4/65.858
11 LITTLE TINKA HOLGER HETZEL HOLGER HETZEL: 4/67.241
12 CELESTA RODRIGO DIAZ RODRIGO DIAZ: 4/67.578

Eventing: Herdade Vale Sabroso: Clayton Fredericks (AUS) Wins the Portugese Harly-Davidson CIC** Horse Trials; Patricia Ryan (IRE) Wins the CIC*




Jumping: World Cup: Gothenburg: A STAR IS BORN ON A SPECIAL DAY IN GOTHENBURG - AND HER NAME IS ANGELICA - by Louise Parkes

Sweden's Angelica Augustsson, winner of the 12th leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series at Gothenburg, Sweden today is presented with her prize by Magali Dubois Vaucher, Rolex.  Photo: Roland Thunholm/FEI

Swedish hearts were bursting with pride as a bright young super-star was born in the Scandinavium Arena at Gothenburg, Sweden this afternoon where local girl Angelica Augustsson galloped to victory in the penultimate qualifying round of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping seres.  There was an outpouring of emotion in the aftermath, and even hardened veteran Ludger Beerbaum, who slotted into third behind runner-up Edwina Alexander from Australia, expressed his amazement at having taken part in one of the most thrilling competitions seen on the international circuit in recent history.

Jumping: Thermal: HITS: Purina Power! Mark Watring and Green Sleeps Vioco Capture the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, Presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal

© Flying Horse Photography.
Mark Watring and Green Sleeps Vioco capture the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal.
THERMAL, CA (February 28, 2011)--Puerto Rico’s Mark Watring and Horseworks Etc. Inc’s Green Sleeps Vioco secured their first Grand Prix triumph of the circuit when they scored the top prize in Saturday’s $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, in the indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park, in Thermal, California.

Last night’s triumph by Watring continued an impressive streak by the men competing at HITS Thermal as each Grand Prix has been won by a male Grand Prix rider thus far. The talented horse-and-rider combination was the top team out of the 31 starters to challenge International Course Designer Marina Azevedo’s (Sao Paulo, Brazil) first-round course and the four that advanced to the jump-off.

“He is a new horse for me,,” said Watring, of his horse. “We have been a great team so far. We are going to the Pan Am Games together and hopefully to the next Olympics in London.”

It took ten trips before the first round would produce a clear effort. Susan Hutchison (Temecula, California) broke the string when she made it all the way home without dropping any rails riding El Dorado 29’s Cantano. And for a time, it seemed like the enthusiastic crowd that watched the class, including the sold out Charles Owen VIP Club, would not get to see a jump-off. Watring (Thousand Oaks, California) and Green Sleeps Vioco quickly changed that outlook when they jumped clear in the 19th spot of the first round, bringing the crowd to its feet.

At the end of the first round, four horse-and-rider combinations would shoot it out for the blue ribbon and a first-place check for $15,000. “I thought four horses in the jump-off was a perfect number,” said Azevedo. “The course was challenging. I had some spots in there that needed to be ridden very steady and other places where the rider really needed to go for it.”

The jump-off featured two American riders, a Canadian and one from Puerto Rico giving the horse race over fences an International taste. First to go was Hutchison and Cantano 29 and they had a rail down in 36.38 seconds and finished the class in third place.

Watring was the next rider to attempt to go clean but failed to navigate the track successfully, crossing the timers with four faults in 35.32 seconds. Canada’s Michelle Vandal (Sanichton, British Columbia, Canada) and Divine Diva carefully tackled the course next, knowing a clear round would assure them no worse than a red ribbon. The talented team was clear heading to the last jump but dropped a rail in 40.77 seconds to eventually place fourth.

Rich Fellers and Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Flexible entered the ring in the last-to-ride spot as the clear-cut favorites to secure the blue ribbon. The pair already has three Grand Prix wins in their pocket this circuit, including a victory in Thursday’s $31,000 Strongid C 2X Welcome Classic, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and are sitting in third place in the U.S. West Coast League’s Standings for the FEI World Cup. It looked like lighting would strike one more time as they had the time but pulled the very last rail in a time of 35.68 seconds to finish in second place.

With his victory, Watring earned some valuable points in the race for the Platinum Performance Leading World Cup Rider Award. The top rider in the combined four FEI World Cup Qualifiers at HITS Thermal will receive a one-year supply of product, courtesy of Platinum Performance.

Action for the High-Performance riders at HITS Thermal continues today with the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to cap off Desert Circuit IV as Grand Prix riders continue to shoot it out for a spot in the second-annual Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix that will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York on Sunday September 11.

"I would love to be there if I qualify," added Watring. "I think I have the perfect horse for it."
© Flying Horse Photography.
HITS' Senior Vice President Tony Hitchcock, Rebecca Nunes Accounts Manager for Purina Mills, and Desert Feed Bag's Amber Knight and Gretchen Richards congratulate Mark Watring with a Jeroboam from Sonoma Cutrer, after winning the $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Thermal.

Video Alert: Reining: Horse Life Reining Video

For the Love of Horses - Silver Spurs:  Equestrian Life offers a well-produced video about Reining with the Miolas  and Brett Stone of  Silver Spurs Equine in Scottsdale Arizona...