Wellington, FL – April 1, 2016 – The young jumpers took to the International Ring at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Friday to compete in their final classes of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Erynn Ballard (CAN) and Easy were victorious in the $20,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Seven-Year-Old Final, Adolpho Franco (BRA) and Mia won the $15,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Six-Year-Old Final, and 13 horse and rider combinations jumped clear in the $10,000 Gut Einhaus Young Jumper Five-Year-Old Final to earn prizes, rewarding clear rounds from the circuit’s youngest horses.
The 2016 WEF circuit concludes with its twelfth and final week of competition, sponsored by Rolex, featuring CSI 5* jumper and ‘AA’ rated hunter competition through April 3, 2016. Saturday highlights include the $130,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Final Jump-off, presented by SOVARO®, at 6:30 p.m. followed by the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI 5*. The circuit concludes on Sunday featuring the final round of the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC.
Erynn Ballard and Easy
Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) set the course for 52 starters in the $20,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Seven-Year-Old Final, with 13 clear rounds to advance to the jump-off, and five double clear rounds. Riders were given an a/b option to either jump-off immediately following their round or wait until the end of the class, and all but one chose option a to go immediately following their first round.
Alexandra Paillot set the pace in 40.32 seconds aboard Paillot Equine Consulting Inc.’s Jalanta P, eventually finishing fourth. Laura Kraut jumped a faster round in 38.95 seconds with Poden Farm’s Cicero’s Electric, but settled for second place in the end. Katie Dinan jumped into third place with Grant Road Parnters’ Chiara M in a time of 39.45 seconds. Erynn Ballard and Javier Salvador Stables’ Easy were next to clear the course, shaving over three seconds off of the leading time to win it in 35.42 seconds. Cody Auer later jumped into fifth place with a clear round in 41.29 seconds riding Sarah Ryan’s Elertina.
Seven-year-old winner, Easy, is a Dutch Warmblood mare (Mr. Blue x Burggraaf) owned by Javier Salvador. Ballard explained that she purchased a new horse named Z Diamanty from Salvador at the beginning of the winter, and through the process of getting to know each other and showing that horse, he asked if Ballard would show Easy in the seven-year-olds. She just got the ride on Easy halfway through the circuit, and their plan was to gear the mare up for this final class.
“I have ridden her in six classes, and she has been clear in every single one,” Ballard stated. “The first two weeks I showed her, she was fourth in the first class and second in the qualifier. Then this week, I was sixth in the first class and I was like, ‘I think that’s good, because if I was fourth, I was going to end being second again.’ I changed it up, but I was pretty serious about giving it my best shot to win. I saw Laura (Kraut) go and she was fast, so I went as fast as I could, which held up to be incredibly fast.”
Speaking of her track in the jump-off, Ballard detailed, “My plan was to do six strides from one to two, put a little curve in it, and then get me in on the third jump in the jump-off. Then I left out one stride for seven, but that horse is so competitive and so smart. She always knows where she is, and even when I was going so fast, she still knew that her job was to jump the jumps.”
Erynn Ballard and Easy in their winning presentation with ringmaster Christian Craig, Laura Whitlow of Champion Equine Insurance, Rachel Udelson, and Javier Salvador.
Easy jumped some six-year-old classes last year and spent her summer showing in Europe in 2015. She is a sale horse and came to WEF to be promoted. If she does not get sold, she will continue on with Ballard through the summer.
“I don’t know what her destiny is, but she is going to be quite good at whatever she does,” Ballard stated. “If she stays with me, I will continue to develop her as a seven-year-old. Not that seven-year-olds are limited, but she is so smart and so careful that she probably does not need to do so much in different rings for exposure. I would say as an eight-year-old she could be great in the 1.45m ranking classes, but as a seven-year-old, I would just want to make sure she gets good experience and stays competitive at her level. That way she will be ready to move up as an eight-year-old.”
In addition to her winning prize, Easy was presented the Champion Equine Insurance Jumper Style Award for week twelve. Commenting on Easy’s style, Ballard remarked, “She is pretty flashy. She is a very impressive jumper. When you look at her pictures, she is not centimeters over the jump, she is feet over the jump. I was saying earlier, in the jump-off, even though she is so high, she does it out of stride so she is not wasting time in the air. She puts in an impressive effort over every single fence, but she is still very competitive. She does not waste any time, and she knows that she is supposed to win first place.”
Adolpho Franco and Mia Top $15,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Six-Year-Old Final
The $15,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Six-Year-Old Final was held in the International Ring Friday morning with a win for Adolpho Franco aboard Beth Franco’s Mia. Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) set the course for 45 entries, and yielded 24 to advance to the jump-off. The jump-off was held with an a/b option for riders to either jump the short course immediately following their round or wait until the end. Franco jumped at the end of the class and returned for his jump-off last to go with Mia, clocking the winning time of 33.98 seconds.
The pair finished well ahead of second place finishers Ronan McGuigan and Blythe Masters’ Maximus, who jumped off immediately after their earlier round in a time of 36.26 seconds. David Beisel and Harlow Investment Enterprises’ For Sunday also jumped off at the end with a time of 37.14 seconds to finish third. James Wingrave and his own Casio-Royale also took the b option and finished their jump-off round in 37.80 seconds to place fourth.
Adolpho Franco and Mia
Class winner, Mia, is a six-year-old Holsteiner mare by Quick Star x Contender, owned and home bred by Franco and his wife, Beth Goodwin Franco.
Speaking of his winning mount, Franco stated, “Since she was four years old she has just been nice, wanting to go, and wanting to do the right thing. She just took care of me. I do not know if she is going to jump big classes like 1.60m or 1.50m, but whatever she does, she will do very well.
“My wife rides her more than I do, but she is nine months pregnant, so I took the ride,” Franco noted. “Whatever she does, and for whoever it is, she is going to give her best every single time. Even at home when she is flatting, she is a happy horse. She is always lovely. She is just a great horse.”
Franco explained that week six of WEF was the first time that he got a good feel for how competitive Mia could be.
“In week six in the Mogavero Ring, that was the first time that I actually went for it in the jump-off with her, and she loved it,” he stated. “When I came in here (in the International Ring), I knew that I could go for everything and that she would give me everything. She is a small horse, but she has very long legs. If you keep her contained, she has a nice sized stride, but when you open her up, her stride is huge. I knew I could count on that. From jumps one to two, everybody else did eight or nine strides, and I did eight short. To the oxer by the in-gate, it looked like she knew where she was going, but she came flying and then when I did the turn I think she saw something outside the ring and she jumped it way inside. I really have no idea how she cleared it, but then she ran for the last two, and finished great.”
Franco also explained that Mia is very calm at home, but she knows when it is show time and gets her energy up.
“With these performance horses, you have ones that just know when it is time to go,” he said. “You flat her in the morning at the show and she flats nice and holds herself up, but when you start warming up, she knows. She is pretty smart, and she knows where she is going. She kind of finds her own distances, and you have to respect that.”
Adolpho Franco and Mia in their winning presentation with Kathy Serio for Adequan® and ringmaster Christian Craig.
Franco’s wife is due to have the baby next week, and when she comes back to riding, she will take over the ride on Mia again.
Franco is originally from Brazil, but came to the U.S. in 2009 to work for Paulo Santana. He has known Santana since he was six years old and trained with Santana his whole life. Now that Franco is married, he and his wife are based in Wellington and have their own business. They plan to stay in Wellington for a couple of months with the new baby and then head to Tryon, NC, and Lexington, KY, to show for the summer.
The $10,000 Gut Einhaus Young Jumper Five-Year-Old Final was held Friday morning, awarding prize money for clear rounds overall from the promising young horses of show jumping sport. Thirteen entries jumped clear rounds to be rewarded for their efforts.
Concluding the day in the International Ring on Friday, Alonso Valdez Prado and Chichester 3 won the $2,500 MAYBACH – ICONS OF LUXURY High Amateur-Owner Jumper power and speed.
Garland Alban and Imagine Crowned Champions of Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 Section A
Garland Alban finished the WEF circuit on a high note as the champion of the Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 Section A, which was presented by Triple Crown Blankets. Alban and Imagine topped two of the four over fences classes and placed seventh in another. Imagine also took home a second-place ribbon in the under saddle to clinch the championship title. Danielle Baran rode her own Say When to the reserve honors. Baran earned two second place ribbons, a first, and a fifth over fences aboard her eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding.
Alban, of Lutherville, MD, was humbly pleased with her championship win this week. Imagine, a 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Kerry Anne LLC, partnered with Alban for the first time this week. “It feels really good to win this championship,” Alban remarked. “This was my first time with this horse, and he’s wonderful, and he put up with the mistakes I made here and there. It was really nice to end circuit on this note.”
Imagine and Garland Alban
Alban aimed to spend this week getting to know her new mount, but winning the championship was a pleasant surprise. “He’s done the 3’6” divisions quite a bit and has been very successful with his owner Kerry Anne,” Alban explained.
Imagine proved to be a great match for Alban. She was quick to praise the gelding’s performance this week. “I definitely didn’t ride him perfectly in all the over fences classes, and he worked out the kinks for me,” she laughed.
Imagine is a big horse with a big stride, which helps him float down the lines beautifully. “He has a very good pace and is easy to find the jumps on,” Alban commented. “He’s nice with his changes as well. He’s a very forgiving and kind horse. He’s good for an amateur!”
“I definitely liked my first round the best today,” Alban commented. “I certainly misjudged the first fence in the second class. I came out pleased with my first round, but maybe wasn’t quite as focused as I wish I had been in the second,” she admitted.
Alban said, “I’m not used to getting on a new one and showing right away, so it’s a little bit nerve-racking. He’s such a nice horse, and I wanted to do right by him.”
The opportunity to compete at WEF is one that Alban does not take lightly or for granted. As a mother of eight, four of her own children and four stepchildren, she feels lucky that riding fits into her busy schedule. When in Maryland, Alban rides with Katie Francella at Caves Farm. The team at Boggs Hill Farm, including Tim and Kelly Goguen, has been training Alban in Florida.
“My trainers Tim and Kelly Goguen do such a wonderful job with the horses. They always have them in great shape and doing really well. They have to put up with me flying in to town and giving my amateur rides and then leaving again!” Alban laughed.
Imagine and Garland Alban in their championship presentation.
Alban currently shares her passion for riding with her ten-year-old daughter Georgia, who shows in the Small Pony Hunter divisions. “The schedule at WEF is very helpful for me, because I can come down on Wednesday and compete Thursday and Friday,” Alban stated.
“Riding has always been my passion, and I am lucky now that I get to share that with one of my children,” Alban commented. “I’ve been riding on and off my whole life, but I always come back to it.”
WEF 12 continues on Saturday featuring the $130,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Final Jump-off, presented by SOVARO®, at 6:30 p.m. in the International Ring, followed by the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI 5*. The first round of the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby will also be held on Saturday in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. The top 25 competitors will then continue on to the second round on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Sunday at 1 p.m. For more information and full results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Final Results: $20,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Seven-Year-Old Final
1 4822 EASY ERYNN BALLARD JAVIER SALVADOR STABLE BV: 0/0/35.428
2 1730 CICERO’S ELECTRIC LAURA KRAUT PODEN FARMS: 0/0/38.950
3 1688 CHIARA MIA KATHERINE DINAN GRANT ROAD PARTNERS LLC: 0/0/39.458
4 4084 JALANTA P ALEXANDRA PAILLOT PAILLOT EQUINE CONSULTING INC: 0/0/40.327
5 5208 ELERTINA CODY AUER SARAH RYAN: 0/0/41.296
6 7737 CASSIOPAYA MCLAIN WARD MCLAIN WARD & SUSAN HELLER: 0/4/36.189
7 6573 CHILI PEPPER CHRIS SURBEY SPRUCE MEADOWS: 0/4/36.583
8 7356 CAELLE LAURA KRAUT STARS AND STRIPES: 0/4/36.687
9 1743 CHARMING FELLOW LAURA KRAUT ARDENCOTE FARM: 0/4/37.618
10 7511 CURO LUCY DESLAURIERS MARIO DESLAURIERS: 0/4/39.145
11 6047 VIRTUOSO DE TALMA ROBERTO TERAN JR. ARK PARTNERS LLC: 0/4/39.490
12 7317 ERATO M CARLO GRAZIANI CARLO GRAZIANI: 0/4/41.217
Final Results: $15,000 Adequan® Young Jumper Six-Year-Old Final
1 4745 MIA ADOLPHO FRANCO BETH FRANCO: 0/0/33.982
2 1895 MAXIMUS RONAN MCGUIGAN BLYTHE MASTERS: 0/0/36.261
3 7091 FOR SUNDAY DAVID BEISEL HARLOW INVESTMENT ENTERPRISES: 0/0/37.148
4 5902 CASIO-ROYALE JAMES WINGRAVE JAMES WINGRAVE: 0/0/37.804
5 1092 FOR SIDE VDL SHAINE BROOKS MONTY KELLY: 0/0/38.158
6 6094 CORALISSA ROBERTO TERAN JR. ARK PARTNERS LLC: 0/0/38.389
7 5584 AHENA D’OUILLY FREDERIC CHATEAU FREDERIC CHATEAU: 0/0/39.165
8 7542 KENSAI VAN DE VOORTBOSSEN MORGAN KENNEDY MAARTEN HUYGENS: 0/0/39.751
9 585 BILLY ALABAMA GEORGE WHITAKER NEIL JONES EQUESTRIAN INC: 0/0/39.752
10 5149 KBS RONNIN KEVIN BABINGTON EMILY HILL: 0/0/41.004
11 6539 LORD CALADOR TODD MINIKUS MELISSA BILODEAU: 0/4/35.977
12 7719 FARONA DANIEL COYLE ARIEL AND SUSAN GRANGE: 0/4/36.973
Final Results: $10,000 Gut Einhaus Young Jumper Five-Year-Old Final
1 4839 PEREGRINE JONATHAN ASSELIN ATTACHE STABLES: 0/0
2 5789 GENERAAL ALANNAH WAGSTAFF TREASURE COAST STABLES: 0/0
3 508 MANHATTAN LAURENZ BUHL GOTHAM ENTERPRIZES LLC: 0/0
4 597 LUIGI DENISE WILSON NEIL JONES EQUESTRIAN INC: 0/0
5 6673 LIMONCELLO SCF DAVID O’BRIEN SPY COAST FARM LLC: 0/0
6 2037 CONVERSE POINT FILIP DE WANDEL COPPERLINE FARM LLC: 0/0
7 2861 STAKKATO ONYX KAITLIN CAMPBELL ARABELL SALES: 0/0
8 4833 QUAILITYH BEN ASSELIN ATTACHE STABLES: 0/0
9 2761 INDOCHIN ADAM PRUDENT KIMBERLY RICE: 0/0
10 414 BON CHICKA BONNIE WILLIAM HICKEY ALEX JAYNE: 0/0
11 1446 NIKITA DANIEL COYLE ARIEL AND SUSAN GRANGE: 0/0
12 3083 GAMBLE ASTA TOROKVEI ASTA TOROKVEI: 0/0
13 1815 RIO’S MOCHA JULIANA STARBUCK STARBUCK EQUESTRIAN: 0/0
Photo Credit: Photos © Sportfot, An Official Photographer of the Winter Equestrian Festival, sportfot.com. These photos may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.