Wellington, FL – March 10, 2018 – Riding through a downpour, it was Daniel Coyle of Ireland riding Cita, owned by Ariel Grange & Lothlorien, who came out victorious in the $384,000 Douglas Elliman Real Estate Grand Prix CSI 5* on Saturday, March 10, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. Earlier in the day, Jennifer Bliss on Game Face and Meredith Lipke riding For Love won sections of the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Equiline.

The ninth week of competition at WEF runs March 7-11. WEF hosts hunter, jumper, and equitation competition until April 1 and offers more than $9 million in prize money.

Daniel Coyle and Cita.
Photo by Sportfot

The rain started early on Saturday evening and never let up throughout the entirety of the class, but it was still a highly competitive grand prix. Out of 40 entries, six went clear and advanced to the jump-off over the course designed by Alan Wade of Ireland, who is also tapped to design at this year’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon.

As the only double clear in the class, Daniel Coyle and Cita, a 12-year-old Holsteiner mare by Casall x Pik Ramiro, secured the victory in a time of 42.51 seconds.

“I suppose I had a big advantage tonight,” said Coyle of his second to last position in the jump-off. “My plan was to be clear no matter what because there weren’t any at that time, so it worked out well for me.”

Second place went to Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) on Chaganus, owned by Pessoa Stables. They had a rail in the double combination and finished in a time of 39.59 seconds.

Rodrigo Pessoa and Chaganus.
Photo by Sportfot

“Going in the beginning of the jump-off, you kind of have to risk a little bit because there are still really good riders to come,” said Pessoa. “This is a fence in particular that I’ve had a little bit of problems with him – the combination vertical and oxer. I thought that was a little bit dangerous, but I had to risk it and try not to leave the door open.”

“He’s a very keen horse,” said Pessoa of the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Chacco-Blue x Narew XX. “He’s a real trier, and he’s very, very careful. He has a big heart. The only thing that was difficult with him was that he was a little bit tense, and then in the ring he got a little bit quick. So that’s why I started kind of slow with him during WEF here and doing some smaller classes and figuring out the bridle. For a couple of weeks now, he’s been going well. He’s been improving every time.”

Riding Mario Onate’s Coleman, Rodrigo Lambre (BRA) finished third with four faults on a time of 41.62 seconds.

Rodrigo Lambre and Coleman.
Photo by Sportfot

Lambre stated, “It’s a shame that I had that rail, but I’m really happy because of all the opponents and the high level we have here.”

Lambre started riding Coleman, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding by Kitile Horta x Rulanda, last summer.

“He was ridden by Mario Onate, my partner and boss,” said Lambre. “My first good result [with Coleman] was in Ocala in the Nations Cup. I was clear and one down in the second round. That proves that he has what it takes.”

This is only the second time that Lambre has competed at the Winter Equestrian Festival, but he came prepared with a string of very competitive horses.

“For sure I wanted to come here because I have my eye on the WEG also,” he said. “So [I need] to prove myself. I’m really happy that [my horses] are jumping like this.”

The rain played an obvious part in some riders’ rounds in the grand prix, but Coyle was not one to let it bother him too much.

Daniel Coyle accepts the Herman ‘Kappy’ Kaplan Perpetual Memorial Trophy as the winner of the WEF 9 Grand Prix. The trophy was established by the farriers of the 1995 WEF in memory of Kappy.
Photo by Sportfot

“It’s different conditions, but when you go in the ring, you kind of forget it,” he said. “Then when you come out and go back through your round, yeah, it probably does play a part. But at that time, you have to forget about the rain; forget about the conditions and try to get on with the job that you’re trying to do.”

“The rain was a little bit distracting,” said Pessoa. “It was not torrential rain, but it’s a little bit distracting for us and for the horses as well. Despite that, the footing was really good. He coped very well.”

The joy on Coyle’s face was evident following his winning ride. “It’s really exciting,” he said. “It probably hasn’t sunk in yet, but that is, I think, my first grand prix five-star win. There’s nowhere better to do it than here.”

(Left to right): Ringmaster Steve Rector; Don Langdon, Managing Broker Florida; Dottie Herman, CEO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate; Rodrigo Lambre, Daniel Coyle, Rodrigo Pessoa; Gus Rubio, COO Florida Brokerage; and Scott Durkin, President and COO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Photo by Sportfot

Don Langdon, Managing Broker Florida for Douglas Elliman Real Estate, stated, “We’re very happy to support this five-star event. We do a tremendous amount for the equestrian world, and we support it all over. We’ll continue to support you for years to come, and we enjoy it.”

As the grand prix winning owner, Ariel Grange will receive a two-night stay in a luxury studio at The Brazilian Court Hotel in Palm Beach. Danielle Goldstein was named the Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider, presented in memory of Dale Lawler, for WEF 9.

Final Results: $384,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix

1 CITA: 2006 Holsteiner mare by Casall x Pik Ramiro
DANIEL COYLE (IRL), Ariel Grange & Lothlorien: 0/0/42.51

2 CHAGANUS: 2008 Oldenburg gelding by Chacco-Blue x Narew XX
RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA), Pessoa Stables LLC: 0/4/39.59

3 COLEMAN: 2007 KWPN gelding by Kitile Horta x Rulanda
RODRIGO LAMBRE (BRA), Mario Onate: 0/4/41.62

4 CONTENDROS II: 2007 Hanoverian stallion by Contendro I x Drosselklang II
ANDRES AZCARRAGA RIVERA TORRES (MEX), Jaime Azcarraga: 0/8/39.60

5 DSARIE: 2008 KWPN mare by Veron x Ahorn
BEAT MÄNDLI (SUI), Grant Road Partners LLC: 0/8/42.76

6 DAISY: 2008 KWPN mare by Excenel V x Timeless
MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM (GER), Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC: 0/EL/81.94

7 LIZZIEMARY: 2006 AES mare by Cabri d’Elle x Acord II
DANIELLE GOLDSTEIN (ISR), The Golden Group & Danielle Goldstein: 4/79.30

8 SANCHA LS: 2003 SLS mare by Chin Chin x Polydor
DANIEL BLUMAN (COL), Daniel Bluman LLC: 4/80.00

9 HH AZUR: 2006 Belgian Sport Horse mare Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Sir Lui
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Double H Farm & Francois Mathy: 4/80.52

10 ROYCE: 2004 Oldenburg stallion by Café au Lait x Grandilot
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Gladewinds Farm Inc.: 4/80.55

11 INDRA VAN DE OUDE HEIHOEF: 2008 Belgian Warmblood mare by Casantos x Action-Breaker
SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL), The Blue Buckle Group: 4/81.55

12 WINNING GOOD: 2009 NRPS gelding by Winningmood van de Arenberg x Sir Corland
BEN MAHER (GBR), Poden Farms: 4/82.07

Jennifer Bliss Goes One-Two in Open Hunter Derby

Jennifer Bliss of Loxahatchee, FL, continued her derby field success by repeating her 2017 victory in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Open, presented by Equiline. Last year, she took the victory on Sugarman. This year, she led the victory gallop on Game Face, a nine-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Harris Hill Farm LLC. She also placed second on Poker Face, also owned by Harris Hill Farm LLC.

Jennifer Bliss and Game Face.
Photo by Sportfot

Game Face scored an 87 in the first round and 85 in the second round. They picked up four bonus points in each round by jumping the high options as well as their handy bonus and ended up with a winning total of 180.

On Poker Face, Bliss also received four bonus points in each round, and with scores of 88 and 81, she was second on a total of 177. Michael Desiderio rode Dru Cederberg’s Zero Tolerance to third place on double scores of 84 with four bonus points for a 176 total.

Bliss started riding Game Face, called “Rocco” in the barn, last summer and has taken her time bringing him along after finding him through James Lala.

“We just started showing in the First Years this circuit,” she said of the horse, which is originally from Argentina. “We really bought him in the hopes of developing him into a derby horse. He actually did his first international derby last week. We are using this opportunity in this beautiful venue to give him some derby mileage. We’re really happy with how it’s coming along.”

Bliss termed Game Face as “really brave and scopey and fun at the jumps.”

“He’s made some green mistakes along the way, but I think in the end he’s going to be a really great horse,” she continued. “I was really proud of how he handled the second round, the handy. He stayed smooth and focused.”

Jennifer Bliss and Game Face in their presentation with Kelly Molinari of Equiline and ringmaster Steve Rector.
Photo by Sportfot

With her veteran Poker Face, Bliss was happy to have a strong performance after working on new issues recently.

“To be honest, with him we’ve had some rideability issues we’ve been working on,” she said of the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve. “It gets easier, but never easy! The old horses that you know like the back of your hand, you’re always still working on.

“It’s so competitive down here, so it’s always a nice confidence boost that we’re heading in the right direction, especially with the younger horses that are coming along,” she concluded.

Final Results: $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Open, presented by Equiline

1 GAME FACE JENNIFER BLISS HARRIS HILL FARM LLC
87.00 4.00 91.00
85.00 4.00 89.00 180.00

2 POKER FACE JENNIFER BLISS HARRIS HILL FARM LLC
88.00 4.00 92.00
81.00 4.00 85.00 177.00

3 ZERO TOLERANCE MICHAEL DESIDERIO DRU CEDERBERG
84.00 4.00 88.00
84.00 4.00 88.00 176.00

4 TAKE TWO KERI KAMPSEN TWO GOALS FARM LLC
85.00 4.00 89.00
81.00 4.00 85.00 174.00

5 ST TROPEZ KERI KAMPSEN MARY CRAMER
77.00 4.00 81.00
83.00 4.00 87.00 168.00

6 TIA MARIA MELISSANDRE LINCOURT KAREN MICHAELEK
79.50 1.00 80.50
80.00 4.00 84.00 164.50

7 CORNANDO JENNIFER HANNAN SARAH KERINS
86.00 4.00 90.00
70.00 4.00 74.00 164.00

8 SUGARMAN JENNIFER BLISS HARRIS HILL FARM LLC
83.00 4.00 87.00
67.00 4.00 71.00 158.00

9 MARNEUX JENNIFER HAUSER CYNTHIA BAFFA
73.00 4.00 77.00
75.00 4.00 79.00 156.00

10 LET’S DANCE KELLY JONES KELLY JONES
78.00 4.00 82.00
64.00 4.00 68.00 150.00

11 CLEM BRECOURT HANNAH ISOP TRACY FREELS
75.00 3.00 78.00
65.00 3.00 68.00 146.00

12 WATERFALL CAITLIN WHITE JENNIFER COMBS
75.00 4.00 79.00
62.00 4.00 66.00 145.00

Meredith Lipke and For Love Win Junior/Amateur Derby

Meredith Lipke of Weston, MA, rode For Love to the win in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby for Junior/Amateurs, presented by Equiline.

Meredith Lipke and For Love.
Photo by Sportfot

Lipke and For Love scored 85 and 86, plus picked up four bonus points in each round, for a winning total of 179. Second place went to Kianna Luscher and Carissima W, owned by Northeast Equi-Wave Therapy, LLC. They received scores of 83 and 85, plus three and two bonus points in successive rounds, for a 173 total. Samantha Karp and her own Zentina B scored 81 and 82 with four bonus points in each round for third place on a score of 171.

Lipke, who trains with David Olinyk, bought For Love through Jennifer Bauersachs in 2017. Out of the ring with an injury for most of the year, Lipke has just started to cement her partnership with For Love.

“I fell in love with her the first time I saw her in the First Year Green [Hunters],” said Lipke of the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Argentinus. “Now I get to ride her; it’s a dream come true. I’m just coming back, and she’s a pro. I just really have to stay out of her way, and then we’re good. She’s a dream to ride. She’ll jump anything you point her at; the bigger, the better. She’s all business every day and comes out the same every day. She lives up to her name. She’s a love.”

Lipke praised the beautiful course and excellent footing and said that For Love enjoyed it as well.

She said, “She certainly loves it. She loves getting the gallop going. She was fabulous; I was a little rusty.”

Winning the derby, though, is “a huge confidence booster.” Lipke continued, “I’m just getting back into showing and re-acclimating from the ring to outside takes me a little longer, but fortunately not her. It’s all about having the right horse, and she’s the right horse to teach me how to do it.”

Kelly Molinari of Equiline and ringmaster Steve Rector join Meredith Lipke and For Love.
Photo by Sportfot

Final Results: $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Jr/Am, presented by Equiline