Wellington, FL – January 27, 2010 – McLain Ward and Miss Liberty 7, owned by Overlook Farm, Inc., took the top prize today in the $8,000 Sentient Jet 1.45m Jumpers. They were the fastest in the speed round over second place finishers Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star and Maggie Jayne with Pony Lane Farm’s Esquilino Bay.
Today’s class opened up competition for the third week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), and the week three title sponsor is Nespresso. The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 4, 2010, and the circuit will be awarding almost $6 million in prize money through the circuit.
Olaf Petersen Jr. joins the FTI WEF this week as course designer in the International Arena. He designed a course to welcome jumper riders in the third week. Out of 27 entries, there were 14 clean rounds over the Time First Round format.
The early leader was Pablo Barrios (VEN) and G&C Quick Star, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal. They set the time to beat at 63.418 seconds, which would hold up for second place at the end of the class.
Riding out of the 11th spot in the order, Ward and Miss Liberty 7, owned by Overlook Farm Inc., cruised around the course and crossed the timers in 62.814 seconds to take over the lead.
Taking a bid at the lead was third place finisher, Maggie Jayne, on Pony Land Farm’s Esquilino Bay. They finished in 64.173 seconds. Angela Covert-Lawrence (CAN) and the Eastwood Group’s Unica van de Roshoeve were fourth in 64.460 seconds, while Christina Kelly and With Wings, owned by Raylyn Farms LLC were fifth in 65.759 seconds.
Miss Libery 7, a 15-year-old Oldenburg mare by Liberty M xx Rouletto, has been in Ward’s barn for a year, where she is for sale. “She’s been a great winner over the last year,” Ward said.
Today’s class was not a warm-up for Ward. He explained, “I use her here to win these types of classes. She’s 15 now, so she’s a little older, but very healthy. It’s nice to try and win some prize money during the week with her.”
Miss Liberty 7 and Ward will compete again in the Spy Coast 1.40m Jumpers on Friday in the International Arena, and their plan is to show in the $50,000 CN Palm Beach Derby, which will be held in The Stadium show ground on Sunday, February 21, during week six of the 2010 FTI WEF. Ward believes that she will be a top competitor for the derby with her experience at such top derby competitions as Spruce Meadows Masters.
The third week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival continues tomorrow with the third round of the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup at 1 p.m. The $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes will run on Saturday, January 30, at 7 p.m., following a special exhibition of the Budweiser Clydesdales. On Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., the $75,000 Nespresso Grand Prix, CSI 2* will round out the competition for the week.
For full results and more information, please visit www.shownet.biz or www.equestriansport.com.
Final Results: $8,000 Sentient Jet 1.45m Timed First Round
1. MISS LIBERTY 7, MCLAIN WARD (USA), OVERLOOK FARM INC: 0/62.814
2. G&C QUICK STAR, PABLO BARRIOS (VEN), GUSTAVO & CAROLINA MIRABAL: 0/63.418
3. ESQUILINO BAY, MAGGIE JAYNE (USA), PONY LANE FARM: 0/64.173
4. UNICA VAN DE ROSHOEVE, ANGELA COVERT-LAWRENCE (CAN), EASTWOOD GROUP: 0/64.460
5. WITH WINGS, CHRISTINA KELLY (USA), RAYLYN FARMS LLC: 0/65.759
6. UTAN, ANGELA COVERT-LAWRENCE (CAN), EASTWOOD GROUP: 0/66.852 7. PREZIOSO S, LAUREN HOUGH (USA), HIGHLIFE FARMS: 0/66.919
8. TORTOLA, LAURA KRAUT (USA), BEVERLY WIDDOWSON: 0/68.945
9. CINCINATTI LA SILLA, SEAN CROOKS, GLEN YOUELL: 0/75.877
10. WHEELS UP, IAN MILLAR, TEAM WORKS: 0/76.086
11. MURKA’S MR. BACARDI, PETER CHARLES, PETER CHARLES: 0/76.257
12. CARLUCCI 12, EDOUARD DE ROTHSCHILD, EDOUARD DE ROTHSCHILD: 0/82.439
The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 13 through April 4. WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $5.5 million in prize money will be awarded.
WEF is proud to be supported by their title sponsor, FTI Consulting, Inc. FTI Consulting, Inc. exists to help companies and their stakeholders protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex economic, legal and regulatory environment. FTI is the trusted advisor entrenched in many of the game-changing events that make headlines, move markets and create business history. For more information, please visit www.fticonsulting.com.
During the 12 weeks of WEF, “Saturday Night Lights” headlines the entertainment each Saturday night where spectators not only enjoy the Grand Prix class, but a street carnival, live music, and numerous dining options with box seats, sports bars, and the famed Tiki Hut for front row fun.
Please visit www.equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.