Wellington, FL, March 13, 2013- Week ten of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Horseware Ireland, featured the $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45 speed class on Wednesday with a win for Germany’s Johannes Ehning and Cayenne 162. Earning points on the Longines FEI world ranking list, the pair won over Alise Oken (USA) riding Kaid Du Ry and Beezie Madden (USA) aboard Mademoiselle, with a lightning fast round.
Week ten’s FTI WEF competition will run March 13-17 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) featuring CSI 3* competition. Highlights include the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 on Thursday, the $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m on Friday, the $82,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 3* Grand Prix on Saturday, and the $33,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival features 12 weeks of competition running from January 9-March 31, 2013, and will be awarding almost $7 million in prize money throughout the circuit.
Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Germany is the course designer in the International Arena at PBIEC for week ten. Petersen set the speed track for 39 entries in Wednesday’s highlight FEI 1.45m class sponsored by Spy Coast Farm. The challenging course saw nine clear rounds.
Third in the order, Alise Oken was the first rider to clear the course aboard Hi Hopes Farm LLC’s Marcus Quintus and held the lead through a large part of the class with her time of 61.51 seconds. Nineteen rounds later, Beezie Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Mademoiselle stole the lead in 59.35 seconds. Two rounds after that, Oken returned aboard her second mount, Hi Hopes Farm LLC’s Kaid Du Ry, to reclaim her top spot with an even faster 58.92 seconds. They would both be beat a few rounds later when Johannes Ehning and Winley Farm LLC’s Cayenne 162 breezed through the timers in 58.87 seconds for the win.
Oken and Kaid Du Ry eventually finished second with Madden and Mademoiselle third. Japan’s Eiken Sato and Stephex Stables’ Viva jumped into the fourth position in 60.12 seconds, and Oken’s time with Markus Quintus placed fifth.
Johannes Ehning and Cayenne 162. Photo © Sportfot.
Cayenne 162, a ten-year-old Westphalian mare by Cornet Obolensky x Gonfaron, is a top speed horse for Ehning. The pair has had several good finishes in the last few weeks in Wellington and today was finally their day for a win.
“I think I am really lucky; I have a really fast horse and I had a few classes already where she was second and third,” Ehning noted. “We went today and we were really lucky to win it. I think you could not do so much in the course; you just needed a really fast horse, so it was a good round me and for my horse. We were successful.”
“I have brought her with me three years now to America and I think she really likes it here,” Ehning stated. “In the end of last year I was in Abu Dhabi with her on the Global Champions Tour and she placed in all three classes. She was second in a big class and the first day she won a class. She feels really good outside in big arenas.”
Commenting on Cayenne’s style, Ehning detailed, “She is crazy, but she is easy in the course. That is the easiest thing, to ride her in the course. With dressage work and warm-up it is difficult, but in the course she is doing her job all of the time. She likes to go fast and she is super careful. The quality is unbelievable from her.”
This will be Ehning’s last week in Wellington as he leaves on Monday, but he has enjoyed his time and was happy to get a win to kick off the final few days.
“I really like it here,” he smiled. “This year we only did three weeks here. Normally we do four or five weeks. We always want to come, but we are normally only able to do it every second year, but in the beginning of this year we decided to come for three weeks because it is really lovely.”
Johannes Ehning and Cayenne 162 in their winning presentation with ringmaster Cliff Haines.
Ehning was also happy to get the win in the final class on Wednesday as he finished second in both of the classes held earlier in the day. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off, Sarah Segal and Horatio St. Ventures’ Tilghman and Cian O’Connor and Mary Chapot’s Zealous were both winners in a split class. Ehning and Nybor Pferde GMBH & Co. KG’s Appearance 2 and Todd Minikus aboard Karen Polle’s Udonnay Z were each second. In the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m jump-off, Alexandra Paillot guided Carol Sollak’s Brooklyn Blues to the win. Ehning and Appearance 2 were once again second.
Week ten of the FTI WEF will continue on Thursday with the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 in the International Arena at 1 p.m. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.
Final Results: $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m
1. CAYENNE 162: 2003 Westphalian mare by Cornet Obolensky x Gonfaron
JOHANNES EHNING (GER), Winley Farm, LLC: 0/58.87
2. KAID DU RY: 1998 Selle Francais gelding by Brett Saint Clair x Royal Ardent
ALISE OKEN (USA), Hi Hopes Farm, LLC: 0/58.92
3. MADEMOISELLE: 1997 Holsteiner Mare by Libertino I x Silvester
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/59.35
4. VIVA: 2002 KWPN mare by Corrado x Nimmerdor
EIKEN SATO (JPN), Stephex Stables: 0/60.12
5. MARCUS QUINTUS: 2000 Holsteiner gelding by Carvallo x Sir Shostakov
ALISE OKEN (USA), Hi Hopes Farm, LLC: 0/61.51
6. VESUVIUS: 2002 KWPN gelding by Numero Uno x Expert
MEAGAN NUSZ (USA), Amalaya Investments: 0/62.30
7. CANTANDO LYNGRIIS: 2001 Holsteiner stallion by Cassini I x Zarewitsch XX
DANIEL BLUMAN (COL), Ilan Ferder: 0/63.90
8. CARNEYHAUGH MANX: 2005 Irish Sport Horse gelding by VDL Douglas x Hampton Clover
SCHUYLER RILEY (USA), Katherine Gallagher: 0/66.08
9. ROUNDTHORN MADIOS: 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Condios x Clover Hill
LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms, LLC: 0/66.51
10. WHISPER HE: 2003 KWPN gelding by Unknown
SAMUEL PAROT (CHI), Samuel Parot: 4/60.36
11. ZERO: N/A
LAURA KRAUT (USA), Chris Sorensen: 4/61.72
12. QUIET EASY 4: 2004 Oldenburg gelding by Quidams Rubin x Zapateado
BEN MAHER (GBR), Mrs. Phillips: 4/62.10
Photo Credit: Photos © Sportfot, An Official Photographer of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, us.sportfot.com. These photos may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.