Wellington, FL – March 31, 2010 – Kate Levy up on Gralli, owned by Nicole Brouillard, was victorious in today’s $2,000 Western Hay Co. & Suncoast Bedding 1.30m Jumpers Time First Jump-Off class. The second place honors went to Osvaldo Ornia Pacher on his mount Beach Blonde, owned by The Boot Source LLC. Third place honors went to Jeffrey Welles on Hudson, owned by Kenzie Snyder.
The twelfth week of the FTI WEF is sponsored by Lifestyle Lift® and runs through Sunday, April 4, 2010. The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 4, 2010, and they will be awarding almost $6 million in prize money through the circuit.
Ken Krome designed the course in the DeNemethy Arena with 10 numbered obstacles in the first round and a time allowed of 75 seconds. The course, which was very fluid, included a two stride mid-course and an in-and-out combination nearing the end of the course. A field of 36 competitors came out to compete on this very beautiful Wednesday morning. Nine horse and rider pairs successfully navigated the first round course and advanced to the short course producing double clean rounds.
The time allowed in the jump off round was 45 seconds. The short course consisted of six obstacles, which included a roll back turn to a careful vertical, a two-stride line, and a broken line at the end of the course.
The early leader with a double clean round was Jeffrey Welles aboard Hudson, owned by Kenzie Snyder. The pair dominated the jump-off and posted a faultless round in a time of 30.386 seconds. Welles and Hudson finished up in the third spot in today’s class.
It wasn’t long before Osvaldo Ornia Pacher entered the ring on his horse Beach Blonde, owned by The Boot Source LLC. The pair navigated the short course in a very fast time of 28.045 seconds, which would make them the automatic leaders. The duo finished in the second place position after victories were awarded.
Straight after, Kate Levy and her horse Gralli, owned by Nicole Brouillard, entered the ring. The pair whisked through the timers in 28.031 seconds after producing a double clean round. This immediately put the pair in the top spot and none of the challengers were able to conquer Levy’s time.
Levy spoke of the horse that won today, “She’s a great eleven-year-old mare that I have been riding for about a year. She is super fast, careful and very easy to ride.”
Gralli is no stranger to the winner’s circle. Levy stated, “The horse wins a lot because she is always really game. There was a junior who rode her to many victories earlier on in the season.” In today’s jump-off, Levy’s strategy worked out well since she “just tried to let her do her thing and stay out of her way.”
Tomorrow’s action continues with jumper classes in four rings at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. The highlight jumper classes this final week are the Junior/Amateur Zone Competition Final on Friday at 7 p.m., the Suncast 1.50m Classic on Saturday at 1 p.m., and the $20,000 WEF Young Jumper Finals for Five Year Olds, Six Year Olds, and Seven/Eight Year Olds on Sunday. The $50,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby will run its first round of competition on Friday at approximately 3 p.m. in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. The top 25 will return on Saturday evening to compete in the International Arena following the FTI WEF Circuit Champions Awards, which begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Final Results: $2,000 Western Hay Co. & Suncoast Bedding 1.30m Jumper Time First Jump-off
1. GRALLI, KATE LEVY, NICOLE BROUILLARD : 0/0/28.031
2. BEACH BLONDE, OSVALDO ORNIA PACHER, THE BOOT SOURCE LLC: 0/0/28.045
3. HUDSON, JEFFERY WELLES, KENZIE SNYDER: 0/0/30.386
4. DARKSIDE, JULIE KOERNER, JULIE KOERNER: 0/0/31.069
5. SMAYKEL, DANIELA CORDERO, DANIELA CORDERO: 0/0/31.404
6. QUICK, MARSHALL FIELD IV, 0/0/31.944
7. DISCOVERY, DANIELLE GOLDSTEIN, STARWYN FARMS: 0/0/33.693
8. T, MAURO ATZERI, FULL STRIDE FARM: 0/0/39.187
9. NOVEKO’S REBELLE, ANGELA COVERT-LAWRENCE, ALLAIN BOLDUC: 0/0/44.966
10. PRIMODOCTRO B, JONATHAN MCCREA, CANDY TRIBBLE & WINDSOR SHOW STABLES: 0/4/30.464
11. LITTLE BIG MAMA, LAURA CHAPOT, LAURA CHAPOT: 0/4/32.098
12. PATITA, AINSLEY VINCE, ELIZABETH BATES: 0/4/33.140
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.