Wellington, FL – March 20, 2013- Week eleven of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Artisan Farms, featured the $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class on Wednesday with a win for Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala. Earning points on the Longines FEI world ranking list, the pair beat Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Solerina, Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Wang Chung M2S, and McLain Ward (USA) and Zhum CW, all within nine one-hundredths of a second separating them.
Week eleven runs March 20-24 featuring “AA” hunter and CSI 4* jumper competition. Highlights include the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 on Thursday, the $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m and George Morris Equitation Championship presented by Alessandro Albanese on Friday, the $100,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Final on Saturday, and the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix, Don Little Masters Classic and $101,000 Pennfield Feeds CSI 4* Grand Prix all held on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Sunday.
Saturday night’s 1.50m final will be held at 7 p.m., not 8 p.m. as previously stated, due to entries. 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.
Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, is the course designer in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for week eleven. In Wednesday’s $33,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m, 37 entries contested Jeffery’s speed track with 14 clear rounds. Lauren Hough and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala were the winners in 61.88 seconds. Just behind, Shane Sweetnam and Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farm’s Solerina finished second in 61.91 seconds. Eric Lamaze and Wang Chung M2S, owned by Morningside Stud and Torrey Pines Stable, finished third in 61.94 seconds. McLain Ward and Zhum CW, owned by Ilan Ferder and Missy Clark, were right there in fourth with their time of 61.97 seconds.
Lauren Hough and Ohlala. Photo © Sportfot.
“She is obviously naturally very fast,” Hough said of the winning Ohlala, a ten-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento. “Leaving strides out isn’t normally the way I win; she is just quick across the ground. I made a few last minute adjustments. I wouldn’t say I gave her the best ride today, but she certainly helped me out. She doesn’t like to hit the fences and she enjoys winning, so she makes my job pretty easy.”
“I thought it was a good course today,” Hough stated. “There were a few good turns and I thought he did a nice job. It was a solid 1.45m.”
Commenting on her round, Hough explained, “I really have to stick with my plan. You don’t really end up doing the same number of strides as everybody else, but I did see Eric go. The top three or four were all very close, so I think it was just my lucky day.”
“She is good at everything to be honest,” Hough praised. “She is good indoors, she is good outdoors. I wouldn’t say that there is a particular track that suits her best. She just likes to win.”
Lauren Hough and Ohlala in their winning presentation with ringmaster Cliff Haines. Photo © Sportfot.
Also showing on Wednesday, Wilton Porter and Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Radio City won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m jump-off class. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off, Manuel Espinosa riding Luis Garcia’s Zippo CG and Laura Chapot aboard Mary Chapot’s Umberto were both winners in a split class.
Week eleven of the FTI WEF will continue on Thursday with the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 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. OHLALA: 2003 Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), The Ohlala Group: 0/61.88
2. SOLERINA: 1999 Irish Sport Horse mare by Cruising x Diamond Lad
SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL), Sweet Oak Farm: 0/61.91
3. WANG CHUNG M2S: 2003 KWPN stallion by Royal Bravour x Ahorn
ERIC LAMAZE (CAN), Morningside Stud & Torrey Pines Stable: 0/61.94
4. ZHUM CW: 2004 KWPN gelding by Querlybet Hero x Cambridge
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Ilan Ferder & Missy Clark: 0/ 61.97
5. MARTHA LOUISE: 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare by Maloubet de Pleville 1039 x Wolfgang
CONOR SWAIL (IRL), Chinook Valley, Inc: 0/63.90
6. WHISPER: 2003 KPWN gelding by Zandor Z x Hugo
TAIZO SUGITANI (JPN), TS-Showjumping GmbH: 0/64.06
7. LINES 41: 2002 Westphalian gelding by Larenco x Polydor
ALONSO VALDEZ PRADO (BRA), Alonso Valdez Prado: 0/65.11
8. LA CENTA: 2002 Oldenburg mare by Cento x Silvio I
LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms, LLC: 0/65.53
9. PACIFIC BEACH-H.C.: 1999 Belgian Warmblood mare by Kannan x Gaur
CATHERINE PASMORE (USA), Pasmore Stables, LLC: 0/65.57
10. BROOKLYN BLUES: 2004 Oldenburg mare by Balou du Rouet x Fruhlingsball
ALEXANDRA PAILLOT (FRA), Carol Sollak: 0/65.80
11. BOO VAN HET KASTANJEHOF: 2001 BWP mare by Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Pachat II
ANDREW WELLES (USA), Peter Welles: 0/66.03
12. MARK Q: 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Obos Quality 004 x Positively
KEVIN BABINGTON (IRL), Kevin Babington: 0/66.60
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.