For Immediate Release
Amanda Picciotto Feitosa and Summer Grace for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Wellington, FL – March 31, 2022 – The Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) delivered another exciting day of competition on Thursday, March 31, as the circuit’s final week, presented by Rolex, continues toward its thrilling conclusion. While international show jumping was featured on the Derby Field at Equestrian Village, junior equitation riders were in the spotlight in the International Arena at Wellington International with the best of the best vying for the top placing in the WEF Equitation Championship, presented by NetJets. As the sun set, Luke Jensen of Denton, Texas, emerged victorious with Stephex Stables’s Jamaica.
The highlight of WEF 12 and the 2022 WEF circuit is the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* on Saturday, April 2, at 11 a.m. ET. While there is no “Saturday Night Lights” event for WEF 12, fans of equestrian sport are welcomed to cheer on horses and riders at the $35,000 Wellington National Golf Club Spring 1 Grand Prix on Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Riders for Thursday evening’s championship class qualified by winning an equitation class during the 2022 WEF season, the 2021 Holiday and Horses Horse Show, or the 2021 Holiday Finale show. Andy Christiansen (USA) and Ken Krome (USA) designed the 12-fence first course for the 46 qualified athletes to contest. The top 12 were then called back in reverse order for a second round, which had additional challenges woven into the course, such as a simple change of lead between fences six and seven, and a halt after the final fence, fence 10. Four riders returned for further testing, before judges from panel one, Alex Jayne and Tiffany Morrissey, and panel two, Chris Kappler and Michael Tokaruk, crowned their champion.
A further challenge for this class is that riders must walk the course and come up with a plan without the assistance of a trainer or staff. Riders hand in their cell phones at the start and can only be assisted by one groom in the warm-up area.
Diane Landreville and Jennifer Matts observed the warm-up for the first two rounds and awarded riders a score ranging from minus two to plus two points, which was added to the combination’s overall score.
Riders proved up to the task this evening, with an extremely competitive field producing an average score of 80 in the first round and just over seven points separating the top 12. The close score differential meant it was anyone’s game coming into round two.
Ellie Aronson (Atlanta, Georgia) made the biggest jump up the leaderboard with Wolfstone Stables & Sales Inc.’s Conthacco, a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Conthargos, going from eighth to fourth, and ultimately finishing in second. As the final four completed the work-off in reverse order, Aronson was first to test.
“In the test, since I was first to go, I felt like I had nothing to lose, so I just went out and tried to do my best,” remembered Aronson of her work-off. “I wanted to land the counter canters to then hold the lead. I ended up having to do one change, but other than that I was really happy with it.”
Aronson, who is 16 years old and trains with the team at North Run, was making her WEF Equitation Championship debut this year and has been paired with Conthacco since the start of the circuit. “Taco” is a veteran in this class, having competed with Jensen last year.
“I was most nervous about the schooling, just because I didn’t want to jump too much since Taco is a quiet horse,” Aronson reflected. “I had my groom, Amber, helping me, and she was amazing. I just tried to do as I felt like I needed to and tried not to stress about it too much.”
Zayna Rizvi (Wellington, Florida), who also trains with North Run, has been partnered with Acer K, an 11-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Missy Clark and North Run, for three years. They came into the second round on top, after a first round score of 93.5. Some small mistakes in the second round and work-off saw them finish in fourth place.
“For the second round, one of the main things I was focusing on was the last jump. I knew I wanted to have a bold canter and show off a little,” detailed Rizvi. “I ended up having that rail, which was kind of what I was trying to avoid, but I’ll learn from that mistake.”
She continued, “I thought I did parts of the test really well, and then there were parts I would like to improve on, but those things I will go home and practice for next time.”
The most veteran rider of the top four was Augusta Iwasaki (Calabasas, California). This was Iwasaki’s fifth time competing in the class, but her mount was the most inexperienced of the group, just transitioning from being a jumper to an equitation horse when Iwasaki picked up the ride in the middle of the circuit.
“Izar is a really smart horse. He always puts his best foot forward. He’s really good at tests, and I was really proud of him tonight,” described Iwasaki of the nine-year-old gelding owned by Kyle Timm.
From her previous experiences, Iwasaki was comfortable working on her own.
“I usually kind of do my own thing anyway. My trainers always get mad at me, because I’m kind of in my own world,” joked the 18-year-old who starts college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in the fall. “All of my trainers and everyone at Ashland Farms had a meeting earlier and talked about the plan. I know my trainers have told me what I need to know, so it’s really fun to be able to do it with the other riders from your barn and have some team spirit. Everyone was really great, and we all leaned on each other.”
Winner Luke Jensen gave North Run their third rider in the top four. He piloted Jamaica, groomed by Callista Smith, this evening in his second WEF Equitation Championship appearance and sat in second place after round one. After a stylish performance with the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood by Zurich in round two, Jensen was 2.375 points ahead of Rizvi. He did just enough in the final phase to hold on to the lead and secure the overall win.
“I’m so grateful to Stephex and North Run for the ride on Jamaica. Jamaica really thrives in a big ring. Actually, Jamaica always thrives!” enthused Jensen of the horse he started riding at the beginning of the season. “I just wanted to build on what we have been working on through all of WEF.”
Jensen, who is also in his last junior year at 18 years old, echoed the sentiments of his fellow competitors, that they enjoyed making their preparations with the fellow riders from their barn.
He remarked, “The sense of community is so fun. To be able to do it together and to work through and solve the problems together and figure it out is one of the most fun parts. It’s cool to see how much you’ve learned and what you can feel.”
Jensen’s trainers John Brennan, Missy Clark, Margaret Gampfer, and Martien van der Hoeven received the Trainer Award. Awards for the families of the top two riders, Luke Jensen and Ellie Aronson, were given in honor of their support.
The “Class Action” Best Equitation Horse Award was given to Jamaica, ridden by Luke Jensen and owned by Stephex Stables, and presented by Stacia Madden.
The Best Turned Out Horse Award was presented to West Hill’s Castlefield Spartacus, ridden by Isabella David, and groomed by Jairo Castillo.
Final Results: WEF Equitation Championship, presented by NetJets
Top four were tested in a third round to determine final placings, but only scores from the first two rounds were announced.
1. LUKE JENSEN | JAMAICA | STEPHEX STABLES
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
91.625 / 93 | 184.625
2. ELLIE ARONSON | CONTHACCO | WOLFSTONE STABLES & SALES INC
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
88.75 / 88.5 | 177.25
3. AUGUSTA IWASAKI | IZAR | KYLE TIMM
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
91.5 / 86.75 | 178.25
4. ZAYNA RIZVI | ACER K | MISSY CLARK & NORTH RUN
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
93.5 / 88.75 | 182.25
5. AMIRA KETTANEH | CARETINHUS | LEIGH KETTANEH
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
86.375 / 90.5 | 176.87
6. ALEXA ELLE LIGNELLI | LAGERFELD | HAMPTON GREEN FARMS LLC
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
90.5 / 85.5 | 176
7. ANNALISE MANOOG | CAROLLO | NICOLE MANOOG
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
87.125 / 86.5 | 173.625
8. TESSA DOWNEY | HH MOONSHINE | TESSA DOWNEY
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
88 / 83.5 | 171.5
9. CARLEE MCCUTCHEON | CHACCO STAR | KENNEDY MCCAULLEY
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
90.5 / 78 | 168.5
10. ISABELLA DAVID | CASTLEFIELD SPARTACUS | WEST HILL
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
90.5 / 78 | 168.5
11. ELLIE DUPUIS | ASTRO DE RAVEL | OLIVIA ROBERTSON
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
86.25 / 68.5 | 154.75
12. JORDAN GIBBS | CENT 15 | MOUNTAIN KING RANCH LLC
R1 / R2 | TOTAL
90.5 / 41 | 131.5
Bertram Allen and Pacino Amiro Cruise to Top Finish in $140,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round XII CSI5*
At the end of the first round in the $140,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round XII CSI5*, 14 of the original 54-horse starting field managed to find a successful way across Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) challenging track. With Jorge being one of the world’s best designers, the qualifying track for the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI5* was sure to be a challenge worthy of the elite combinations contesting it. The course’s obstacles included three double combinations, a liverpool element, and a tall wall that were all to be navigated in a succinct time of 75 seconds. Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt produced the first fault-free effort early on in the class and was quickly followed by Tiffany Foster (CAN) to ensure a jump-off would occur. Twelve more top athletes joined them to up the ante and create an exciting returning line-up.
Four of the 14 entries decided to save their jumps for another day. Margie Goldstein-Engle (USA), Rowan Willis (AUS), Beat Mändli (SUI), and Kent Farrington (USA) withdrew, leaving only 10 combinations for the shortened course.
As the first to qualify for the jump-off, Weishaupt was also the first of the 10 to contest the final course but finished with a four-fault score. Following Weishaupt, Foster became the class’s clear-round pathfinder as she found the way around the course to end on a time of 46.07 seconds with no faults riding long-time partner Figor. Foster’s lead was short lived when Bertram Allen of Ireland effortlessly shaved four seconds off of her time to finish in 42.88 seconds.
Several more competitors would produce a fast and fault-free finish but once again none were able to have a better ride than Allen and Aiden McGrory’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Pacino Amiro (Pacino x NC Amiro).
“I started him off out here on the grass during his first week [at WEF] because I knew the next three five-stars were on the sand,” explained Allen. “I think the reason we were so successful in today’s jump-off was because I didn’t lose my pace anywhere. Every time I turned, something nice came up and I didn’t have to do anything crazy or wild.”
The duo has already had an incredibly successful circuit and hope to have another five-star victory following their win in the $406,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSI5* during WEF 6.
“He has been great throughout all of the circuit,” continued Allen. “He’s had the last two weeks off, and I’ve just been trying to keep him feeling fresh. He really felt fresh today and found it very easy, so that was a nice feeling.”
Italy’s Lorenzo De Luca managed to find the second-fastest time across the field for the runner-up honors. He and the Poden Farms’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding F One USA (Toulon x Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve) jumped to a double-clear finish but still landed almost two seconds slower than Allen in a time of 44.24 seconds. Karl Cook (USA) rounded out the podium with Helen Signe Ostby’s Kalinka Van’t Zorgvliet. Cook piloted the 12-year-old BWP mare (Thunder VD Zuuthoeve x Flipper d’Elle) to another clean ride with a time of 44.66 seconds.
Final Results: $140,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round XII CSI5*
1. PACINO AMIRO: 2012 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Pacino x NC Amiro
BERTRAM ALLEN (IRL), Aiden McGrory: 0/0/42.88
2. F ONE USA: 2010 KWPN gelding by Toulon x Tangelo Van De Zuuthoeve
LORENZO DE LUCA (ITA), Poden Farms: 0/0/44.24
3. KALINKA VAN’T ZORGVLIET: 2010 BWP mare by Thunder VD Zuuthoeve x Flipper d’Elle
KARL COOK (USA), Helen Signe Ostby: 0/0/44.66
4. FIGOR: 2010 KWPN mare by VDL Groep Zagreb x Indoctro
TIFFANY FOSTER (CAN), Artisan Farms, LLC: 0/0/46.07
5. IGOR VAN DE WITTEMOERE: 2008 BWP gelding by Cooper Van De Heffinck x Orlando
NAYEL NASSAR (EGY), Evergate Stables, LLC: 0/4/45.92
6. CAPTAIN COOPER: 2007 KWPN gelding by Namelus R x Corland
HILARY MCNERNEY (USA), Hilary McNerney: 0/4/47.20
7. LEVIS DE MUZE: 2011 BWP stallion by Elvis Ter Putte x Tinka’s Boy
IOLI MYTILINEOU (GRE), Elia Construction SA: 0/4/47.34
8. COBY 8: 2010 Hannoverian gelding by Contagio x Escudo 19
PHILIPP WEISHAUPT (GER), Mariko Kato, Noyuri Ko, and Beerbaum Stables: 0/4/48.35
9. GINGER-BLUE: 2011 KWPN mare by Plot Blue x Royal Bravour BEN MAHER (GBR), Jane Forbes Clark: 0/8/45.58
10. KILLER QUEEN VDM: 2010 BWP mare by Eldorado VD Zeshoek x For Pleasure
DANIEL DEUSSER (GER), Stephex Stables: 0/8/49.91
11. ROYCE: 2004 OS stallion by Cafe Au Lait x Grandilot
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Gladewinds Partners, LLC: 0/71.61
12. DSARIE: 2008 KWPN mare by Veron x Ahorn
BEAT MÄNDLI (SUI), Grant Road Partners GMBH: 0/74.18
Langmeier and Bahira S Coast to Victory in $12,000 CabanaCoast 1.45m Speed CSI2*
Starting off on Thursday, international jumper riders for the CabanaCoast-sponsored CSI2* division got their first taste of the turf for the week in the $12,000 1.45m speed class. Late in the order, McKayla Langmeier (USA) and Bahira S charged up to the first oxer and never let up, galloping away with the win in 51.80 seconds.
Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) along with assistant course designer Mauricio Garcia (PUR) set a winding track across the expansive Derby Field for 66 starting combinations, representing 16 nations. The time allowed of 69 seconds proved to be a non-issue, with several quick turns interspersed with longer gallops providing plenty of opportunity for efficiency and speed.
Luis Fernando Larrazabal (VEN) was fifth in the order and crossed the timers in 55.31 seconds with Calle Quinn (Calmando 3 x Quintero), owned by Ana Holguin. Larrazabal’s time looked like it would be the winning ride, until 52 trips later when Langmeier and Bahira S demonstrated an even faster gear to finish three and a half seconds ahead. Second to last on course, Luciana Christina Guimaraes Lossio (BRA) and her own Lady Louise Jmen gave it a good shot, stopping the clock in 54.73 seconds for second place. Larrazabal slotted into third.
“Today’s goal with her was to go in there and try to win,” noted Langmeier. “I just wanted to be mindful of the right turns in the course because they’re a little bit harder for me with her. Anywhere there’s a right turn and I’m going fast, I’m always a little bit pre-planning where I want to be on the landing with her.”
Bahira S was previously owned by Chile’s Samuel Parot, and Abigail McArdle, who now rides with Parot and previously rode for Henri and Katie Prudent of Plain Bay Farm, showed her in a few classes as well. That caught the eye of the Prudents, who thought it would be a good match for Langmeier. Rafferty Farm LLC purchased the 12-year-old Oldenburg by Balou du Rouet, and Langmeier has had the ride since, coming up on a year.
“She’s really hot and careful, so doing speed classes with her is kind of her little niche,” said Langmeier. “When I first started riding her, I was a little surprised by just how hot she is. She has a lot of blood, so she sometimes gets a little overpowering, but she’s really fun to ride.”
Though Langmeier rode Bahira S on the grass for the $25,000 CP National Grand Prix during WEF week 6, they otherwise haven’t had a lot of experience with turf arenas.
“It’s great to be able to come out here and kind of let her loose on the grass. Just changing up the scenery with her is always best to keep her sharp and always interested,” explained Langmeier.
Bahira S might be in for another switch up this week, as Langmeier and her team are undecided if they will finish the week in the $50,000 CabanaCoast Grand Prix CSI2* or return to the International Arena on the WEF show grounds for the $50,000 CaptiveOne Advisors National Grand Prix. In either case, Langmeier feels that both challenges would be an exciting way to end their 2022 WEF season.
“It’s really nice to step her up the last week and do some of the bigger classes to set her up for the summer. I just have to thank everyone at Plain Bay, Rafferty Farm, and Kelianda Farm for making it all possible,” she said.
International jumper competition continues tomorrow at Equestrian Village with the $37,000 CabanaCoast Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2* followed by the $37,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.45m CSI5*. At Wellington International, the FarmVet Ring 7 hosts the Ariat National Adult Medal.
Final Results: $12,000 CabanaCoast 1.45m CSI2*
1. BAHIRA S: 2010 Oldenburg mare by Balou du Rouet
MCKAYLA LANGMEIER (USA), Rafferty Farm LLC: 0/51.80
2. LADY LOUISE JMEN: 2010 Brazilian Sport Horse mare
LUCIANA CHRISTINA GUIMARAES LOSSIO (BRA), Luciana Christina Guimaraes Lossio: 0/54.73
3. CALLE QUINN: 2011 Holsteiner gelding by Calmando 3 x Quintero
LUIS FERNANDO LARRAZABAL (VEN), Ana Holguin: 0/55.31
4. LA INDIA CONTAXANNA: 2011 mare
FERNANDO COMUNE (ARG), Fernando Comune: 0/58.35
5. ILEX: 2013 KWPN gelding by Baltic VDL x Chin Chin
FABIO LEIVAS DA COSTA (BRA), Bonne Chance Farm LLC: 0/59.51
6. BILLY DE BEAUFOUR: 2011 Selle Français gelding by Allegreto x Diamant de Semilly
HANNAH SELLECK (USA), Luja LLC: 0/59.59
7. MAESTRO VAN HET BINNENVELD: 2012 Belgian Warmbood stallion by Hunter’s Scendix x Conan Z
WESLEY NEWLANDS (CAN), Weslands Farms: 0/59.68
8. HOLLERNO: 2012 KWPN gelding by Baltic VDL x Ahorn
PETER LUTZ (USA), Lutz/Manfredi Show Jumping & LMW Sporthorses: 0/60.55
9. SANTA ROSA COLDPLAY: 2010 Oldenburg gelding by Centadel x Quintessence Z
DANIEL PEDRAZA LITTLEWOOD (MEX), Daniel Pedraza Littlewood: 0/60.74
10. EXQUISE DU PACHIS: 2010 Selle Français mare by Vagabond de la Pomme x Ogano Sitte
ZAYNA RIZVI (USA), Optimus Agro NV: 0/61.07
11. MANHATTAN VAN’T LEEUWERIKENHOF: 2012 Belgian Warmbood gelding by Emerald Van ‘t Ruytershof x Kashmir Van Schuttershof
FILIP DE WANDEL (BEL), Five Way Farm LLC: 0/61.69
12. BENEFICIAL: 2012 Oldenburg mare by Banderas
ALICIA GADBAN-LEWIS (CAN), Alicia Gadban-Lewis: 0/61.74