For Immediate Release
Summer Grace for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Wellington, FL — January 30, 2019 — A field of almost 90 horse-and-rider combinations kicked off the fourth week of the 2019 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) with a change of scenery as the $6,000 Bainbridge 1.40m CSI 4* class took to the Derby Field Wednesday morning. Brazil held both top positions in the class as newcomer Sergio Marins executed a flawless and lightning-fast round to take the win.
Sergio Marins and Elvis Santa Monica. Photo © Sportfot.
Week 4 is sponsored by Marshall & Sterling Insurance/Great American and features a fan favorite, the Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments® , during “Saturday Night Lights” on February 2 at 7 p.m. in the International Arena. The week will also host a variety of top hunter and jumper competition, including Saturday’s $209,000 Marshall & Sterling Insurance/Great American Grand Prix. Jumper riders will have the opportunity to enjoy new surroundings as each day will feature competition on the Derby Field at Equestrian Village as well as in the typical Palm Beach International Equestrian Center setting.
Marins and the 10-year-old KWPN gelding (Berlin x Lady Santa Monica), Elvis Santa Monica, jumped towards the end of the order with only seven horse and rider combinations following. As the 81 of 86 entries to compete over the Anderson Lima (BRA) designed course, Marins went full-throttle to overtake the lead from fellow Brazilian competitor Luiz Francisco De Azevedo. Azevedo had entered the field approximately ten trips earlier aboard Santa Cecilia Stables’ nine-year-old Zangersheide mare (Sandro Boy x Carotin HP), So What HP, and had set the lead with a blazing time of 31.61 seconds.
Marins and Verena Janssen’s Elvis Santa Monica finished with a time of 30.46 seconds, which was even more impressive when compared to the time faults accumulated by almost half of the class entries. The third place title went to the USA’s Todd Minikus with Todd Minikus LTD’s I Dottori VD Richter, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Winningmood VD Arenberg x Ranca). The pair took home a time of 31.80 seconds in the second phase of competition.
Marins plans to return to Brazil following Week 4 of WEF and is especially pleased with the win as it was the duo’s only competition for the week.
“ I am very, very happy because this is the first time this horse and I have stayed here and competed in Wellington and the FEI competition is much more competitive here,” Marins said. “To win such a big class here, it makes me very happy and very proud; I look forward to coming again next year.”
Bainbridge Chairman and CEO Richard Schechter, Ringmaster Steve Rector, Sergio Marins and Nelton Marcon. Photo © Sportfot.
Competition will continue Thursday, January 31, featuring the fourth round of the $72,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup on the Derby Field at Equestrian Village.
Final Results: $6,000 Bainbridge 1.40m Jumper
1 ELVIS SANTA MONICA: 2009 KWPN gelding by Berlin x Lady Santa Monica
SERGIO MARINS (BRA), Verena Janssen: 0/0/30.46
2 SO WHAT HP Z: 2010 Zangersheide mare by Sandro Boy x Caretina HP
LUIZ FRANCISCO DE AZEVEDO (BRA), Santa Cecilia Stables: 0/0/31.61
3 I DOTTORI VD RICHTER: 2008 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Winningmood VD Arenberg x Ranca
TODD MINIKUS (USA), Todd Minikus LTD: 0/0/31.80
4 CARTOUCHE:2007 Silla Argentina stallion
DANIEL BLUMAN (ISR), Daniel Bluman: 0/0/31.94
5 JERSEY V.D. HUNTERS: 2009 Belgian Warmblood mare by Scendix x Endless
NICOLE BELLISSIMO (USA), Charlie & Nicole, LLC: 0/0/34.01
6 CHICA BZ: 2009 Zangersheide mare by Canturano x Bolanda
MARTIN FUCHS (SUI), Juri Adolfo: 0/0/34.55
7 PALOMA: 2006 Holsteiner mare by Canaletto S x H Lila M
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), Kathleen Kamine: 0/0/35.07
8 NATHAN DETROIT: 2007 Warmblood gelding
PARIS SELLON (USA),Willow Grace Farm: 0/0/35.33
9 DUTSBOY:2008 KWPN gelding by Veron x Unicum
DARRAGH KENNY (IRL), Born To Ride, LLC: 0/0/35.97
10 LINCOURT GINO: 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Gino III x Lady Graf
ALEJANDRO KAROLYI (VEN), Monica Carrera: 0/0/37.01
11 ZAIA DI SAN GIOVANNI: 2009 Sella Italiano mare by Cornet Obolensky x Sophia Di San Giovanni
MAC CONE (CAN), Chadburn Holdings Inc: 0/0/37.08
12 CACHAREL: 2007 KWPN mare by Vingino x Shalimar
KELLY SOLEAU-MILLER (USA), Bridge Brook Arms & Donna Vanderwoude-Dyment: 0/0/37.40