MYAKKA CITY, Fla.--Amanda Derbyshire of Great Britan on Otto BH won the $32,000, 1.45m Welcome Speed at TerraNova Equestrian Center in Southwest Florida.
The TerraNova Winter Series features four weeks of hunter/jumper competitions at a premier equestrian venue, minutes from Lakewood Ranch.
TerraNova is one of a few equestrian venues that have popped up in southern Florida in an attempt to steal top riders from WEF.
The Welcome Speed class had 28 entries who competed over a course set by Bernardo Cabral’.
Derbyshire finished clean in 67.94 seconds, leaving strides out on the rollback to the line along the VIP Pavilion and in the last bending line.
Derbyshire has ridden Otto BH for about a year.
“I know he's very fast and careful, so I just went as fast as I could today, and he left them all up,” Derbyshire said. “He always tries his best.
“The course rode just how it walked. It was a very twisty, turning course with a few options. I thought it was a beautiful course for day one, for the horses doing their first class. It was a nice track.”
THIS IS Derbyshire’s first visit to TerraNova.
“We actually came a little earlier in the week and brought some young horses,” she said. “It was very beneficial because we had plenty of time and beautiful space to work them. The courses have been nice all week, and everything's just really beautiful.”
Rupert Winkelmann 0f Germany on Duverie was second, just nine-tenths of a second behind Derbyshire.
Rowan Willis of Australia on Wellington Grey Goose was clean in 71.71 seconds to place third.