WELLINGTON, Fla.--It's still November and a month and a half until the Winter Equestrian Festival, but top riders are already beginning to arrive in Wellington to compete.

Shane Sweetnam on Coriaan van Klapscheut Z (Photo by Cassidy Klein)

Shane Sweetnam of Ireland on Coriaan van Klapscheut Z won the #120,000 CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday, No. 16..

FEI Level 3 Course Designer Héctor J. Loyola of Puerto Rico set the course, presenting riders with technical questions and forward-thinking lines.

Sweetnam on Coriaan van Klapscheut Z, was clean in the jump-off, finishing in a winning time of 44.5 seconds.

“He’s still only 9, but he’s had a great year,” Sweetnam said of the gelding who is moving up to the bigger tracks.

Germany’s Rupert Carl Winkelmann on Imodo was clean in 44.65 seconds, just fractions off Sweetnam’s time, to finish second, and Natalie Dean on Con Calma, clean in 46.86 seconds, was third.

 

“SO IT'S actually my first Grand Prix win this year, so it’s nice to get it over the line and win,” said Sweetnam. “I was a bit worried with Jad Dana going in because he’s a very fast rider. I was thinking this would be another second-place again.”

Dana of Lebanon on Itchcock des Dames actually did finish faster than Sweetnam,in 44.40,  but he had a rail down to finish sixth behind Nayel Nassar of Egypt on| S&L Maracana,, clean in 46.93, and Alison Robitaille on Claire de Lune 33 , clean in 47.27.

Sweetnam praised the newly updated footing at Wellington International, a key upgrade riders had been discussing throughout the week.

“I didn’t jump so many horses this week, but the warm-up is definitely much, much better, and they’re jumping well off it,” he said. “And the ring has always been very high standard. So, you know, it’s nice to have new footing, fresh footing, and I’m sure the horses enjoy it.”