WELLINGTON, Fla.--Jordan Coyle of Ireland on King Kannan GP won the $62,500, CSI5* 1.50m Speed and Laura Chapot on Ginola won the $32,000, CSI2* Qualifier on Friday afternoon, Jan. 6 at the Winter Equestrian Festival
Jordan Coyle on King Kannan (Photo by Sportfot)The 5* Speed also served as a qualifier for Saturday evenings''s $500,000, CSI5* Grand Prix, which will include five of the world’s top-10 ranked riders.
The top 10 finishers in the Speed not previously qualified for the Grand Prix were added to the list of the top 30 qualifiers from Thursday's WEF Challenge Cup.
The last to go in a speed class always have the advantage, but in this Speed class, the top six finishers were all in the first half of the class.
Despite going 14th in a class of 53, Coyle's time of 58.66 proved to be uncatchable.
Mark Bluman of Colombia on Phelina de Septon was second in 58.91, with Richie Vogel of Germany on Iron Dames Abouchaker NRW third in 59.62,, Tanner Korotkin on Cardozo 4 fourth in 61.97, Erynn Ballard of Canada on De Flor 111 Z Santa Rosa fifth in 62.97 and Carlos Hank Guerreiro of Mexico on Nostalgie GIE sixth in 62.54.
IN THE 2* Qualifier, Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., finished clean in 40.52 seconds to win over the course set by Paris Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo of France.
Laura Chapot on Ginola (Photo by Sportfot)“Ginola was super rideable today, which is something he struggles with sometimes,” said Chapot. “He likes to go for it, slowing down isn’t his favorite, but he was with me every step of the way through the whole course.”
Canadian Chris Pratt on Paulien Dwerse Hagen was a close second, finishing just four-tenths of a second behind Chapot in 40.95. and Chris Ewanouski on New Jersey Van De Noordheuvel was third in 41.23 seconds.
“He’s been phenomenal for me the whole way along, bringing him up the ranks through the 7- and 8-year-olds, and he’s stepped into these two-stars this year down here,” said Chapot. “He was sixth the last time he went in the grand prix, and he’s been really consistent and starting to grow up and do some real things.”
Chapot bought Ginola in the middle of his 6-year-old year, liking his bloodline tracing back to Chacco-Blue and his clean jumping record.
“We bought him from Belgium, and his previous owner thought Ginola might be a nice amateur horse, and I thought he might be a nice horse for me. He’s got the bloodline I really love, and it’s the first reason I got him,” said Chapot of the gelding related to her recently retired horse, Chandon Bleu.
“He’s been starting to get consistent at this level, so we’ll keep doing this and see where he goes from here," said Chapot.”
