WELLINGTON, Fla.--Fresh off a win in the 1.40m jumpers on Wednesday at the Winter Equestrian Festival, Ireland's Darragh Kenny won again on Thursday, Jan. 28, this time on Sweet Tricia in the $6,000 1.45m Jumpers, while Evan Coluccio of Marshall,, Va., rode Philadelphia Story to win the High Performance Hunter Championship after two days of competition.
Darragh Kenny on Sweet Tricia (Photo by Sportfot)Kenny won over a starting field of 41 with a double clear trip in 31.95 seconds.
“It’s a very good mare that I ride, and I wanted to just school her around today,” he said. “She was jumping very fresh at the start, so it was good for her to go a little quick in the second phase. She felt great so I just kind of went with it, and I didn’t really have much of a plan to be honest. I was just going as fast as she felt comfortable.”
Abdel Said of Egypt on Oak Grove’s Laith was also double clear, finishing in 33.08 seconds for second and another Irishman, Lorcan Gallagher finished third on Sangris Boy, clean in 34.27 seconds.
While Kenny only started riding Sweet Tricia again recently, last November, he rode her back in 2018 for about six or seven months.
“She was always a super jumper and really, really light and careful so it will be fun to show her again this winter,” he said. “I have a lot of faith in her, I think she’s a really, really good jumper and I think I can do some good stuff with her here at WEF.”
KENNY has a busy schedule with a large string of horses to show, and there are always a few to exercise off the show grounds each day.
That amount of riding is physically demanding and can take its toll on a rider’s body, but the eighth-ranked rider in the world has established a good program to manage.
“Strangely enough, I’ve actually been going to the gym which I never used to do,” said Kenny. “I think with the number of horses I’m riding every day and the older I’m getting, my back is getting sore more regularly, so I have to manage that a bit better by staying more fit and strong. I’ve been quite concentrated on that this winter, and it seems to be working well.”
Evan Coluccio on Philadelphia Story (Photo by Sportfot)Coluccio rode the Lignelli Family''s Philadelphia Story to the championship with three firsts, a fifth, and a third place ribbon.
Coluccio has ridden the 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding since October.
Philadelphia Story was originally from Balmoral Farm, along with another one of Coluccio’s mounts, Pritchard Hill, who was champion in the High Performance Conformation Hunters this week.
“My first show with him was Capital Challenge, and we were grand champion,” said Coluccio. “The Lignelli Family, who are really amazing people, bought him for me to ride and eventually for the daughters, Agatha and Alexa, to ride as well. I am very grateful for both Balmoral Farm and the Lignellis. It’s not very often that you get to ride horses like Philadelphia Story, and I’m really excited about his future.”
Coluccio on Philadelphia Story scored 85 and 86 to win two over-fences classes and also won the under saddle on the first day of competition.
“I was really thrilled with him,” said Coluccio. “He always tries really hard and is the sweetest horse in the barn. The courses were challenging this week; a lot of people had a hard time yesterday, but he rose to the occasion.”
Reserve champion in the division went to Jennifer Bliss, of Loxahatchee, Fla., on Face the Music with a first, two seconds and two fifth-place ribbons.
