WELLINGTON. Fla.--Grace Debney of Great Britain won again on Zarina de Vidau, this time in the $6,000 1.45m CSI3*, while Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., dominated hunters at the show grounds on Feb. 17 at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Grace Debney on Zarina de Vidau (Photo by Sportfot)Hunters have taken over the International Arena this week, and international jumper competition is being held on the Derby Field at Equestrian Village once again, where Ana Catalina Cruz Harris of Mexico designing the courses.
The $6,000 1.45m CSI3* drew 59 competitors in the power-and-speed-format class.
Eighteen countries were represented, with foreign riders making up 66 percent of the starting order as the top U.S. riders save their horses for the 5* events while aiming to peak their horses for the summer's competition and the World Championships.
It was a second victory for Debney on Zarina de Vidau who just a couple weeks ago was in the winner’s circle for the $50,000 1.45m Grand Prix CSI2*.
“EVERY ROUND we jump clear gives me and the horse a nice confidence booster, so it was definitely nice coming back out here and being able to take the top spot again,” said Debney.
“I like the small, fast ones,” said Debney. “You kind of have to be friends with a mare, and I’ve had a couple that I’ve had some really good relationships with.”
“I think that’s the best part about this field, is how much it opens them up. The last line was definitely forward in nine strides,” said Debney. “She doesn’t have the hugest stride, so we always say that she adds a lot, but she walked right down there in nine. Her gallop just opens up out here, so it’s great to feel that.”
Debney will ride her nest in the $37,000 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic CSI3* on Saturday.
“She’s super sweet in the barn, amazing to deal with, but she’s definitely always on the go, always thinking about the next thing, always wanting to jump, jump, jump,” said Debney. “We kind of have to slow her down a little bit and let her just take a minute sometimes, but that’s also what makes her so good.”
Earlier in the day, 106 went in the $1,000 1.40m CSI3* power-and-speed class to get their first look at the turf this week.
Halfway through the class, some of the jumps were slightly adjusted to preserve the field, resulting in two class sections and therefore two winners.
In the first half, Nicholas Dello Joio was the winner, going clean in 40.16 seconds on Cornet’s Cambridge,
In the second section, Lillie Keenan rode Blossom Z to win in 36.57 seconds.
Blossom Z had previously been ridden by Keenan’s trainer McLain Ward, who co-owns the mare with Wyndmont.
BACK AT the show grounds, Stewart was winning multiple championships and reserves,
Scott Stewarton Chalemagne (Photo by Sportfot)All the champions qualify for the USHJA/WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular in the International Arena at 6:30 p.m. on “Saturday Night Lights”.
In the High Performance Conformation Hunters in the Grand Hunter ring. Scott Stewart was both champion and reserve with two entries owned by Dr. Betsee Parker.
Charlemagne, an 8t-year-old Selle Francais gelding, was champion with a total of 24 points, and For Always, another 8t-year-old gelding, was reserve with a total of 18 points.
Both horses had a win over fences in the International Arena the previous day where Stewart posted the division high score of 95.
“I was really happy with Charlemagne,” said Stewart. “For Always got a little green up the last line, but the course rode beautifully and the horses went well.”
“I’m thrilled with them; they’re two awesome horses,” he said. “For Always was actually more comfortable out there than even in the Grand Hunter Ring, but I think they both jumped great in both rings.”
In the International Arena, the large Green Hunter 3’6” division ran as a California Split with the Section A championship going to Intent, ridden by Daisy Farish. on 30 points, and the Section B championship was won by Regent, ridden by Scott Stewart, on 28 points.
Intent won all three over fences classes by posting the high score in each with a 94 and 92 on Thursday, and an 88.5 on Wednesday.
“I felt really confident going in that my horse was going to be great. He’s super brave, and I knew I could trust him going into an environment like this, so I was very pleased,” said Farish. “Being in this ring really suited the horse that I was on. He can really pick up a gallop like a true hunter and gallop the course, which, in a ring of this size, gives him the opportunity to do so that worked out well. He’s also a horse that knows when it’s time to rise to the occasion, and this week he felt that there was something special going on and performed probably even better than he ever has.”
Regent, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Rivers Edge, and ridden by Stewart scored a 93.75, 86.5, and 88 for first, second, and first respectively.
“We’ve had him a few years now, and he actually started doing first years during the Covid-19 epidemic, so we then had to get him reinstated,” said Stewart. “He’s a phenomenal jumper with a ton of scope, and this is only his fourth show of the circuit; we’ve been trying to manage our show schedule so that everyone peaked this week, and it worked out in our favor with him.”
The reserve championship ribbons went to Ackergill Castle, ridden by Scott Stewart and owned by Dr. Betsee Parker, and Moonlight, ridden by Jimmy Torano for Isalou, Inc.
Continuing his winning streak, Stewart rode Dr. Betsee Parker’s Nottingham to yet another tricolor in the Green Hunter 3’9” division., winning all three over fences classes including an impressive 90 score in the division’s stake class, as well as a 91 in the handy round, plus a third in the under saddle, Nottingham won with a total of 34 division points.
“Nottingham was awesome; this is only his second show back this year, so I was incredibly happy with him,” said Stewart. “He is very big and beautiful when he goes around the ring that we are planning for him to eventually do the derbies as well. His appeal when he enters the ring is special.”
Jimmy Torano and Isalou, Inc’s Laskano was reserve champion ribbon with 18.5 division points by taking second place in all but one class.
In the Grand Hunter Ring the High Performance Hunter division. the championship went to Private I, ridden by Michael Britt-Leon, of Alpharetta, Ga.
Private was first and second on Wednesday in the International Arena and second on Thursday, for a total of 22 points.
“This is my favorite division of the horse show,” said Britt-Leon. “The brighter the jumps, the bigger the jumps, the better he shines. He gives me his all every single time, and this week is always special because I was 2020 World Champion Hunter Rider on this horse. We’re looking forward to Saturday night.”
Reserve champion in the division went to Love Note, owned by Richard Prant and ridden by Scott Stewart.
Fourteen were in the Green Conformation Hunter division, where Holly Orlando on Adler led by a single point for the championship victory.
“We imported him at the beginning of circuit last year,” said Orlando. “Our trainer Jenny Dunion had a friend who sent us a message about him from Europe, basically saying that he was one of his favorite horses he had ever had. We took a chance and imported him, and from the moment he got off the truck we were thrilled. He is beautiful and very correct, so we are excited because we have not had a conformation horse in a while.”
Stewart on Dr. Betsee Parker’s Ackergill Castle was reserve with 24 overall points.
Orlando also rode Park City to the championship in the Performance Hunter 3’3” division.
“He was showing out in California, and a friend told me about him. From the minute we saw the video, we had to have him,” said Orlando. “He does some of the professional divisions with me and then some junior hunters, so he really is kind of a family horse for us. He is a beautiful jumper no matter what the height is, which is nice because he never gets plain. He is just a great horse that you can always count on.”
Brianne Goutal-Marteau on Koala was champion in the second division as the class required a California split for results.
“I started riding horses for the Ingrams this winter, and this horse is really John Ingram’s tried and true buddy,” said Goutal-Marteau. “I have only shown him one or two other weekends as John mainly shows him, but he is just a serious competitor and is simply amazing. The Ingrams take this week very seriously and all of the horses came out really shining, but he is the most seasoned of the group.”
The reserve championships in the two sections were won by Samantha Schaefer on Emilio, and Victoria Colvin on Per Se.
