OCALA, Fla.--Simon Delestre of France on Dexter Fontenis Z won the $62,500 Grand Prix Qualifier CSIO5* on Wednesday, March 20, at the World Equestrian Center.
Simon Delestre on Dexter Fontenis ZWhile all 40 riders competing in the League of Nations are guaranteed a starting spot in Thursday evening’s $330,000 Grand Prix CSIO5* under the lights at 7 p.m., 10 more individuals were able to qualify based on their performance in the qualifier.
Because those 40 were in the Grand Prix, many of those riders chose to go slowly, giving their horses a schooling round in the qualifier.
Course designer Alan Wade of Ireland set a friendly opening speed track that saw a total of 16 go clean.
Delestre was clean in 65.41 seconds to win.
World number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden placed second, stopping the clock in 66.11 seconds on Calizi.
“I had a very good feeling with Dexter today,” said Delestre, 42, who is competing in the League of Nations as a member of the French team. “It is my first time in the arena. It is really beautiful and great for the horses. The ground is really nice also.
“MY FIRST impression of WEC is fantastic,” said the number-seven-ranked rider in the world. “I think everything is done for the horse, and everything is perfect for the horse. You can feel even a really, really sensitive horse would like it. Here they feel so good, almost like they’re at home, which is great for them.”
Eight of the top 10 athletes in the World Rider Rankings are competing in the League of Nations event.
The home team of Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut, Aaron Vale and McLain Ward of the United States, led by chef d'equipe Robert Ridland, will face off against Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland in the $770,000 League of Nations team competition in a two-round format.
Each country will have four riders in the opening round and drop the worst score, but only three riders per nation will return in round two where no one will have the luxury of a drop score.
Entries are available on Longines Timing, and the Grand Prix and Nations Cup, Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m, are live streamed on ClipMyHorse.
Ocala is the only North American stop on the prestigious new series that showcases the best Jumping athletes and horses competing at the CSIO5* level.
Only four events – Abu Dhabi in the UAE), Ocala, St. Gallen, Switzerland and Rotterdam, Netherlands comprise the League of Nations series before the final takes place in Barcelona, Spain October 3-6.
For the U.S. Jumping Team, having the opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world on home soil is unique in and of itself.
“We are normally competing as a team overseas, so it’s really nice to be home and jumping with a team in front of a home crowd,” said Lizzy Chesson, US Equestrian Managing Director, Show Jumping. "Here at Ocala, we have our big guns. We have McLain Ward, Laura Kraut, Kent Farrington, and Aaron Vale, and we are looking to have a strong performance here. With great riders, great horses, and great owners, we feel really happy and proud to be here. It’s exciting to have so many top teams here and to showcase the sport to our U.S. fans. We’re always abroad and never at home, and to bring it so close to our fans is fabulous.”
“I want to echo how proud we are as Americans to bring the world to this venue, and we are very grateful to the Roberts family and their team," said Ward. "This is spectacular. I don’t see anything like this anywhere else in the world. I’m proud to be an American in this moment. We have our ‘A’ team here in most aspects. It shows how serious it is to us and how important this event is to us. I think we are very focused and dialed in and expecting a great performance in front of the home crowd.”
For the organizing committee at WEC – Ocala, hosting a Longines League of Nations™ event represents the culmination of years of vision and hard work.
“This is why this facility was conceived, this is why this facility was built the way it is, to host these major international competitions,” said Justin Garner, Senior Director of Hospitality Operations and Marketing, WEC – Ocala. “We are excited to host the League of Nations event and showcase the facility to the world. The careful nature of how the facility was developed, the detail that was put in to the footing, the stabling, and certainly the ease of access for the horses and the exhibitors is critical to us. We built the hospitality infrastructure around that."
