TORONTO, Canada--German Olympian Richard Vogel on Levi Noesar won the $170,000 Big Ben Challenge on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, a particularly impressive win as Levi Voesar is only 8 years old..
Richie Vogel on Levi Noesar (Photo by Kim Macmillan)Vogel , 27, won in a six horse jump-off over a course designed by Oscar Soberon of the United States.
Vogel, seventh in the World Rankings, went first in the jump-off and set a time to beat of 37.87 seconds.
Irish Olympian Daniel Coyle on Incredible, next to go, didn't have quite tight enough turns but was clean in 38.16 seconds, and as the only other clean round finished second..
Returning last, Lillie Keenan on Kick On beat Vogel’s time by almost a full second but she had a rail down to finish with four faults in 37.07 seconds.
Abdel Said of Belgium on Arpege Du Ru was fourth with four faults in 37.16, Jessica Mendoza on Great Britain on In The Air was fifth with four faults in 38.45, and Jacqueline Steffens Daly of Canada on Freaky was sixth with 12 faults in 40.23.
“It’s not the easiest task, going first, but the strategy was to put enough pressure on the following competitors so they had to risk something, and either be too slow or risk too much and catch a rail," said Vogel.
“LEVI IS an amazing horse, but he’s only 8, which is why I had to compromise and not risk everything,” said Vogel. “He’s green but with the way he performed in the jump-off tonight, you can see his abilities and his will to give everything in the ring.”
Lillie Keenan on Kick On (Photo by Kim Macmillan)Vogel got the ride on Levi Noesar earlier this year when the stallion was just coming out of the young horse ranks.
“We had high expectations because he jumped great as a 7-year-old,” said Vogel. “I tried him at the end of his 7-year-old year but decided to leave him a little longer. He came to me in April, and I was counting down the days until he arrived.”
"He's not the most patient," Vogel said."If you only walk him, he gets a little bit nervous, but as soon as you start to canter and jump, he's really focused and thinks about his job and not so much about the surroundings.
Vogel has spent a significant amount of time competing throughout North America this year and is based with six-time U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward in Brewster, NY, when he is state-side.
"Two years ago, when when it was my first time in Wellington, I just simply walked up to McLain and said,`Is there any chance, any possibility that I can come by and and get a lesson or get some advice,'" said Vogel. "Or even just send you some videos and you give me your opinion on my riding or what I can improve.
Richie Vogel (Photo by Ben Radvanyl)"When I started to train with him or work with him, I had never walked a jump off course. I had no idea of the strides I would do in a jump-off, but I would just know what fences to jump after I had a clear round.
"I went to the the course plan, and I would figure out what fences to jump and then I would just ride it off my eye.
"Out of that one lesson it became more and more, and now I have the privilege to to be stabled at his place and travel with McLain with the two horses I have here to those amazing indoor shows, which is a super experience.
"It makes it a lot easier also for us, apart from how much he can help me with the riding, to get access to those shows, to organize the transport. It would be quite hard if I were on my own.
"I'm lucky that in my earlier years I was able to ride very different kinds of horses," said Vogel. "So I got to know a lot of different personalities, a lot of different strides"
“A lot of people told me that I was going to like this show, and it has exceeded all those expectations,” Vogel said. “It’s a unique show and you can feel the history.”
Earlier in the day, two-star competition made its debut at the Royal Horse Show with Coyle on Langley winning the $20,400 CSI2* Speed Challenge.
Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza on I-Cap CL Z won the 5*, $43,860 Brickenden Trophy speed class, finishing clean in 34.06.
Daniel Bluman of Israel on Hummer Z was second, clean in 34.48, and Sean Jobin of Canada on Coquelicot VH Heuvelland Z was third, clean in 35.13.
