WELLINGTON, Fla.--Tony Stormanns, 19 of Germany, on Donjon d’Asschaut won the $50,000 Grand Prix under the lights Saturday evening, Jan. 18, while McLain Ward, riding Princess Dalou H, an exciting new 10-year-old prospect, won the $32,000, 1.50m Classic on the grass Derby Field during the afternoon session of the Winter Equestrian Festival..
Tony Stormanns on Donjon d'Asschaut (Photo by Sportfot)From the time he was 11, Stormanns would sit ringside at WEF and dream about competing in the International Arena.
During ‘Saturday Night Lights’, the 17-year-old made that dream come true over the strongest national grand prix field ever seen at Wellington International.
“This means a lot to me because I've spent nearly every winter here since I was 11 years old,” said Stormanns after beating a field that included reigning Olympic Champion Christian Kukuk, world no. 6 Mclain Ward, former World and Olympic Champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil and Olympic team gold medalist Harry Charles of Great Britain. “Now I’m here winning the classes I used to watch with my friends. It hasn’t quite set in yet, but it’s really special."
“It's awesome to have this crowd of spectators who are new to horses come and watch,”said Stormanns of the packed house at Wellington International on Saturday night. “You have this every week and it's quite impressive and makes it a little more exciting.”
From a starting field of 45 over a course set by Ana Catalina “Catsy” Cruz Harris of Mexico, 12 went clean to advance to the jump-off.
WITH FOUR to jump behind him, Stormanns was clean in 37.195 seconds.
McLain Ward on Princess Dalou H (Photo by Sportfot)“The course was very difficult. There were a lot of jumps in the first round that I had to take a lot of care of,” said the young rider who has two gold medals from the FEI Junior European Championships. “In the jump-off, it was possible for me to keep getting quicker and quicker. I was a bit late on my decision to do six strides after the double because I heard the crowd and thought I had it down. Then I heard them scream ‘go!’, but otherwise I don't see where I could have done much better.”
Both Kukuk and Irish Olympian Bertram Allen took their best shots but couldn’t catch Stormanns.
Kukuk on Just Be Gentle was clean in 37.337 seconds to place second, and Allen on Qonquest de Rigo was third in 37.656 seconds.
Stormanns has ridden Donjon d’Asschaut for a year and has already set and accomplished big goals.
“I jumped my first big classes on him; 1.50m, two-star grand prix, and we’ve gotten to know each other very well," said Stormanns. "We won the Junior German Championships this fall and now we’re here.
“You could compare him to an old grandpa; he's very kind, very sweet, never takes anything personally and he'll always like you no matter what mistakes you make.”
Stormanns trains with Ireland’s Michael Duffy and his mother Helena, an international show jumping rider.
“My plan over the first course was to stick to whatever mom said,” said Tony. “I stuck to the numbers and didn’t try to concentrate on the time. In the jump-off, the plan was to not rush jump number one, but make sure to rush everything else.”
Stormanns also finished second in the Under 25 Welcome won by Zayna Rizvi on Kung Fu earlier in the day.
WARD ON Princess Dalou H, a newer ride owned by Stella Wasserman, won the $32,000, CSI3* 1.50m Classic over a long and difficult course on the Derby Field..
From a starting field of 43, the top 12, only four of which had gone clean in the first round, went on to the jump-off, and then only three went clean in the jump-off.
Ward, clean in 38.18, was nearly four seconds faster than second placed Venezuelan Luis Fernando Larrazabal on Check Me Out, who finished in 40.29, with Peter Lutz on Katriona third in 41.82.
“This is a horse owned by Stella Wasserman who she’s been riding as a green horse for the last couple seasons,” Ward said of the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare’s (Vigo d'Arsouilles x Baloubet du Rouet). “She asked me to ride the mare in the fall and we started small and are building up.
“It’s always been a horse with tons of quality, a bit sensitive chestnut mare, which I’ve had success with,” Ward said, recalling former mounts like Olympic mount Sapphire. “She’s really stepping up. This was her first 1.50m class and obviously on this field it’s always a big ask, so we’re really thrilled with her.”
With 12 coming back for the jump-off on a clean slate and in reverse order of performance, Ward’s time had him going ahead of some of the faster riders in the jump-off, so he put in the fastest round he could.
“She has incredible quality and is an incredibly careful horse,” he said. “She has a funny trait in that when you go fast she gets more careful. At the end of the jump-off she started to back up a bit. With experience that will solve itself.”
“There were 12 in the jump-off so I knew it was going to be fast,” he said. “I had Richie Vogel and Jess Mendoza coming behind me, as well as Max Wachman, all going to give it a try, so I knew I had to put a bit of pressure.”
Ward has both new and seasoned horses for WEF's 12 weeks, as well as a slate of clients with big goals.
“We have some veterans in Callas and Ilex who are seasoned, and First Lady also now is a veteran pro, so it’s wonderful to have those horses,” he said of his string. “Florida is a period where you have to perform at a high level but you're also trying out some new combinations to see what’s going to work not only for the rest of the year but for the future.”