WELLINGTON, Fla.--Richard Vogel of Germany on Cydello won the $140,000, CSI3* Grand Prix on the grass Derby Field on Sunday, Jan. 19 to end the Winter Equestrian Festival's second week.
Richie Vogel on Cydello (Photo by Sportfot)
Exactly one year ago, Cydello, ridden by Vogel, had his first grand prix victory on the derby field at WEF.
Vogel was one of 14 clean over a course set by Olaf Petersen, Jr., and he was nearly last to go, with just Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain behind him aboard In The Air, but ultimately his jump-off strategy prevailed.
“Cydello is an amazing horse,” Vogel said of the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “He’s had some great success since we’ve had him. We thought ‘let’s try to repeat here. We’re thrilled and mega happy that we succeeded.”
Mimi Gochman had taken the lead early and held it for some time with a time of 38.1 seconds before Vogel beat her by finishing clean in 37.66.
Gochman placed second on Inclen BH, and Cian O’Connor of Ireland was third on Bentley du Sury, clean in 38.51 seconds.
“Some people did seven strides from one to two,” said Vogel. “Cydello has a big enough stride, but I still decided to shape the eight strides and jump in the right direction over number two. I might’ve not been the fastest from one to two but I think I made the time up in the rollback. I knew there could be eight strides to the last, but I decided to do the nine because I felt I was quick enough and luckily it paid off.”
“HE GOT MORE experience,” Vogel said of how Cydello has developed over the past year. “When we had him here last year it was his seventh or eighth FEI show so he was fairly green at that level. But he loves the grass and throughout the year he saw some great arenas like Aachen and Barcelona, some really good results, got more mature, more experienced, and we’re lucky that we can win classes.”
Ranked number nine in the world, Vogel is among the top international athletes that compete at WEF.
“I think that’s why we are all here,” he said of the level of competition at WEF. “Whether it’s a three-, four- or five-star week there’s always some of the best riders in the world here competing with their best horses. Even in this three-star Grand Prix we saw some Olympic combinations, not just riders but also horses, so that just shows you how tough the level here is. You have to measure yourself with better competitors in order to improve. It’s not easy here but that keeps us working and improving and we really enjoy it.”
With his top horse, United Touch S, staying in Germany to prepare for the FEI World Cup Finals in April, Vogel has brought a less experienced but talented group of horses.
“I have greener and newer horses here that are supposed to step up,” he said of his string for WEF. “I find it hard to have a planned schedule throughout the whole circuit. It’s more about feeling when they’re ready for the next step and when is the time to keep them at the level or take a step down. We take it as we go.”
The Martha Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award went to Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain after a consistent week.
Nina Mallevaey of France won the $31,020 U25 Grand Prix, a part of the Under 25 Grand Prix Series, on the derby field Sunday morning.
Many of the U25 athletes in Wellington are already jumping the highest levels, Mallevaey herself included, but the developing riders appreciate having the opportunity to step into their own division separate from the senior FEI division for the week.
Mallevaey was one of 12 to go clean over the course designed by Olaf Petersen, Jr.
“It means a lot,” Mallevaey said of her victory Sunday. “It’s my last U25 year so I really want to enjoy the circuit at WEF. I hope to qualify for the final so this is going to give me some points. It’s the beginning of the season, so I’m really happy.”
“It’s the second year I’ve done the U25 here, and it’s super nice,” she said. “We compete with really good riders even in the U25. Some of them already do the top events. They have nice horses, and it’s 1.45m so it’s big enough. It’s a good challenging circuit.”
“She’s super fun to ride,” she said of My Clementine. “She’s super careful and competitive, always wants to do well. She loves to go fast so I always enjoy the jump-off with her.”
Mallevaey recently took over the ride on Canadian Erynn Ballard’s Olympic mount Nikka VD Bisschop, a mare she’s begun to campaign lightly in Wellington.
“I would like to try to win the big stuff, try to win a five-star and maybe start to think about championships,” Mallevaey said of her goals heading into this season. “I would really like to do some Nations Cups and to try to do the European Championships.”
Ireland’s Tim Brennan placed second on Diadema Della Caccia and Ariana Marnell on Jikke-Cara was third, and she currently leads the U25 Grand Prix Series standings at WEF.
