OCALA, Fla.--Nina Mallevaey, 25 of France, on My Clementine won the $62,500 1.50m Winning Round CSI5*-W on Friday, Feb.14 at the Winter Spectacular Show at the World Equestrian Center – Ocala.
Nina Mallevaey on My Clementine (Photo by Andrew Ryback)Laura Kraut on Lady D was second, just a half second back.
In the Winning Round format, the top 10 from the starting field of 31 moved on to the second round regardless of faults.
There were five clears in the first round, with the course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal, and joining those with a clear round were two more with one time fault and three with three time faults.
Returning for jump-off with all 12 on a clear slate, Wednesday’s speed winners Mallevaey and My Clementine finished in a time of 36.16 seconds to take their second victory of the week.
Mallevaey’s first round didn’t go according to plan, as she had three time faults and made it into the second round in ninth place.
“I think I should have watched the time a little more, but she was great,” she said. “I was trying to steady her a bit because I went fast in the class on Wednesday so I wanted her to have a slower class. I was a little bit stressed about my time faults because I really wanted to be in the top 10. At the end it worked well for me, but I should be more awake about that.”
Returning for the jump-off, Mallevaey knew that although she went early, the odds were on her side.
“CLEMENTINE is really fast and careful, and she really loves to go fast. Any time I go in the jump-off with her I really know that I have a chance, so that’s a great feeling,” she said. “She did everything I asked her to do, she was just amazing. I went a little bit fast on the double in the jump-off and she reacted so well, so I’m really happy with her.”
Laura Kraut on Lady D (Photo by Andrew Ryback)The Rein family found My Clementine, a now-10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, three years ago in Ireland, and Mallevaey started riding her less than a year ago.
Mallevaey said Clementine is a “total princess” who loves her carrots and treats, but that she has an amazing character and is “super sweet.”
“Clementine is a great horse, and I feel really lucky to have her,” said Mallevaey. “It’s amazing to win two classes here. To have a win anywhere is amazing, especially in a five-star. It’s something really special. I really enjoy it. I hope I’m still going to have a good class tomorrow, and why not place one more time?”
Laura Kraut on Lady D, a 9-year-old KWPN mare, was clean in 36.71 seconds for second place, and Tom Wachman of Ireland on Obora’s Laura, clean in 37.39 seconds, was third.
Eve Jobs on Canto Bruno was the only other clear round in 38.96 seconds for fourth place.
