WELLINGTON, Fla--Liza Towell Boyd of Camden, S.C., on Ondine D’Orleans won the $150,000 Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular on Saturday evening Feb. 15 during the World Championship Hunter Rider Week at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Liza Towell Boyd on Ondine d'Orleans (Photo by Sportfot)This was Boyd's fourth win in the Spectacular during ‘Saturday Night Lights’.
Meghan Rawlins of Canada) designed the courses in two-round class over a classic first round and then a handy track.
The panel one judges consisted of Alex Jayne and Rob Bielefeld, panel two was Chris Wynn and Mary Eufemia and panel three held Mary Lisa Leffler and Mark Jungherr.
Entries for the ‘Saturday Night Lights’ class qualified by winning the champion title in their respective divisions at the 3’6” height or above.
From a 36-horse field at 3’6”, 3’9” and 4’ heights, 12 returned for the handy round, which included several options to show off inside turns, as well as a walk or trot-through question to a double combination of split rail fences.
“IT'S BEEN a while since my last win and every win was in different chapters of my life,” said Boyd, who was the inaugural winner of the Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular in 1997. “This is an amazing mare and this is her home turf; she grew up here.”
Bred in Florida by Monique Keitz, the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood was reserve champion in the s 3’9” Green Hunters during the week.
Inspired by watching the mare’s sire Vigo D’Arsouilles carry Belgium’s Philippe Le Jeune to a gold medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., Keitz bred Coco Chanel Z to the stallion.
The result was a chestnut mare that bore a striking resemblance to Brunello, Boyd’s mount for three consecutive USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship titles.
“I could jump the moon on her. I feel like she knows this venue and I had a good feeling this morning when I rode her. She came in for the second round and jumped her heart out,” said Boyd, who returned for the handy course sitting in second, but laid down a unanimous winning round to post a combined score of 91.166 for an average of 91.24.
Six-time winner of the Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, Fla., returned in the lead and held on for the reserved title on Paradigm with scores of 91.833 and 89.166 for an overall average of 90.499.
Amanda Steege of Ocala, Fla., on Lafitte de Muze was third with scores of 88.25 and 89.333 to average an 88.791.
Steege on Lafitte de Muze won the Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular in 2021.
"There were a lot of different things you could do; there were good turns and you could really show a gallop,"said Boyd of the handy course. "It brought out the best in the animals and it made for a great class. I talked to her the whole way around, and I swear she listened.”
One of four horses to jump at the 3’9” height on Saturday night, Ondine D’Orleans will now take a well-deserved break before returning to competition during WEF 9 and 11 as hunters take to Wellington International's grass derby field.
“This is so special for us hunter riders. Derby Finals is our Olympics, but this WCHR week is our World Cup Final." said Boyd. "We work so hard to get here and to win this class means the world. I couldn't be happier.”
Patricia Griffith on Divine Romance was fourth, followed by Caroline Ingalls on Concerto, Sophie Gochman on Colter, Nick Haness on Odette, Haness on Queen Celeste, Page Walkernbach on Babylon, Emily Williams on Dama de Tannerre, J.J. Torano on Tiara and Stella Propp on Grand Remo.
