It was once again time to shine under the Saturday Night Lights at Wellington International for the $50,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic Grand Prix during the second week of the Winter Equestrian Festival on Saturday, Jan. 20. The International Arena came alive for a win from Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa from a field of 45 over tracks built by course designer Ana Catalina “Catsy” Cruz.
Eleven horses returned for the jump-off, concluding with a true international podium. It was Pessoa and Gonzalo, owned by Paseo Farms LLC, that took home the winning title. The 2004 Olympic champion took the victory with a jump-off time of 38.421 seconds.
Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue, owned by Kerry Anne LLC, took the second spot with a clear and close 38.574 second round, while Spain’s Gonzalo Busca closed out the podium riding his own Cristiano Obolensky in 39.386 seconds.
Gonzalo is the former mount of Irish rider Trevor Breen and recently joined Pessoa’s stable under the ownership of his student Rachel Penner.
“Unfortunately, Rachel had an injury, so I’ve been keeping the horses running until she’s back. We got Gonzalo last summer, and have been pleased with him so far, especially tonight,” said Pessoa, who was keen to get the gelding back in the atmosphere of a big class. “He’s 13 years old now and has a lot of experience, so it was no mystery to us what he could do. We wanted to put him under the lights tonight for possibilities later in the season when he goes back to Rachel.”
Wellington crowds turned out despite a chilly evening to support horse sport in their backyard, and the stands were filled with local show jumping fans to watch Gonzalo show off.
“He had a bit of an advantage tonight, as he has jumped under these circumstances before, but it’s nice to have classes like this at the beginning of the circuit,” Pessoa said. “It allows riders to bring out younger horses, not jump too big, and give them a round with this atmosphere.”
Pessoa noted the high caliber of horses and riders at WEF for the winter season.
“Whether it’s a national grand prix, two-star or five-star, the competition is always tough here, and people come to win, so it keeps you on your toes no matter what level,” he said.
Meanwhile, during the daytime on Saturday, the $32,000 Hermès CSI3* 1.50m Classic shifted to the grass derby field at Equestrian Village. A total of 43 competitors took to Olaf Petersen Jr’s course, with nine returning for the short track.
Of the return contenders, it was Ireland’s Jordan Coyle and For Gold, owned by Falkirk Farm LLC, who took the win. Fellow Irishman Cian O’Connor, who ended up third, set a fast pace for Coyle to follow, completing the short track in 42.75 seconds with his mount Kilkenny, owned by Susan Magnier.
Although Coyle didn’t specifically have the win in mind, he managed to knock nearly a second off O’Connor’s time, winning with a blazing time of 41.97 seconds.
Taking second place was American rider Alison Robitaille and Ester De Maugre, owned by Alison Firestone LLC. The pair separated the placings by just fractions of a second, coming in at a clear 42.16 seconds.
