By Sarah Eakin
Not all the international riders packed up and left the day after the Winter Equestrian Festival ended. Top show jumpers ditched the norm and stuck around to compete in the first three weeks of the ESP Spring Series at Wellington International — with the Derby Field at Equestrian Village being the main attraction.
“We have a beautiful grass field here, so it’s a nice experience for these horses before going into the summer,” said U.S. rider Kent Farrington, world ranked at No. 2, after winning the $62,500 FEI 3* Grand Prix qualifier aboard Myla on Friday, April 11.
The field of 73 horse-and-rider combinations included, among other notables, world No. 4, Britain’s Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue; Paris Olympic gold medalist, Germany’s Christian Kukuk aboard Cepano Baloubet; world No. 10, U.S. rider McLain Ward and Imperial HBF; and world No. 11, Ireland’s Conor Swail and My Lady Lavista.
“I think that’s the evolution of what South Florida has become,” Farrington said in explanation of the lingering field of top riders. “You’ve got multiple venues, which in a way helps strengthen all of the venues, because it gives people a reason to come to Florida, and multiple places where they can base and show, run a business, have a great lifestyle and have high-level sport. So, it’s quite cold up north. I think it’s still pretty cold in Europe. So, when we’ve got great weather here, and great conditions like today, I think it’s an easy choice for people to stay.”
Maher, who was soldiering on through the past weeks with a fractured foot, saw his decision to still compete come to fruition. Maher landed the final round of the WEF Challenge Cup at the end of March with Point Break, in the final week of WEF in the International Ring. He then closed out his Wellington season with back-to-back wins on the grass in Week 2 of the ESP Spring Series. Aboard Exit Remo, Maher took first in the CSI3* 1.45-Meter Speed Classic, stopping the clock at 61.73 seconds, ahead of Ward and La Serra, who took the runner-up place in 62.65 seconds. U.S. rider Natalie Dean took third aboard Iron Dames Caramba de Janeiro in 63.62 seconds.
Maher then switched the following day to Ginger-Blue to win the $120,000 Bainbridge Companies CSI3* Grand Prix. Earlier in the season, she carried Maher to another three-star win on the grass during WEF Week 6. The pair crossed the final timers in 37.33 seconds to come out on top from an 11-horse jump-off.
“She loves it on the grass over here,” said Maher of the 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare. “She felt confident, but it’s always hard to know how much to do. I couldn’t do anything more today. With the riders who were in the jump-off, and Kent [Farrington] going last, it wasn’t over until the last moment, but fortunately it was enough for us today.”
Maher and his horses, including Ginger-Blue, will now take a respite before heading to Europe for the summer shows.
“She naturally has a lot of ground speed, but her stride is not the biggest, so all the distances were moving,” Maher said. “She’s a very experienced horse, and everything came up right for me today. It was a great end to the Wellington season for my team.”
The Wellington International Spring Series continues for five weeks through May 11 and is highlighted by two CSI3* competitions. Learn more at www.wellingtoninternational.com.
Read more by equestrian writer Sarah Eakin at www.paperhorsemedia.com.
