Men and Women were pitted against each other for the eighth annual $75,000 Battle of the Sexes in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators during the first “Saturday Night Lights” of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). After three rounds of competition that ended in a duel between the final two riders, the women broke the tie that ended the 2015 battle to come out on top this year.
The first week of WEF will conclude Sunday, January 17, with the $75,000 Rosenbaum Mollengarden PLLC Grand Prix at 2 pm. WEF, which kicked off on Wednesday, continues through April 3 and awards $9 million in prize money.

Candice King led the women’s team as captain alongside fellow riders Nicole Bellissimo, Heather Caristo-Williams, Tori Colvin, Amanda Derbyshire, Margie Engle, Abigail McArdle, Catherine Pasmore, Alison Robitaille and Denise Wilson. The men were captained by Charlie Jayne and their team included David Blake, Daniel Bluman, Eugenio Garza, Alex Granato, Andy Kocher, Adam Prudent, Andrew Ramsay, Michael Tokaruk and Daniel Zetterman.

The two teams competed over three phases including a speed course, relay and match race, all set by U.S. Course Designer Eric Hasbrouck. In the speed round, the women established an early lead with a seven to three score. The men, however, answered in the relay and jumped ahead 13 to 12.

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