Eric Lamaze Scores WEF Challenge Cup Hat Trick

Canada’s Eric Lamaze scored his third consecutive victory in the weekly $35,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup held on Thursday, February 4, at the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.

Having stood in the winner’s circle the past two weeks with Rosana du Park, Lamaze’s partner for his third consecutive win was Check Picobello Z. It marked the first major victory for the horse, a 10-year-old grey Zangersheide gelding (Cardento x Orlando) that was purchased as a seven-year-old from Ilan Ferder.

In Thursday’s $35,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup competition, a total of 12 horses contested the jump-off track set by 2016 Rio Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. Lamaze once again proved why he is an Olympic gold medalist, shaving the turns and galloping through the timers in 41.43 seconds to take victory over Lillie Keenan of the U.S., who stopped the clock in 41.82 riding Super Sox. Lamaze’s 2015 Pan American Games gold medal teammate Tiffany Foster of Vancouver, BC, had the fastest jump-off time, 41.02 seconds, riding Brighton, but an unfortunate rail left her eighth in the final standings.

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“I’m really excited, especially today,” said Lamaze of his win with Check Picobello Z, owned by Andy and Carlene Ziegler’s Artisan Farms and Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable. “I believed in this horse from the beginning, but it was a long time in the making. He was not the easiest horse to ride. He was always really, really careful. He is still a little hard to manoeuver at times, but I always believed that he could be a really good horse.
“His ride is a bit different,” continued Lamaze. “He does not really appreciate help. He kind of likes to go his own way. You have to just leave it up to him and he really does amazing things. I could not be happier.”

In addition to winning Thursday’s feature event, Lamaze also picked up his third consecutive bonus in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion. Each week, a $3,000 bonus is on offer to the winning rider if they are wearing SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves. As SSG Gloves are Lamaze’s riding glove of choice, he has now won a total of $9,000 in bonus money so far this season in recognition of his loyalty to the Canadian brand.

“These are the same gloves as I’ve worn the last two weeks; if something works, why change it?” smiled Lamaze, 47, who is known to be somewhat superstitious about his riding gloves. “The sponsorship is great, and the bonus money adds up. I really enjoy the gloves and, as I’ve said before, I don’t know why anybody would not wear them, especially with the added bonus. It adds a little excitement to these classes.”

Lamaze will be hoping to ride his winning streak into week five of the Winter Equestrian Festival as he brings out Fine Lady 5 for the next WEF Challenge Cup. In 2015, Lamaze and Fine Lady 5, a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare (Forsyth x Drosselklang II) owned by Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stable, won a total of three WEF Challenge Cup classes. Added together with two wins riding Rosana du Park, Lamaze scored a total of five wins overall in the 2015 WEF Challenge Cup Series, including four in a row.

Lamaze will continue competing throughout the Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs until April 3, 2016. He will then return to his European base in Vrasene, Belgium, to continue training and competing in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.