Week nine of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate, concluded on Sunday, March 13, with a win for Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Rosana du Park in the $86,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Kent Farrington (USA) and Aron S finished second, and Olivier Robert (FRA) and Quenelle du Py placed third. The 12-week WEF circuit runs through April 3 offering more than $9 million in prize money.
Alan Wade (IRL) set the courses in the International Ring at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) for week nine and finished the week with 64 entries in the 1.50m. His first round track yielded 11 clear rounds, and nine of those also jumped clear over the tie-breaking short course. Lamaze was third to go in the jump-off, clocking the winning time of 36.74 seconds with Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stables’ Rosana du Park, an 11-year-old Selle Francais mare by Kannan.
Farrington and Alexandra Crown’s Arons S finished second in a time of 37.91 seconds. Robert took third place honors with his time of 37.95 seconds aboard Quenelle du Py, owned by the rider along with Pierre Fr. and Chantal Buffandeau. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Windward Farm and Jessica Suida’s Unbelievable 5 placed fourth in 38.07 seconds, and Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) finished fifth in 38.32 seconds riding Stephex Stables and T&L NV’s Halifax van het Kluizebos.
Speaking of the competition, Lamaze stated, “I think Alan Wade has done a great job all week. When I walked the WEF (Challenge Cup) I thought it was very big and difficult, but at the end there were seven clear and there were no bad experiences. Then the grand prix was spot on yesterday, and the same thing with this competition. This competition actually walked a lot easier than it rode. It was a really nice competition for bringing your young horse along to the 1.50m level.
“Going back early in the jump-off with Rosana, I had some fast people after me like Kent Farrington and Tiffany (Foster),” Lamaze detailed. “I knew I had to go quick, and quick she is. I thought I would let them chase me and try to put in a quick round. These 1.50m competitions are very important and thank you to Suncast for putting them on because there are the competitions that make up young horses and let the 1.50m horses earn money, if that is what they do for a living. To have great prize money for a 1.50m horse is fantastic and to bring a young horse along to compete for $86,000 in this competition is great.”
Lamaze plans to compete Rosana in the Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Final during week 12 and feels good knowing that she has gained valuable experience throughout the circuit.
“We all like to come here with healthy, fresh horses, and the most important thing for them is to leave feeling good about the circuit, having learned something, having earned some prize money, and then putting them back in the stall at the right time and not asking any more than what they can do in a 12-week circuit,” Lamaze stated. “I think we have the right formula with our horses.”
Also competing in the International Ring on Sunday, Mckayla Langmeier and the Charlie Group’s Charlie were victorious in the $10,000 Sleepy P Ranch SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic. Langmeier also went on to win the $10,000 Hollow Creek Farm Medium Junior Jumper Classic aboard Linda Langmeier’s Durosa W.
$86,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic
1. ROSANA DU PARK: 2005 Selle Francais mare by Kannan
ERIC LAMAZE (CAN), Artisan Farms & Torrey Pines Stable: 0/0/36.74
2. ARON S: 2005 KWPN gelding by Tadmus x Karandasj
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Alexandra Crown: 0/0/37.91
3. QUENELLE DU PY: 2004 Anglo Arab mare by Tresor du Renom x Ryon d’Anzex
OLIVIER ROBERT (FRA), Olivier Robert, Pierre Fr. & Chantal Buffandeau: 0/0/37.95
4. UNBELIEVABLE 5: 2001 KWPN gelding by Manhattan x Democraat
MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM (GER), Windward Farm & Jessica Suida: 0/0/38.07
5. HALIFAX VAN HET KLUIZEBOS: 2007 Belgian Warmblood by Heartbreaker x Fetiche Du Pas
LORENZO DE LUCA (ITA), Stephex Stables and T&L NV: 0/0/38.32
6. WHITNEY: 2003 KWPN mare by Indoctro x Concorde
RAMIRO QUINTANA (ARG), St. Bride’s Farm: 0/0/38.43
7. BRIGHTON: 2006 KWPN gelding by Contender II x Quick Star
TIFFANY FOSTER (CAN), Artisan Farms LLC: 0/0/38.78
8. CLIMBUS: 2006 Holsteiner gelding by Cartani x Limbus
NICK NOVAK (USA), Nick Novak: 0/0/39.13
9. COACH: 2008 Holsteiner gelding by Con Air x Corofino
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/0/40.58
10. DILLINGER: 2007 Belgian Warmblood stallion by Contender x Capitol I
CONOR SWAIL (IRL), Ariel and Susan Grange: 0/4/40.28
11. QUABELLE: 2004 Selle Francais mare by Helrios de la Cour II x Kannan
BLYTHE MARANO (USA), Riverview Farm LLC: 0/4/42.75
12. CROWN 5: 2005 Holsteiner by Cassini I x Lord
GEORGINA BLOOMBERG (USA), Gotham Enterprizes LLC: 1/76.13
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