This past weekend concluded the ESP June Spring Series with a final day of Equitation competition on Wednesday, June 17, and four days of USEF “A” National & Jumper 4* competition. The feature class of the weekend was the $24,999 Wellington Agricultural Services Grand Prix, which took place on the Derby Field Annex and saw a total of 36 exhibitors contest the track, designed by Andy Christiansen. Ultimately, it was New York, NY’s Lillie Keenan who came out on top, capturing both first and second place. Wearing the blue ribbon was Chansonette Farm LLC’s eight-year-old Cazaan who stopped the jump-off timers at just 41.674 seconds. Earlier in the class, Keenan piloted Agana Van Het Gerendal Z, also owned by Chansonette Farm LLC, to a 43.52-second finish for second place, while Hilary McNerney of Lake Forest, IL and her mount Captain Cooper secured third in 49.595 seconds. The only other pair to put in a double clear effort was Alejandro Karolyi of Wellington, FL aboard Monica Carrera’s Lincourt Gino.
“I got Cazaan a little less than a year ago,” commented Keenan after her double win. “He is phenomenal, but we’ve never gone fast, so that’s something I’ve really tried to work on in these last three weeks. Sometimes I’m too much of a perfectionist, so I rarely really give the horses a chance to jump out of a gallop in the jump-off, I’m always trying to set them up too much. So, I really tried to use these few weeks here to push myself out of that comfort zone. Today I really asked everything of [Cazaan] and he completely delivered, so I couldn’t be happier. I’m very grateful for the ESP staff for making this happen because it’s an amazing setting for us to get a great experience with young horses and try some things.”
Originally, Keenan planned to return to her home state of New York after the winter season in Wellington, but had to change plans once the pandemic began. “We were going to go back so I could continue training with McLain Ward, but my home up there is right in New York City so it was a tumultuous time to go back there, and I’m glad we stayed. This series at PBIEC gave me the opportunity to grow in my own riding and push my younger horses. Normally these horses would never have had the opportunity to jump at this level on a grass field, so I think that’s a silver lining to all this and having these shows. I think it’s something we’ll consider for next year’s competition schedule as well.”
Jumper Highlights:
The highlight of Thursday competition was the $5,000 Omega Alpha 1.35m Stake on the Derby Field. Benjamin Meredith of Wellington, FL piloted Annie Oakley, owned by Carben Farms LLC, to the top position in a quick 38.296 seconds. Gabriel De Matos Machado of Lexington, KY and RF Casablanca, owned by Raylyn Farms LLC, were close behind, finishing the jump-off in 38.644 seconds for second place. Claiming the yellow ribbon was Rae Marie Kennedy Martin of Lake Worth, FL aboard her Crocky Van Overis after a 39.334-second jump-off.
On Friday, the $10,000 Semican Open Stake took place in the Van Kampen Covered Arena due to rain. Alberto Michan of Wellington, FL swept the top two positions, taking home first place with his entry Cosa Nostra in 40.413 seconds and second place with Ictus D’Emma, owned by Wolver Hollow, in 41.127 seconds. Alejandro Karolyi of Wellington, FL rode Venitienne, owned by Karolyi Showjumping Inc. to third-place victory in 41.402 seconds.
Following the Grand Prix on Sunday, the $2,500 Equiline Medium Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic took place on the Derby Field Annex. Luiza Leivas Da Costa of Boca Raton, FL captured first place aboard Luziada Jmen, owned by Bonne Chance Farm LLC, after finishing the jump-off in a speedy 35.097 seconds. Lukene Arenas of Wellington, FL and Icarus Van De Kalevallei, owned by Alpine Stables LLC, followed with a jump-off time of 35.983 seconds for second, while Rodrigo Cunha of Miami, FL captured third aboard his entry Golden Boy who stopped the clock at 36.109 seconds.
In the Van Kampen Covered Arena, Elizabeth Suddath of Land O Lakes, FL bested the field in the $2,500 Equiline Low Junior Jumper Classic with her Super Star, finishing the jump-off in 47.638 seconds. Ansgar Holtgers Jr. of Wellington, FL stopped the timers at 49.413 seconds with four faults to take home second place aboard Alfonsine Manciaise, owned by Gut Einhaus, LLC. Claudia Villamil of Wellington, FL rode her entry Quite Close VD Smis to third in 49.56 seconds and with four faults.
The $2,500 Equiline Low Amateur Owner Classic saw Lisa Butzer of Boca Raton, FL secure the blue ribbon aboard Cash and Go, owned by Ponies & Palms Show Stables, LLC, after a 41.416-jump-off. New York, NY’s Alexandra Crown and her entry Basic claimed second place with a jump-off time of 41.629 seconds, while Elisa Uribe of Ft. Lauderdale, FL piloted No Mistake Squalls Estate Z, owned by Juan Pablo Betancourt, through the timers at 44.824 seconds to receive the yellow ribbon.
Margaret Bopp of Greenwich, CT championed the $1,500 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic presented by Score At The Top aboard Kiva Iscol’s mount Tricolor’s Echo, completing the jump-off course in just 39.964 seconds. Mia Green of Wellington, FL and Cornetto, owned by Heathfield Hunters LLC, took second-place honors with a time of 40.737 seconds, while Kara Constantakos of Jupiter, FL and her entry Grace finished in 43.817 seconds to claim third place.
The $1,500 Low Child/Adult Jumper Classic presented by French Horse awarded top honors to Cameron Morris of Wellington, FL after a 40.858-second performance aboard Empire Equestrian LLC’s Sun Cat. Lawson Whitaker of Ocala, FL rode his entry Brownie and Cream to second place in 42.597 seconds, while Laurie Sharma of Wellington, FL piloted her mount Equine Couture’s Jolie through the timers in 44.251 seconds for third-place honors.
This Sunday’s $250 CCTV Agent .85m was bested by Alexandra Pace of Palm Beach Gardens, FL after her impressive 40.858-second jump-off with Lexicon Van’t Steentje, owned by Missy Clark & North Run. Juliet Johansson of Ft. Lauderdale put in a faster jump-off of 33.299 seconds with her mount Cienna VDL, but received four faults to ultimately finish in second place. Makayla Joyce of Coral Springs, FL and Lalique, owned by Heather Joyce, took home the yellow ribbon after stopping the timers 44.393 seconds and receiving four faults.
Hunter Highlights:
On Saturday, the $500 M&S Children’s/Adult Hunter Classic took place, with Wellington, FL’s Maggie Alexander claiming the blue rosette aboard her mount Geronimo L. Ella Bostwick of Wellington, FL piloted Czlatan, owned by Federico Daners to second, while Haylee Jerkins of Wellington, FL and Cassidor rounded out the top three.
The $1,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Hunter Classic on Sunday saw Sophia Mitchell of Wrightsille Beach, NC take top honors aboard her entry Chevito after receiving a total combined score of 170.5. Grace Tuton of Wellington, FL and Nicodemus Farms’ Chill claimed second place after a final score of 169, while Diana Beinstock of New York, NY and Playlist, owned by Eliza Beinstock were only one point behind in their score to secure third.
Alexa Elle Lignelli of New York, NY and The Lignelli Family’s EMC Entourage rode to victory in the $500 Small/Medium Pony Hunter Classic, putting in a final combined score of 175. Agatha Lignelli of New York, NY claimed the red ribbon with Rollingwoods Knee Deep, also owned by the Lignelli Family, after a final score of 170. Hannah Famulak of New York, NY aboard Mind Your Step, owned by Monkey Business LLC, received third place with a final score of 169.
The $500 Large Pony Hunter Classic was bested by Scarlett Donn of Davie, FL and Emma Vandenhouten’s Spiderman with a final score of 160. Alexa Elle Lignelli returned to the winner’s circle, this time aboard The Lignelli Family’s Cervino to secure a final score of 151 for second place. Claiming the yellow ribbon was Ellie Sadrian of Summit, NJ aboard her Daventry’s Davinci with a score of 148.
Division Champions:
Ella Bostwick returned to the winner’s podium to accept the champion ribbon with Juan Andres Rodriguez Silva’s Guiness in the Adult Amateur Hunter division presented by Resilient Fitness, while Lisa Hunt of Marshall, VA and her entry Raise the Bar rode to reserve champion.
The Amateur Owner Hunter 3’3” & 3’6” combined division presented by Vita Flex was once again championed by Grace Tuton and Chill, owned by Nicodemus Farms, while Ashley Briggs of Loxahatchee, FL rode her Albano B to the reserve champion position.
Cecelia Perry of Boynton Beach, FL piloted Julie Burton’s Sassoon to champion in the Children’s Hunter division presented by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center. Kingsley Dey of Wellington, FL and Portofino, owned by Lucky Dey Farm, were awarded the reserve champion ribbon for their efforts.
The Junior Hunter 3’6” division presented by #1 Education Place named Isha Swani of Ponte Verda Beach, FL champion after her performance with Bond, owned by Shadowfax Equestrian LLC. Sophia Mitchell of Wrightsille Beach, NC and Sophia Mitchell’s Chevito captured reserve honors.
Patricia Raynes of New York, NY rose to the top of the leaderboard with her entry Touchdown in the Low Adult Hunter division presented by Pilates Rocks, while Leslie Campbell of Wellington, FL rode her mount Inverness to reserve champion.
The champion title of the Small Pony Hunter division presented by Dover Saddlery was awarded to Agatha Lignelli and her mount Rollingwoods Knee Deep, while the reserve ribbon went to Shiloh Roseboom of Corona, CA aboard Blondie, owned by Michael Savage.
To view the full results of the $24,999 Wellington Agricultural Services Grand Prix, please click HERE.
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