Todd Minikus (USA) started his jump-off in the $35,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Premier Round on Thursday with a top-five finish as his only goal. Kiekeboe Spirit, however, had other plans. The nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Darius x Game Boy), owned by the Spirit Group, carried Minikus to an early victory during opening week of the 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
“I watched Darragh go, it looked nice and fast and I thought, ‘well, I’ll probably be riding for fifth’,” said Minikus. He pipped both Richard Vogel (GER) and Darragh Kenny (IRL), who sat one-two before he entered the International Ring. “Everyone knows that it’s not about how you start but how you finish, but it’s always good to get a positive start [to the season].”
Eric Hasbrouck (USA) set the course in the first major show jumping contest of the WEF season where nine returned for the tier-breaker. Minikus returned second to last and shaved fractions of a second off Vogel’s time to beat in 36.28 seconds. Prior to Minikus, Kenny’s top spot was taken by Vogel and Cydello, owned by Coleridge Equestrian LLC, by a hair splitting one-hundredth of a second. They finished in second on a time of 36.71. Kenny and Eddy Blue, owned by Kerry Anne LLC, set a competitive pace in the jump-off with a clear in 36.72 seconds, eventually taking third. (The only Canadian in the class, Amy Millar riding Don’t Worry Farmer, placed 9th.)
The pair’s jump-off round was a telling sign of their promised success, “I came in on an angle to the combination, which is a question you usually give to a veteran horse, not a green horse, but he came up with the right answer. Once I felt like he was really game, I took the final inside turn which was not part of my original track, but got us the win,” explained Minikus.
While Minikus and Kiekeboe are making their WEF debut this week, they trace their roots back to Wellington when Minikus first spotted the horse last season.
“My team and I kept an eye on him and took all the chances we could to see him in the ring. We saw him jump clear from 1.30m all the way to 1.45m,” recalled Minikus, who finally added the mount to his string in July.
“We’ve had him for just about six months now. He’s nine and all grown up,” said Minkus. “I started showing him over the summer in smaller classes, then tested the waters in some of the two and three-star classes, where he made some green mistakes but overall performed quite well. Over the fall he progressed nicely and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
While Kiekeboe’s clear-round consistency caught the eye of Minikus, the gelding is not his typical ride. “He’s a very big build and I’m used to more of a refined horse typically, but he’s got a lot of blood and he’s careful. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Minikus hopes there are more surprises in store for the new partnership as he now prepares for Sunday’s $75,000 Prestige Italia Grand Prix. “I think the best plan for our season is to constantly assess what place the horse is in and what he’s ready for,” concluded Minikus.
Results here.
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