Richard Vogel and Cydello Score 2nd Grand Prix Win at WEF

Everyone on the Wellington International showgrounds wants to know Richard Vogel’s (GER) secret to winning so consistently. His answer on Saturday was, “My secret is Cydello!” after the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix during Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Highlighted by 12 weeks of consecutive FEI competition, WEF continues through March 30 at Wellington International in Wellington, FL.

Saturday’s win came just two weeks after a win with the same horse in a CSI3* grand prix on the same grass derby field. “He’s such a cool horse, so intelligent and such a fighter,” said Vogel after accepting the Village of Wellington Cup for the win. “He naturally doesn’t have the most scope in the world but he does it with his mindset and his will to do his best. That’s what we rely on. He loves this grass field; that’s why we chose these two weeks and luckily it worked out well.”

Against some of the top international pairs in the world, Vogel was one of six to jump clear over Anderson Lima’s (BRA) track. The win didn’t come easy, especially after Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam went just prior and laid it down with James Kann Cruz, owned by Gizmo Partners.

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Having been paired with Cydello for about a year and a half, Vogel now knows the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cascadello x Forsyth FRH) and they have a great trust in one another. He knew he could attack the course with a competitive plan and the horse’s natural speed would give them a strong chance.

“I have to give Cydello a lot of credit for fence number two,” remarked the German Olympian about the way the jump-off played out. “I saw Shane and he got there well on nine strides. I tried to [push for nine] for the first seven strides but then realized we weren’t quite getting there. Cydello knew that also, so luckily he’s very smart and clever so we adjusted to add an extra stride. I had one more stride in the last line but I think since he’s so naturally fast we were overall a little bit quicker.”

Their final time of 43.22 seconds edged them a half a second ahead of Sweetnam, who ended up second. In third was the only other double-clear effort, Niamh McEvoy (IRL) and Jargon DN, owned by GBBS International. McEvoy also accepted the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award for WEF 4. (Top Canadian in the class was Mario Deslauriers, who placed 12th riding Costa Quick PS.)

Now that Cydello is more settled in Vogel’s program, the preparation for grand prix day is simpler.

“Back in the days when we first started, I rode him more before the classes, especially before an important class like the grand prix,” Vogel explained. “Now we changed it up and he’s pretty relaxed on the lunge line so he gets his steps in but in a relaxing way. He’s a very consistent horse so he makes my job quite easy.”

Cydello may be all business when it’s time to compete, but around the farm nothing goes unnoticed by the gelding.

“As soon as you take him out of the stall—it doesn’t matter if you take him for a handwalk or for a ride—he’s always high energy and pays attention to everything,” Vogel explained. “At home, he can be a little spooky, but once he gets in the ring he really focuses on his job and the jumps. He’s actually very brave. He’s a perfect mix.”

Looking ahead, Vogel may step the horse up to CSI5* action if he feels things are still going well. The horse will have two weeks off before stepping back into the show ring.

“We’ll see if we step him up into a five-star week and jump a WEF [Challenge Cup] but we don’t have a set plan yet,” Vogel shared. “He’s a horse you shouldn’t plan miles ahead with because he’s very sensitive. He does it with his character so you always have to respect that and go with the feeling. At the moment he feels great so we try to keep that up.”

Cydello’s groom, Anna Halász, once again won the Double H Farm Grooms Award for Cydello’s victory. “She has a very good relationship with him,” Vogel said. “They are a new relationship but they are getting along well. I think for horses like Cydello who are very sensitive, it’s very important to have a secure surrounding. They need to feel like they’re in a family environment and know their people. Anna is a brilliant groom and does a perfect job.”

To see full results from the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix, click HERE.