by Nancy Jaffer | May 10, 2023
It has been eight months since Olympic dressage multi-multi gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin competed, but she didn’t lose a step after having her baby, Isabella Rose, in March.
Although she’s only been back riding for three weeks, on Wednesday she won the Defender CDI4* FEI Dressage Grand Prix at the Royal Windsor show in England.
Charlotte Dujardin reaches out to her daughter, Isabella Rose, held by her fiance, Dean Golding, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. (Photo courtesy of Royal Windsor/Peter Nixon)
The competition is held on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she earned 77.261 percent on Imhotep. Second place went to her countryman, Gareth Hughes, with Classic Briolinca (75.435).
“Pete (Imhotep) hasn’t done a competition since the (2022) FEI World Championships,” said Charlotte, noting, “I was worried I would be a bit ring rusty, but he was incredible and was so positive with his energy. There are still areas that we can improve on which is exciting – we are now aiming for the FEI European Championships this summer.”
She added, “I have such amazing memories of Royal Windsor Horse Show having competed here in the show ring as a child,” said Charlotte.
“It has such a wonderful atmosphere and to be back here is just so special. It is now Isabella’s time to support Mummy and I hope I have done her proud.”
by Nancy Jaffer | May 4, 2023
It may seem as if there has always been a Kentucky Derby, but of course, everything has to start somewhere.
For the Derby, that was 1875, and its debut is the focal point of a book being published this month by Eclipse Press, “The First Kentucky Derby: Thirteen Black Jockeys, One Shady Owner and the Little Red Horse That Wasn’t Supposed to Win.”
It’s a long title that requires an even longer explanation, but let me set the stage and explain why you might be interested.
The first Saturday in May (except for the Covid year in 2020 and 1945 due to World War II) is renowned not only as a celebration of fleet thoroughbred three-year-olds at Churchill Downs, but also as a festival of outrageous and elaborate hats, as well as mint juleps. It’s a great excuse for a Derby party, no matter how far away you live from Louisvlle, Ky.
The race is the country’s longest continuously running sporting event. It actually was held in 1945 (June) and 2020 (September), just not on the first Saturday in May during those years. And in case you’re not paying attention, the first Saturday is this weekend.
People who know nothing about racing and don’t think about the thoroughbreds for the rest of the year often make it a point to watch the venerated feature, even if they aren’t betting on it. Or maybe they’re just placing a casual wager with friends.
So author Mark Shrager had a good idea when he decided to delve into the first Derby and its first winner Aristides, for his book. Except the project didn’t turn out the way he originally envisioned it.
As he did his research, he was intrigued to discover that 13 of the 15 jockeys in the first Derby were Black. In the 1870s, some of the Black jockeys were born into slavery. They had, according to Shrager, “dominated the sport so thoroughly and so long” that it wasn’t a surprise they were the majority in that first Derby. But today, he noted, it is rare to see a Black jockey. And he wondered why, deciding to broaden his focus in the volume he was researching.
The short answer about the disappearance of Black jockeys involves a number of situations, among them white jockeys’ resentment about the Black jockeys’ success, as well as a changing attitude toward race riding as an opportunity for whites (rather than a profession being unfit for white men), the prejudice of racehorse owners, who were mostly white, and the Jim Crow laws that limited the right of African-Americans post-Civil War.
Even though Black jockeys and trainers were commonplace on the scene in the 19th Century, there is little recorded in the way of their thoughts and observations about the races they won. The media in those days tended to focus strictly on white practitioners of the sport. So the author couldn’t get any insight on their views about Aristides, ridden by Black jockey Oliver Lewis and conditioned by Ansel Williamson, also Black. Their thoughts would have been illuminating, considering the outcome of the race.
Asteroid, a son of the great Lexington, with jockey Edward Brown (also known as Brown Dick, who started life as a slave) and trainer Ansel Williamson.
Aristides, you see, was supposed to play second-fiddle to his stablemate, Chesapeake. But when the latter failed to fire, Lewis made the decision to ignore the instructions he had been given before the post parade and go for it, putting the diminutive Aristides in the history books.
Churchill Downs and its distinctive twin spires.
No Black jockeys rode in the Derby between 1921 and 2000. The last Black man to win the Derby was Jimmy Winkfield in 1902. The last Black man to ride in the Derby was Kendrick Carmouche in 2021. He also has the distinction of winning the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct in 2018, but other Black jockeys are a rarity in the U.S. sport today.
Winkfield spent time riding in Russia and training in Europe, where he was not the victim of prejudice and racial slurs as he was in the U.S. But his place in history was recognized in 2004, when he was posthumously inducted in the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, recognized for his more than 2,500 victories over the course of his career.
Shrager’s book offers much more history and a look at a wide cast of fascinating characters, beyond covering the rise and fall of Black jockeys as a staple of the U.S. racing scene.
He delves into the English origins of the Derby name, and goes into detail about the life of Aristides’ owner, H. Price McGrath. A character if there ever was one, this entrepreneur and gambler (who spent a year in prison for running crooked card games) was also a club owner who made plenty of money in his pursuits. He bought a farm in Lexington, Ky., not far from where the Kentucky Horse Park is located today.
Included in the book are many of the Black players who made racing what it was after the Derby was born. Sadly, such names as jockey Isaac Murphy, the rider/trainer team of William Walker and Ed Brown likely will be unfamiliar to most readers, though they no longer remain strangers after a perusal of this book.
You’ll also learn about the controversial and hot-tempered Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, the creator of the Kentucky Derby, which began as a mile-and-a-half race. That is now the length of the Belmont, the third leg of the Triple Crown, while the Derby is a mile and a quarter and the Preakness, the middle leg of the Triple Crown, is a mile and three-sixteenths. (Both races are older than the Derby, but unlike the Derby, they did not run every year of their history.)
This book is worth a read, if you like horse racing and history. And you’ll find there’s a lot more to the Derby than just picking the right horse.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 2, 2023
A 15-year-old Sumter County, Fla., rider died after a horse she was riding in an equitation class tripped between fences and suffered a rotational fall at the Fox Lea Farm horse show in Venice, Fla., over the weekend.
Hannah Serfass was pronounced dead at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The horse, Quaxx 2, who was between fences at the time of the accident, was uninjured. Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies stated that the horse tripped after the sixth fence. His rider fell off but the gelding continued to fall and landed on Hannah.
Hannah Serfass enjoyed a victory last year in her debut at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. (Andrew Ryback Photography)
Commenting on the incident, the U.S. Equestrian Federation issued a statement saying it “takes every accident very seriously and will be reviewing the accident thoroughly to learn what we can do to minimize risk and increase safety in equestrian sport.”
A service for Hannah will be held May 8 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., where she often competed. it is set for noon in the Expo One building, preceded by visitation from 10 a.m.-noon. A luncheon and celebration of Hannah’s llfe will run from 1:30-3 p.m., followed by departure to the cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests blue ribbons with a special message on the back to present to Hannah. Some will be provided at the service.
Hannah is survived by her parents, David Duane and Janine Joy Serfass of Webster, Fla.; her brother: David Benjamin Serfass; her sister: Destinie Carolyn and Joshua Velasquez of Ocala, Fla,; grandparents: Charlotte Serfass of Wadsworth, Ohio and Ronald and Darlene Baksa of Palm Harbor, Florida.
WEC is putting together a fund in Hannah’s memory that will go to help junior riders. A GoFundMe in Hannah’s memory also has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/f/317mo702ko.
Hannah took up riding after she competed in gymnastics until she was in the fourth grade. Her family had a horse, so she decided to try that sport. She trained with Robin Swinderman Mitchell, who called her “a great student” and she also had help from Don Stewart.
“It’s something I really care about,” she was quoted as saying when discussing her feelings about riding.
“I really want to succeed and do well.”
Hannah’s obituary noted “Her passion was riding horses, so it is a blessing that she entered heaven’s gates on one. However, she would have ridden a cow if that’s all she had.”
Hannah was involved in 4-H and raised pigs for sale to help pay for her riding. She also ran track, played basketball and competed in the junior jumpers, was the reserve champion in the 2021 Southeast Regional Finals. In February, she won the USEF Talent Search at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. The previous month, she took the ASPCA Maclay class at WEC on Quaxx.
Susie Schoellkopf, who judged her at the WEC equitation finals, posted on social media that “her ability and passion stood out in the ring.” Jimmy Torano, who was judging the class with Susie, called Hannah, “a talent gone way too soon. As a parent, this one hits home.”
In her memory, people are asked to use the tag, “#rideforhannah” on social media.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 2, 2023
If you weren’t able to get to Kentucky for the 5 star Land Rover Three-Day Event over the weekend, there are more chances to see highlights of the event in a one-hour show.
They will air on NBC on Saturday May 13 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and on CNBC on Saturday May 27 at noon Eastern. And you can catch the $226,000 Kentucky CSI Invitational Split Rock Show Jumping Grand Prix (held on the night of the cross-country competition at the Kentucky Horse Park) on ESPNews on Sunday, May 7, at 10 a.m. Eastern.
In the meantime, enjoy these photos that didn’t make it to our regular coverage of the event. If you missed any of our stories, you can see them on the main page of the website, in the On the Rail section and by clicking the Previous Columns icon on the website’s masthead.
You had to love the fish jump at the Head of the Lake. Tamie Smith and Mai Baum had no problem with it on their way to winning the 5-star. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
In the old days, thoroughbreds were the eventing breed of choice. That’s no longer the case, but there are still a few ex-racehorses around the competitions, like Buck Davidson’s ride, Sorocaima, a veteran of 43 starts. He finished 22d. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
David O’Connor, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s chief of sport, went to his coach’s persona to train Lauren Nicholson and Landmark’s Monte Carlo before the dressage phase. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Eventing World Champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain was flawless in the dressage, finishing first, and clear in the show jumping phase with Banzai du Loir. The problem came at fence 6C on cross-country where she had a runout. “If you’re not winning, you’re learning, and that’s the quote I’m living by this weekend,” said Yasmi who finished 18th but has the 2024 Paris Olympics in her sights.
Daniel Bluman won the show jumping grand prix at Kentucky with Gemma. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Gail Wofford gave the new James C. Wofford On the Rise trophy to Young Rider Zach Brandt in memory of her husband. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
U.S. support team members jammed the Kiss and Cry stand during the awards ceremonies to cheer for the winners. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2023
It was a victory for persistence and a victory for the West Coast, but most of all, a victory for America, as Tamie Smith on Sunday became the first U.S. rider to win the 5-star Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event since 2008.
Everything was on the line as Tamie and Mai Baum entered the Rolex Stadium, the crowd of 23,576 adding to the tension as they riveted on the rider who would be either a heroine or a disappointment. She wasn’t showing the nerves she felt, but there was no middle ground for the Californian and her 17-year-old equine partner, who looked as determined as his rider. They had to be: Either the duo succeeded or horse and rider would fail most publicly.
Tom McEwen of Great Britain had just completed a perfect trip with the remarkable JL Dublin, ending on a score of 27.8 penalties for his weekend. Tamie had 24.2 penalties, with nothing added to her dressage score, when she trotted into the arena. Four faults for a knockdown would give the crown (it is coronation week) to Tom.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin.( Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
A study in concentration, Tamie was total determination as she handled the daunting task. Mai Baum, better known as Lexus, cleared fence after fence, tapping one, and then two, with his hooves as spectators murmured uneasily. Finally Tamie was up and over the final obstacle, the Defender oxer, smiling even before Lexus touched the ground and flashed through the finish line.
Tamie Smith smiling as she knows she has a perfect trip. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The crowd erupted, knowing how long the U.S. national championship had waited for one of its own to claim the prize. Tamie let her mount go in an exuberant gallop, flying around the ring in triumph, a study in joy and accomplishment.
“I feel like everybody carried me over that horse show jump course,” she said, as she thought back on her round over the Steve Stephens-designed course.
Asked for comment after she had gotten dozens of heartfelt hugs, a lease on a Land Rover Defender vehicle, and $123,000 in prize money, Tamie tried to gather her thoughts.
“I’m pretty numb,” she said.
“It’s almost like an out-of-body experience. I’m honored and elated and so excited, I’m speechless, obviously.”
She added, “This sport, you take a beating. The resilient ones just keep coming back for more. And you have that one day it pays off, and today it did.”
Added Tamie, “I’m so happy an American won. I’m so tired of the Europeans coming over and taking our national championship.”
I asked what’s next for Mai Baum, better known as Lexus. The 17-year-old German sporthorse gelding had some time out of the top level after an injury from the end of 2019 to the spring of 2021, but he came back strong with a ninth-place finish at Badminton and a contribution to the silver medal U.S. team at the 2022 world championships.
“I’d like to have him for Paris (the Olympics) next year,” mused Tamie.
“He’s healthy and he’s strong and he’ll tell me what he wants to do next. He doesn’t really owe me anything after something like this. He’ll tell me when he’s kind of ready to throw in the towel. He definitely doesn’t show any signs of that.”
In fact, she said, “today he jumped out of his skin.” Next for him is a rest, of course, and possibly some show jumping this fall (she trains with Scott Keach in that discipline.)
Tamie called Lexus “an unbelievable creature.” She took over the ride at the urging of her working student, Alex Ahearn, who wanted to go to college and handed the reins to Tamie. Reluctant to ride a working student’s horse because she wouldn’t want it to be a pressure situation, Tamie finally agreed and the partnership thrived.
Tom, who had to rush off and catch a plane back to England so he could ride two horses at the Badminton 5-star this week, was happy to briefly recap his Kentucky experience.
“I’m delighted with Dublin. Dubs has been unreal all week and I couldn’t be happier,” he said, noting their partnership is relatively new, having only begun late last season.
He called the Kentucky fixture “a true championship test” adding, “it’s brilliant for eventing in America to have Tamie win, an American winner.”
Third place went to Liz Halliday-Sharp on the U.S.-bred Miks Master C in his first 5-star, coming in on 28.5 penalties.
“He is the most amazing horse. I hope he will be my Olympic horse. He’s such a kind, generous horse and he gave everything,” she enthused.
Liz Halliday-Sharp celebrates her clean show jumping round on Miks Master C. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Having U.S. riders first and third was an achievement. Tamie gave credit to efforts of former eventing high performance director Erik Duvander, noting “he put blood, sweat and tears into U.S. eventing.”
Referring the weekend’s success, she said, “I think it’s the culmination of his dedication and hard work.”
He no longer works for the U.S. Equestrian Federation, which did not renew his contract, but she noted even so, “I think what you’re seeing is the fruits of his labor and ours as well.”
Tamie is the ninth 5-star winner who has been trained by Erik. She and Liz both continue to work with him, as do several other top eventers, including Boyd Martin and Ariel Grald.
World Champion Yasmin Ingham finished 18th with Banzai Du Loir following a fault-free show jumping trip, but it was a comedown after she won the dressage. The British rider had a run-out on cross-country at the C-element of the coffin complex, and then accumulated 20 time faults on top of that.
“The main thing today was to come out and do our best,” the British rider said with a gracious smile after completing the show jumping.
“If you’re not winning, you’re learning, and that’s the quote I’m living by this weekend. I’ve watched the video back many times already, analyzing where I went wrong.
“My approach to the coffin was too far right. It ended up we jumped the ditch way too far to the right. I didn’t give him a chance to get to the C element. I’m kicking myself more than anything. I know that he’s still an amazing horse and we can come out of this stronger, so that’s the main thing. It was a great course to ride around the rest.”
Zachary Brandt, 24th on Direct Advance, received the inaugural James C. Wofford “On the Rise” memorial trophy as the best-finishing Young Rider in the competition. The award is a memorial to the rider, trainer, author, and commentator, who died in February. He was known as a spotter of potential eventing talent.
For stories from Kentucky that ran over the last week, go to the On the Rail section. Others are available if you click on the Previous Columns icon on the masthead.
Click here for the final 5-star results. Click on this link for the 4-star results.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 6, 2023
Jumper rider Jonathon Millar is making huge progress in his recovery from a non-horse-related accident that left him with a head injury.
He is at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where he is walking “almost independently” and climbing stairs.
His progress is the result of the treatment he is getting, plus his own determination. But it comes at a cost; the treatment is very expensive. A GoFundMe page is raising money for his care. Here is a
link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 30, 2023
“Thank you for coming. See you next year.”
Daniel Bluman, winner of Saturday night’s $226,000 Kentucky CSI3* Invitational Grand Prix, greeted fan after fan from a crowd of 10,224 as they passed while he rode in a golf cart from the Rolex Stadium to a post-competition press conference.
The competition he won with his long-time mount, Gemma, at the Kentucky Horse Park meant a lot to him. He explained there’s nothing else like it in this country in terms of the size of the crowd and the atmosphere.
“In my opinion, the most beautiful part of this grand prix is the crowd,” Daniel observed.
“We owe them for how good this grand prix is,” he added, explaining why he made an effort to connect one-on-one with fans.
Daniel Bluman and Gemma take a bow. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“The turnout of people and how supportive they are to every rider, it brings such an atmosphere…that is not something you get to see in North America very often anymore. It’s really cool to have an atmosphere like that.”
He was one of 39 starters in the class, which took place as an extra attraction after a day of cross-country competition in the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event.
The jumper feature drew 39 starters over Guilherme Jorge’s course, which topped out at 1.55 meters. The 10 best came back for a second round, in which entries placed on the basis of faults and time. In addition to Daniel, clocked in 46.3 seconds for the win, those who wound up with double-clear trips included the USA’s rapidly rising star, Lacey Gilbertson with Karlin Van’t Vennehof (0/0/47.16) in second place, and her trainer, Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam, aboard James Kann Cruz (0/0/48.03) in third. Last year’s winner, Conor Swail of Ireland, missed the podium with a double clear on Casturano in 48.79. The only other double-clear was Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza, fifth on I-Cap CL Z (0/0/49.67).
The grand prix podium: Daniel Bluman (center), Lacey Gilbertson and Shane Sweetnam.
Daniel started working with Gemma, who is 12, seven years ago.
“She’s become really fast all over the place,” he said.
“She has a lot of personality, and from the beginning, she was a very careful horse. She wanted to leave the jumps up. She’s very sensitive, but we’ve grown into having a very nice partnership, which is what I aim to have with my horses. She’s part of my family by now. She’s a really smart horse, and as the years go by and she jumps more rounds, she learns more and becomes quicker.”
Daniel rides for Israel and is optimistic that country’s team will qualify for the Paris Olympics next year. He noted the addition of Robin Moore from France to the squad is a plus. It also includes Californian Ashlee Bond, and Daniel’s cousin, Mark, will soon be joining the Israeli contingent.
As always, the national anthem of the winner is played during the awards ceremony, and Daniel got emotional when asked about his feelings upon hearing Hatikvah, the Israeli anthem.
He formerly rode for Colombia, but changed his citizenship to honor his roots. His grandfather, he explained, spent three years in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.
“Israel has a very deep meaning for myself and my family. It’s a country that represents a lot for the Jewish people. It has really changed the situation for the Jewish communities around the world, to know you have a country that will always welcome you and always protect you,” he said.
“I felt if I could add a little bit to what Israel means by representing it in the world and trying to let the world know there is a side of Israel that perhaps is not often spoken about. But I feel it was sort of my obligation to do that, something that would make me proud.
“I feel I owe it to my grandfather,” Daniel explained.
“If he didn’t make it through those three years in the concentration camp, we wouldn’t be around here. I get very excited every time I hear Hatikvah.”
Lacey and Karly, who was Shane’s mount previously, have made quite an impression on the show jumping scene in the year since she’s been riding the mare.
Lacey Gilbertson and Karly. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“She’s naturally fast, very brave, and we get along really well,” said Lacey.
Shane is glad to have matched Karly with his student (even as she finished ahead of him in the class) and he is excited at how well James Kann Cruz is doing.
The handsome gray gelding “is still young, only 10 and still changing, but he loves to jump, as everyone can see,” Shane said.
“He’s impressive, can be a bit of a handful, but he knows his job.” Shane added, “There’s still a lot of room for improvement for him, and hopefully, if I’m lucky to have him stay healthy and keep loving his job, fingers crossed, we are still only on the way up.”
Click here for complete results from the class presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2023
What a surprise! Tamie Smith found herself on top of the standings Saturday at the 5-star Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event when world champion Yasmin Ingham of Great Britain ran into big trouble on the cross-country course at fence 6C, a narrow brush in the Park Question complex.
How uncharacteristic for her stellar mount, Banzai du Loir, to run out. That 20-penalty incident, combined with another 20 penalties for exceeding the optimum time of 11 minutes, 26 seconds, plummeted Yasmin from first to 21st, and put Tamie within reach of becoming the first U.S. rider since 2008 to win the event at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
First, of course, her mount, Mai Baum, has to pass the Sunday morning horse inspection. And then they most likely have to leave all the fences in place in the Rolex stadium, because another Brit, Tom McEwen, is close behind with the intrepid JLDublin. If he goes clean and Tamie has a rail, the tables are turned and he becomes the seventh Brit to take the title since 2003.
But after a perfect trip that elevated her from a disappointing third place in the dressage, Tamie was just enjoying the moment, shared with a crowd of 34,298, and the unique relationship she has with the German sport horse in whom she has entrusted her love.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more. That horse is such a fighter, he’s got a huge heart and we’ve had a long partnership. This is a little bit of what dreams are made of,” she said. “There’s not a lot of Thoroughbred in there, but he’s got a heart the size of Kentucky, that’s for sure.”
Added Tamie, “I think I got a little lucky with Tom being new to his horse, because I don’t know that in a perfect storm that he would actually have had time (faults).
The Californian spent Saturday night on her dressage score of 24.2 penalties, while Tom has 27.8. With a downed rail adding four penalties in the show jumping finale, you can see how close things are.
Tom rode a bit conservatively, collecting 5.2 time penalties. Without them, he would be leading going into the show jumping.
“It’s something I could easily change,” he said of the extra time he spent galloping around the 26-obstacle route, but having taken over the ride from Nicola Wilson relatively late in the season last year, he didn’t want to push it. Besides, he noted, horrendous weather in Britain had played havoc with the eventing schedule and he had no runs this year in his homeland.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin at the Wofford Rails obstacle, named after the late beloved horseman who is much missed at Kentucky. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
But he thought the course, designed by Derek Di Grazia, was “magnificent and rode perfectly,” as he obviously is enjoying his first visit to Kentucky.
I thought the Head of the Lake, where I have stationed myself for the last 34 years, rode softer than I had ever seen it. Happily, we didn’t see any falls or other mishaps at this iconic location. There was a bad accident there in 2022, so perhaps easing up on the water complex was connected to that. But I wasn’t able to find Derek to ask him, and he didn’t show up for the post cross-country press conference.
We experienced a long hold on course just as Yasmin was warming up to start her trip. Jennie Brannigan Savile pulled up Stella Artois when she thought the horse didn’t feel right. She had to be taken to a veterinary hospital, and didn’t want to get in the trailer, hence the delay. (She was hospitalized with a soft tissue injury in her right front leg and is going to be fine, vets say.) But perhaps that delay and the need to warm up all over again affected Banzai and meant his performance wasn’t optimum.
The U.S. contingent is very strong at the Kentucky Horse Park. Liz Halliday-Sharp is third with Miks Master C on 28.5 penalties with just 1.6 time faults.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He’s a spectacular horse and a great galloper and I think the world of him. He was absolutely brilliant. For his first 5-star, I couldn’t ask for more,” she said of the Swedish warmblood. Liz speculated that the time faults cropped up when she was dealing with him being a little strong at the end of her ride.
Former World Champion Sandra Auffarth of Germany, who stands fourth, enjoyed one of six double-clear performances among the field of 37 starters. She and Viamant du Matz had 30.4 penalties, the score on which they placed ninth in dressage.
Another double clear came from Will Coleman of the U.S., moving up from 13th to fifth with Off the Record, whose total is 31.2 penalties and finally showed how well he has learned the game.
Will Coleman and Off the Record. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Click here for the 5-star standings. Click on this link for the 4-star standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 26, 2023
The at-capacity Wellington International showgrounds used by the Winter Equestrian Festival would add 84 acres to offer breathing room for hunters, jumpers and dressage on one contiguous layout under a multi-faceted proposal.
While the showgrounds expansion would be good news for those competing at WEF, where space is at a premium, it’s part of a much larger plan involving 600 acres in “The Winter Equestrian Capital of the World.”
The overall concept, called The Wellington, is being spearheaded by Mark Bellissimo in collaboration with the NEXUS Luxury Collection. It must be considered by the village of Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee, which has scheduled a hearing June 7 and 8; then the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board and eventually, the Village Council, before any portions of it can be implemented.
A look at the plans for “The Wellington.”
The concept features “resort living,” including a club community involving the Cypress Golf Course, which would have a new clubhouse, a variety of sports facilities, housing that ranges from quarter-acre sites to 5-acre farms, and a town center with a hotel and other amenities.
Some in Wellington expressed apprehension about a previous development plan presented by Bellissimo to Preserve and Zoning panel members. As well as worrying about the environmental impact, those opposing the concept were concerned it would change the equestrian ambience of Wellington and threaten portions of the land meant to be kept for activities involving horses.
This new strategy was devised “in response to feedback by various constituencies” involving the first plan, according to Bellissimo.
He has faced down opposition before. In 2007, as head of Wellington Equestrian Partners, he was finally able to get consensus on transforming the old Stadium Jumping Inc. showgrounds into the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. That became Wellington International in 2022 after the property’s purchase by the Global Equestrian Group (GEG).
Wellington International is the site of many major competitions, including the show jumping Nations Cup. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Show jumpers and the hunters now compete at the main showgrounds, while the Adequan Global Dressage Festival is based at the Equestrian Village, a short canter away down Pierson Road. That property also has a derby field used by hunters and jumpers. That acreage and some adjacent land would go for housing and other development under the proposal. It would involve removing approximately 96 acres from the Equestrian Preserve Area and the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District. There also would be development on a polo field at South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth.
While plans are in place for the dressage to continue at its current site in 2024, if approval is given for the new application, dressage eventually would share the current Wellington International facility with the hunters. Jumpers would move to the bordering land where clearing already was under way last winter. That area would have 12 arenas, with a stadium planned for the site as well, though that might not come to fruition until 2026. Land close to the showgrounds is valued at possibly $1 million/acre.
A view into the area that is being cleared for an annex to the Wellington International showgrounds.
Before any purchase to add to the showgrounds, zoning on the 84 acres, most of which is owned by Bellissimo, would have to be changed from residential to commercial equestrian before GEG would buy it. That change likely wouldn’t be a high hurdle, considering Village support for the shows. It would also ease the headache of traffic congestion at Pierson and South Shore, since the facility could be accessible by new entrances and exits that would enable showgoers to avoid Pierson, according to Wellington International President Michael Stone.
NEXUS was founded by billionaire Joe Lewis, a British citizen who has a residence in Orlando, Fla., and his Tavistock group. Tavistock presents a celebrity image, with golfers Tiger Woods and Ernie Els in its mix, along with singer/songwriter/actor Justin Timberlake.
As expected, right after the proposal was announced, opposition began revving up.
Suzanne Porter, president of the Mallet Hill Homeowners Association, contends Bellissimo, “is creating a bedroom community for West Palm Beach. This is no longer about horses.”
Porter, who met with Bellissimo to discuss the project, said West Palm Beach is growing as an office and commercial hub that lacks sufficient housing.
“Where it becomes a horse discussion, or where it intersects, it is using previously dedicated horse space to do this for these people.”
She believes there is no chance all the new housing would be bought by horse people.
“That demand doesn’t exist,” she commented.
“If he’s sucessful and if he sells them (the residences), it will be for people who are getting in their cars and driving down Southern Boulevard to go to work. The Village has to make a real decision about whether that’s what they want their village to become, and do they want that to happen so close to the equestrian venues.”
She added, it’s also about whether they want to give acreage from their equestrian venues to let that happen.
Porter did note that the expansion for the showgrounds is “the right thing for the horse show to do”.
Those on social media in opposition to more development are airing many of the same concerns expressed about the initial development proposal.
As trainer/rider Jimmy Torano put it on his Facebook page, “We need to keep this a horse community, not more housing and condos. There’s a place for that. Just not right here.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 29, 2023
It required a jump-off in Mexico, but the U.S. team won the Western Hemisphere’s first Nations Cup that is a qualifier for the Barcelona final this fall. Because of different sponsorship, the March Nations Cup in Welllington, Fla., (won by Canada) doesn’t count for the final.
Why is Barcelona such a big goal? One team from that final will qualify for Paris, which the U.S. has yet to do. And if it doesn’t happen in Barcelona, the last chance is the Pan American Games in Chile shortly thereafter. But who wants to wait for the last minute to qualify?
The team of Laura Kraut, Kent Farrington, Jessie Springsteen and Bliss Heers tied with Mexico after the first round, where Laura was the only rider in the competition to go double clear. It boiled down to a jump-off between Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Perez on Contago and Laura on Baloutinue. The Mexican rider was clear for the tiebreaker in 42.13 seconds, but Laura blazed around in 39.43 seconds to take the win.
Coach Robert Ridland was understandably exuberant.
“It was amazing. We almost went rider for rider with Mexico the entire time, which made for an incredible competition,” he said.
“By the time Laura went, we knew that we would probably be in a jump-off,” said Robert.
“The course was excellent. It was going to be a major test but also doable, but they didn’t lower the standards at all, and it was a real course. By the results, any Nations Cup that only has only one double-clear combination means it was tough.
“It was an amazing Nations Cup. It was a fantastic venue, and they’re wonderful hosts. There’s a lot on the line this year, and it was so gratifying that when we had our call to arms at the beginning of the year. Everyone, including our athletes, owners, and staff, came forward to make this happen. We have a great support team behind us.”
