Wilmington, Ohio – Featured competition at World Equestrian Center – Ohio Summer I began with the $7,500 Welcome Stake. Thirty notable jumper athletes met in the newly renovated outdoor jumper arena to contest Bobby Murphy’s (USA) technical tracks. Of the 30 starters, only eight advanced to the immediate jump-off phase, with Izzy Beisel (USA) and David Beisel’s Vegas H (Valentino x Cobrah) claiming the top prize.
The decorated junior athlete of David Beisel Stables in Goshen, Ohio, has accumulated numerous feature wins in her backyard at WEC – Ohio and proved her dominance once again amongst the seasoned field.
Beisel is coming off a successful horse show and is happy to be back at WEC – Ohio, “Vegas did the 1.30/1.35m Markel USHJA Championships at GLEF [Traverse City, Michigan]. He was so good there. He jumped clear every day and only had one day on the last day. It is nice to be back here to be able to take a deep breath! We feel like we are at home here.”
As the 16th to go in the posted order, Beisel utilized the ten-year-old Hanoverian gelding’s large stride to her advantage in the jump-off phase, galloping smoothly around the short course halting the clock in 31.801 seconds for the win.
“I was slower from one to two than I wanted to be. It worked out because of his left drift; it helped the right turn back to the oxer there. I know Sarah Meier took the inside track to the one-stride, and she did it wonderfully, but we are a bit greener at this stuff so I thought it would be faster to go right around to that. We just wanted to fly around to green, and it gave me just enough power for the roll-back there,” Beisel spoke on her jump-off track.
Darby Pease (USA) of Windcrest Farm made a victorious return to WEC with her top mount Carel Van Donderen (Acolino x Terania Die Hoeghte). The duo entered at the bottom of the order and posted a clean and quick double clear in their typical fashion, ultimately landing just shy of the leading. The 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding carried Pease through the timers in 31.817 seconds for second place.
Third to go in the order, Richard Rinehart (USA) held onto a podium placing with Captain America 10 through the entirety of the class. Rinehart, of Rinehart Farm in Westfield, Indiana, piloted his historically quick and nimble nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding to a time of 31.969 seconds, enough to round out the podium.
$7,500 Welcome Stake Results:
1 Vegas H, Izzy Beisel, David Beisel | 0 | 31.801
2 Carel Van Donderen, Darby Pease, Louisa Robb | 0 | 31.817
3 Captain America 10, Richard Rinehart, Catherine Rinehart | 0 | 31.969
4 Nightshade SCF, Sarah Meier, Sarah Meier | 0 | 33.113
5 Idool, Stephen Foran, Freedom Woods | 0 | 33.251
6 Farezzo Du Lys Wb, Aidan Reilly-Madan, Aidan Reilly-Madan | 0 | 33.646
7 Casiano, Chandler Meadows, Chandler Meadows | 0 | 38.098
8 Evita DKG, Kalvin Dobbs, Treesdale Farms | 4 | 31.657
9 VDL Ivar, Kait Meggenhofen, Windara Farms INC | 4 | 68.59
10 Corvet Enigma, Patricio Rodriguez, Patricio Rodriguez LLC | 4 | 69.232
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!
Results can be found at wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.