Wilmington, Ohio – Kady Abrahamson (USA) stole the spotlight in the $30,000 IDA Development Grand Prix to earn her 7th WEC podium finish in as many months, while Tammy Provost (USA) made an impression in the $15,000 Shoo-Fly USHJA National Open Hunter Derby as World Equestrian Center – Wilmington wrapped its 2023 Spring/Summer show series with Summer III, which ran from Wednesday, August 9 to Sunday, August 13.
Abrahamson and her 15-year-old Holsteiner mare Any (Aljano x Nina XI) successfully negotiated Joey Rycroft’s (USA) tracks to claim the win in the $30,000 IDA Development Grand Prix once again. Abrahamson also captured another podium finish with a third-place finish aboard the nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding FSS Outlaw (VDL Cardento x Cimenta C).
“Any has won four grands prix here since March and she was just third in the $50,000 Grand Prix in Kentucky. She was also third in 2* in Tryon. She has been on a roll. She is amazing, at 15 and still winning and jumping so many clear rounds. This is my fourth show with my new horse Jack [FSS Outlaw]. He was third in the futures the first time I showed him and then had one time fault his first time in the grand prix here. I took him to Kentucky, and he jumped his first 1.50m and his first night class with just the last jump down. It is amazing that he is even jumping at this level for only being here a month. I owe a lot of my recent successes to Wim Janssen, who I just started training with about a month ago. I am lucky to have a fantastic team behind me,” Abrahamson spoke on her incredible summer season.
Sara Sprague (USA) of Richmond, Massachusetts, and her trusted mount Voi De Pique (Perigueux x Sunset PJ) were the only duo to jump a double clear effort in the $10,000 Voltaire Futures Prix to take the win. The 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding never missed a beat and completed the short course with ease in a time of 38.095 seconds for the win.
“The first show I ever showed him [Voi De Pique] at was in 2018 here at WEC. I bought him from a farm in Canada and we met them here with him, and we jumped the Futures Prix with him that week. We have been together since then and he jumped his first grand prix here. He has made all of my dreams come true. We always say he is a yes man. He does anything that you ask of him, and he always does the right thing.”
Provost (USA) of Meadow View Farm in Sheridan, Indiana, perfected Joe Carnicom’s (USA) flowing tracks to gallop away with the win aboard Apparently. The seasoned professional earned scores of 92 and 90.5 for an overall score of 182.5 to take the win with the 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby sponsored by Shoo-Fly.
Provost used her experience to her advantage in the handy phase, “My plan was to be pretty aggressive with my turns. I have to be a little careful with him because he can be spooky when he goes by jumps. He almost fell off his lead to the first jump when I went in between the gap. I made the inside turn there that a lot didn’t make. I planned to take the low option there with the plan to turn in. I judge a lot, so for me I would have given more points to someone that was handy, so that was why I choose the turn instead of the high option.”
Anona Svenkesen (USA) and Express De B’Neville (Cap De B’Neville x Joie De B’Neville) proved their skills to ultimately earn their first ever derby win together in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby. Svenkesen, of Clarkston, Michigan, piloted her nine-year-old Selle Francias gelding to scores of 87 and 88 for a two-round total of 175.
“Theo is a nine-year-old Selle Francias. We bought him a couple of months after he was imported, and I have had him since he was five. We started in the 2’6 and now he is doing the 3’6 with my trainer Sarah Roberston. I do the 3’3” juniors with him now, and we just got home from Junior Hunter Finals where we were 18th overall. This is our first derby win, and it feels so awesome!”
Devin Milan (USA) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Garo Kazan’s Conquest saved the best for last in the $10,000 Dimples Horse Treats Welcome Stake Thursday afternoon. The eight-year-old Zangersheide gelding answered Milan with lightning speed and consistency to take the win in 29.128 seconds.
“My plan for the first round was to show my greener horse the triple combination and the liverpool. I just wanted to make sure that he got to see those before I started. You can’t keep everything systematic on course all the time, especially when you are riding a green horse, so I focused on keeping my rhythm consistent. I wanted Hot Dog to feel secure with me on his back, so I was just trying to give him the confidence in that first round,” Milan discussed her plan as she entered the arena.
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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.