Ocala, FL – On Sunday morning, a strong field of athletes hailing from 11 different nations took to the WEC Grand Arena to culminate the week with the $50,000 YETI National Grand Prix. Colm Quinn (IRL) laid the intricate tracks, leading to a nine-horse jump-off, and ultimately seeing, David Cameron (AUS) galloping away with the victory aboard Beijing Ls La Silla.
Sharn Wordley (NZL) set the pace as the first competitor to navigate a double clear effort. Steering Della Wordley’s Conto Blanco 4, he navigated an efficient path in the jump-off, setting the time to beat at 40.379 seconds.
His time was quickly matched by Gonzalo Busca (ESP) and Cristiano Obolensky (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato). Busca and the nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding showcased remarkable speed, crossing the timers almost a full second faster in 39.482 seconds.
David Cameron entered the arena with the goal of stealing the lead with Laura Sloey’s 16-year-old Ls La Silla stallion by Quintero. “The jump-off suited him really well. He can turn quickly and jump the jumps at a gallop. For a little horse he has a really big stride so I was able to do the eight to the eight in the first few lines, and that helped set the right rhythm for the rest of the track.”
The duo blazed through the jump-off course, stopping the clock at an unbeatable 38.540 seconds for the victory.
Cameron spoke about his partnership with the small but mighty stallion, “He’s been on our team for almost four years now. He’s been a tremendous, little horse. Laura Sloey rode him for a long time. They had a great partnership together, but she decided to stay in Australia and focus on her career. Luckily enough, I was able to buy into him, and now I have a 16-year-old pony stallion,” laughed Cameron. “Doesn’t sound like the best investment, but he’s been the best little horse, and I know he will continue to be a great horse in my string.”
Beijing Ls La Silla, “loves the WEC Grand Arena” according to Cameron, “That arena has to be my favorite part about this venue. [Beijing Ls La Silla] jumps so well here at WEC and loves the atmosphere. I think all the horses walk down that ramp and try their hardest because every day feels like a big occasion.”
Eduardo Menezes (BRA) was just shy of the winning time with his own 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Nagano De La Pomme (Cadeau De Muze x Chin Chin) with a time of 38.912 seconds to slide into second place.
Aaron Vale (USA) received the fastest four faulter award aboard Thinkslikeahorse’s Fleck with a quick first round time of 79.025 seconds with one rail down.
Adeline Rohrbach received the ‘Luck of the Draw’ award.
$50,000 YETI National Grand Prix Results:
1 Beijing Ls La Silla, David Cameron (AUS), Laura Sloey: 0 | 0 | 38.540
2 Nagano De La Pomme, Eduardo Menezes (BRA), Eduardo Menezes: 0 | 0 | 38.912
3 Cristiano Obolensky, Gonzalo Busca (ESP), Gonzalo Busca: 0 | 0 | 39.482
4 Conto Blanco 4, Sharn Wordley (NZL), Della Wordley: 0 | 0 | 40.379
5 J’adore Van Het Klinkhof, Rodrigo Lambre (BRA), Ilan Ferder: 0 | 4 | 38.992
6 Chaccos Cherry, Katie Eppinger (USA), Katie Eppinger: 0 | 4 | 40.837
7 Halcon, Richard Spooner (USA), Molly Ohrstrom: 0 | 8 | 38.602
8 Fee Des Hermines, Kyle Dewar (CAN), Crooked Willow Farms: 0 | 8 | 42.976
9 Blue Movie, Rowan Willis (AUS), Rowan Willis: 0 | 22 | 67.340
10 PST De Muze, Luis Sabino Goncalves (POR), Sigma Stables LLC: 1 | 85.744
Visit HorseShowing.com for final results.
Spectators are welcome! From now until March 24, 2024, experience the thrill of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
A limited number of weekly stalls remain for the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, book your stall today!
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