Ocala, FL – International three-star competition once again took center stage at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC), where all eyes were on the week’s marquee event: the $130,000 Wheels Up Grand Prix CSI3*. Thirty elite horse-and-rider combinations from 14 nations came forward to contest the feature class, but in the end, it was Australia’s Lauren Balcomb who flew to victory aboard Verdini D’houtveld Z (Verdi Tn x Caretino 2) with a lightning-fast jump-off round that no one could catch.
FEI Level III course designer Peter Grant (CAN) set an intricate and technical track for the accomplished international field. Eleven pairs managed to find the golden path to a fault-free first round, qualifying for what became a thrilling jump-off featuring athletes from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Argentina, Chile, Austria, Portugal, and Mexico.
Balcomb was the very first athlete to tackle the initial round, and the first to post a clear. That meant she also returned first for the jump-off. “Obviously, I had put pressure on everyone else,” she said. That pressure was no problem for her longtime partner Verdini D’houtveld Z, a 14-year-old Zangersheide gelding she’s been competing since he was six.
“I wanted to be as quick and fast as I could to one, take my time to two, so then I was already angled back to the vertical. I was thinking it was either nine or 10. I did 10 to three, which I thought it was going to be because the oxer shoots you out a little bit. Then I rolled back to the combination, and then I was as tight as I could be back to the vertical, and then galloped down and did 10 to the last.”
The pair blazed through the finish, stopping the clock in an unbeatable 39.85 seconds.
“He is just so amazing,” Balcomb said of ‘Dini’. “We’ve been in a partnership for so long now, and we know each other so well. He loves the jump-off, and he’s so game. He wants to be going as quick as he can, and he’s so responsive. When I have to balance, he just comes right back. He puts in a quick step—he’s just incredible.”
Balcomb also expressed her appreciation for having WEC – Ocala nearby. “We’re so lucky we can stay here with our family, with our kids, with all of our horses. Life doesn’t really have to change, we can keep going to swimming and gymnastics lessons and then come horse show. We are so fortunate to have WEC here and the community around Ocala. We really have the best of everything, and we couldn’t be in a better spot.”
She added that the atmosphere is unlike anything else. “The crowds are just unbelievable. What’s amazing is we’re like a family. Everyone is here for a long period of time—for the summer, for the winter—and all the same people come to the horse shows and support us. So many familiar faces and everyone cheering us on. I feel like they’re really behind us, so it makes it even more special.”
Hot on Balcomb’s heels was Week I’s $75,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI2* winner Aaron Vale (USA) aboard Helios Du Moulin (Untouchable x Quidam De Revel). The seasoned American rider guided the up-and-coming eight-year-old Selle Français gelding owned by The Helios Du Moulin Group to a clear jump-off round in 40.22 seconds, good enough for second place.
Rounding out the podium was Argentina’s Luis Pedro Biraben, who piloted his own Vasco 109 (Vigo D’arsouilles Stx x Clarimo), a 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, to another strong finish. The pair crossed the timers in 40.80 seconds to secure third.
$130,000 Wheels Up Grand Prix CSI3* Results
1 VERDINI D’HOUTVELD Z: 2011 Zangersheide gelding by Verdi Tn x Caretino 2
Lauren Balcomb (AUS), Lauren Balcomb: 0/0/39.85
2 HELIOS DU MOULIN: 2017 gelding by Untouchable*gfe x Quidam De Revel
Aaron Vale (USA), The Helios Du Moulin Group: 0/0/40.22
3 VASCO 109: 2015 gelding by Vigo D’arsouilles Stx x Clarimo
Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG), Luis Pedro Biraben: 0/0/40.80
4 CROSSOVER 4: 2013 Hanoverian gelding by Cascadello x Chacco-Blue
Chloe Reid (USA), Team Reid LLC: 0/0/42.13
5 BRIN D’OR DE HAUTE MELEN Z: 2014 Zangersheide gelding by Bamako De Muze x Baloubet Du Rouet
Sharn Wordley (NZL), Della Wordley: 0/0/43.04
6 LUIDAM QUALITY: 2015 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Luidam x Obos Quality 004
Maya Denis (MEX), Overnusa LLC: 0/0/44.62
7 CHAMPION LEAGUE: 2013 Hanoverian gelding by Cador 5 x Contendro I
Sharn Wordley (NZL), Della Wordley: 0/0/45.10
8 ENNEBEL VAN HET POSTHUIJS: 2009 Warmblood mare by Numero Uno x Argentinus
Peter Petschenig (AUT), Petschenig Showjumping, LLC: 0/4/42.55
9 QINAKI VAN DEN DAEL: 2016 Belgian Warmblood mare by Iron Man Van’t Meulenhof
Lauren Murphy (USA), Lauren Murphy: 0/4/43.17
10 HFB VERSACE: 2012 gelding by Verdi Tn x Indorado
Samuel Parot Jr (CHI), Samuel Parot: 0/4/46.90
Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
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