Ocala, FL – An impressive field of 51 competitors representing 13 nations took to the WEC Grand Arena on Thursday morning for the $62,500 Alltech Grand Prix Qualifier CSI3*. In the end, it was Caitlin Boyle (USA) who emerged victorious aboard Beyaert Farm Inc.’s Prianti Van Het Mikkenhof, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Thunder Vd Zuuthoeve x Lambada Van Berkenbroeck.
Course designer Catsy Cruz (MEX) set two technical tracks that challenged horse-and-rider combinations at every turn. Fourteen pairs managed to jump clear in the first round, with half delivering a double-clear effort.
Boyle took a measured approach to the opening round, explaining, “It’s such a connected course that if one part gets disrupted, it snowballs into the rest of the round. Some places I decided to add: the last line, a lot of people were doing eight – I went out and did nine. But it didn’t matter which number I did; I just knew I had to do it well. Rails were coming down everywhere, so I took it piece-by-piece and tried not to rush my way through it.” Her strategy paid off, as she was one of 14 combinations to advance to the short course.
Jessica Springsteen (USA) set the early standard in the jump-off, piloting Stone Hill Farm’s 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Naomi Van Het Keizershof (Cardento 933 x For Pleasure), to a swift clear round in 37.97 seconds.
Knowing Springsteen had set the bar high, Boyle entered with a different mindset—but that quickly changed. “Everyone walks in knowing that they have to ride so fast. I went in with the plan to just ride for second, but I hit the first jump and changed my mind. I felt like she was really going to be there with me today and thought I might as well give it a shot.” The pair executed a smooth slice over jump two and maintained their pace, stopping the clock at 37.51 seconds—just fractions faster than Springsteen—to take over the lead.
Boyle and Prianti Van Het Mikkenhof continue to develop a strong partnership. “I’ve had her just over a year and a half now. She has very quick footwork, which makes her very fast, and she has a way of jumping just high enough without overdoing it, so I don’t have that extra airtime. She’s turned out to be quite a speed horse for me. I purchased her as my first horse to jump 1.40m and up with, needing a horse to give me confidence and hopefully be competitive. And she’s that girl.”
Simon McCarthy (IRL) was the last to secure a podium finish, guiding Gotcha, a 14-year-old Holsteiner mare by Stakkato x Cassini I and owned by Rock Ridge Farms, to a third-place finish in 38.14 seconds.
$62,500 Alltech Grand Prix Qualifier CSI3* Results
1 PRIANTI VAN HET MIKKENHOF: 2015 Belgian Warmblood mare by Thunder Vd Zuuthoeve x Lambada Van Berkenbroeck
Caitlin Boyle (USA), Beyaert Farm Inc: 0/0/37.51
2 NAOMI VAN HET KEIZERSHOF: 2013 Belgian Warmblood mare by Cardento 933 x For Pleasure
Jessica Springsteen (USA), Stone Hill Farm: 0/0/37.97
3 GOTCHA: 2011 Holsteiner mare by Stakkato x Cassini I
Simon Mccarthy (IRL), Rock Ridge Farms: 0/0/38.14
4 I-CAP CL Z: 2012 Zangersheide gelding by I M Special De Muze x Air Jordan
Jessica Mendoza (GBR), Jessica Mendoza: 0/0/43.26
5 HENRY JOTA ARIEL: 2015 Argentinian Sport Horse mare by Picadilly Tame x Casparo
Hunter Holloway (USA), Hays Investment Corp.: 0/0/43.50
6 FARINJO DES MEC: 2015 Selle Français stallion by Carinjo x Kannan
Bliss Heers (USA), Bridgeside Farms L.L.C.: 0/0/43.63
7 QUALITY STAR Z: 2013 Zangersheide gelding by Quality Time Tn x Cash
Bliss Heers (USA), Bridgeside Farms L.L.C.: 0/0/47.88
8 IDEAAL ES: 2013 KWPN gelding by Ukato x Conway
Chris Pratt (CAN), Take The High Road, LLC: 0/4/41.39
9 KINMAR QUALITY HERO: 2013 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Obos Quality 004
Tanner Korotkin (USA), Sandalwood Farms: 0/4/43.10
10 CANDID 14: 2012 Mecklenburg gelding by Cellestial x Converter 2
Vaclav Stanek (CZE), Adelaide Toensing: 0/4/43.39
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.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV
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