Ocala, FL – The young stars of show jumping took center stage late Thursday morning in the $32,000 1.45m Grand Prix CSIU25, where athletes aged 25 and under competed for top honors. Fifteen horse-and-rider combinations tackled the challenging track, but it was Gabriella Curry (USA) aboard GA Stables LLC’s Esto De Viscourt (Qlassic Bois Margot x Mozart Des Hayettes) who emerged victorious.
Renowned course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) set the technical track for the talented up-and-comers. It proved to be a true test, with only two pairs managing clear rounds to advance to an exciting head-to-head jump-off between Jake Endicott and Gabriella Curry.
Endicott (USA) returned first, guiding Weslands Farm’s 10-year-old KWPN mare Kariludine S (Dallas x Mermus R) to a solid effort, though they incurred nine faults in a time of 50.86 seconds.
Curry followed with a last-minute adjustment to her jump-off strategy with the 11-year-old Selle Français gelding Esto De Viscourt. “Instead of taking the inside turn to jump one, we decided to go around,” she explained. “I just wanted to stay organized and have a smooth, clear round—I didn’t want to take a gamble. He’s already very quick, so I knew I could still make the time even with that outside turn.”
The pair delivered a fast round in 42.25 seconds with just the final rail falling, which was still enough to secure the win.
Speaking about her talented partner, Curry shared, “His name is ‘Esto.’ I got him in January or February, so we’re still a relatively new match, but he’s amazing. He always gives me his all, and he gave me everything around the whole course today. He tries so hard, he’s quick and loves to be fast—just super fun overall.”
The victory marked a memorable milestone in Curry’s career. “This is my first U25, and last week we played around in our first CSI2*. To step into FEI and come away with a win is just the best feeling. I’m so excited for the rest of the summer!”
Rounding out the podium was Mexico’s Maya Denis, who claimed third place with her own nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding, Callypso De La Hamente Z (Chellsini Z x Kashmir Van Schuttershof). Their quick first-round time of 73.40 seconds with one rail down secured them the yellow ribbon.
$32,000 1.45m Grand Prix CSIU25 Results
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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