Wilmington, Ohio – The $10,000 Welcome Stake kicked off thrilling show jumping competition of Winter Classic #10. An elite field of athletes attempted Robert Barton’s (USA) track with half moving on to the jump-off round. Izzy Beisel once again sped to the top of the class, piloting her own Diaz Barbotiere (Messire Ardent x Quambera Barbotiere) to the quickest time of the field, adding another top placing to her growing record.
As winner of last week’s $30,000 Grand Prix of Winter during Winter Classic #9, Beisel returned feeling prepared to make all of the inside turns and ride for the top prize. She spoke on her preparation for the open jumper classes, “On a normal week, I flat Diaz on Tuesday. I usually jump him in the ring over small verticals to practice going nice and slow because sometimes he gets too quick. On Thursday before the welcomes we will do a 1.25m class to prep and then they have Friday off before the big class.”
The ten-year-old Selle Francias gelding was in careful form, never touching a single rail and establishing a forward pace early in the order. The duo was uncatchable with their jump-off time of 37.914 seconds.
As she exited the Sanctuary decorated in blue with a beaming smile, the junior rider who trains out of David Beisel Stables in Goshen, Ohio, mused “A little bit ago I had a few bad rides, so I got really nervous. We dropped it back down and it was a nice reminder of how fun this sport is and there is no point in doing it if you’re not having fun.”
Devin Milan (USA) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was right on Beisel’s heels aboard Karlina T (Cabrio Van De Heffinck x Goberlina T). The seven-year-old KWPN mare owned by Garo Kazan demonstrated experience beyond her years amongst the seasoned group of horse-and-athlete combinations. With Milan in the irons, the talented young mare made light work of the turns in the jump-off track and posted a time of 38.214 seconds to take home the red ribbon.
Sam Pegg (CAN) set the pace as the first to go in the order with his new mount Gin Tonic 158 (Graf Top x Sanjador). Pegg of Ten Sixty Stables in Uxbridge, Ontario, rode to an effortless double clear aboard the expressive ten-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Their jump-off time of 38.564 was good enough to round out the podium for third place.
$10,000 Welcome Stake Results:
1 Diaz Barbotiere, Izzy Beisel, Izzy Beisel | 0 | 37.914
2 Karlina T, Devin Milan, Garo Kazan | 0 | 38.214
3 Gin Tonic 158, Sam Pegg, Ten Sixty Stables & Co | 0 | 38.564
4 Downtown’s Main Event, Shannon Sullivan, Shannon Sullivan | 0 | 40.199
5 FF Dior, Megan Bash, Freestyling Farms LLC | 0 | 40.462
6 Nightshade SCF, Sarah R. Meier, Sarah R. Meier | 0 | 40.843
7 Big Girl Z, Sam Pegg, Ten Sixty Stables & C0 | 4 | 39.703
8 Jackson VDL, Megan Bash, Cleveland Equestrian | 4 | 48.982
9 Formidable Diamant, Sam Pegg, Phyllis Harlow | 1 | 86.033
10 Conquest, Devin Milan, Garo Kazan | 4 | 81.795
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Results can be found at HorseShowing.com.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.