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Wilmington, Ohio – The first featured class of the 2024 Spring/Summer Series commenced under the sun Thursday afternoon at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington. Ireland’s Kevin Gallagher returned to Wilmington with a new mount, Campinas 4 (Campitello x Aluta), to take the win in the $7,500 Barncat App Welcome Stake.
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“We got ‘Cam’ at the end of the season in Wellington. I own him with Laura Kraut and Nick Skelton. He is an eight-year-old gelding by Campitello. He is catching on really quick,” Gallagher commented on his new partner.
Bobby Murphy’s (USA) track saw three horse-and-athlete pairs move onto the jump-off, Gallagher being the only rider to attempt one turn to secure the win in 38.32 seconds.
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“There weren’t too many that jumped off, and I didn’t notice anyone that went inside back to jump six. The horse is a little bit green but I knew it was a roll-back to a vertical, so I decided to do that tight inside turn and ride the rest of the round normal. I was just able to catch the time. He is learning really quick!”
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Gallagher, of Marigot Bay Farm based in Lexington, Kentucky, made his first stop to Wilmington in the fall, and returned with a new group of talent to debut in the newly upgraded outdoor facilities.
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“We just got here last night. We came in October and loved it. We have a whole new group of horses so we wanted to come and test them out a little bit,” Gallagher shared. “The facilities here are unbelievable. It is like being at a five-star show. The surfaces are perfect, the ring looks unbelievable and the jumps are beautiful. It is a brilliant place to be. We were joking that we feel like we are on vacation here!”
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Ireland’s Oliver McCarthy traveled to WEC – Wilmington for his first time with his own 10-year-old KWPN gelding, Jack Sparrows (Douglas x Pilot), to claim second place in 39.69 seconds.
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As the first to jump a double-clear effort, Nikko Ritter (USA) and Wendy Peralta’s nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Kandle (Kannan x Ceska), rounded out the podium in 40.484 seconds.
$7,500 Barncat App Welcome Stake Results:
1 Campinas 4, Kevin Gallagher, Freedom Group | 0 | 38.32
2 Jack Sparrows, Oliver McCarthy, Ashfield Stables | 0 | 39.69
3 Kandle, Nikko Ritter, Wendy Peralta | 0 | 40.484
4 Jazil Du Houssoit, Kady Abrahamson, Abrahamson Equestrian LLC | 4 | 72.036
5 HJ Blind Date, Molly Kindness, Molly Kindness | 4 | 72.842
6 Chuma, Elizabeth Swire, Brittany Rhodes | 4 | 73.373
7 Sonsoles Ls La Silla, Karrington Hall, San Francisco Stables LLC | 8 | 64.401
8 Jackson VDL, Megan Bash, Cleveland Equestrian | 8 | 67.958
9 Karlina T, Trapp O’neal, Garo Kazan | RT
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!
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.