Ocala, FL – The $32,000 IDA Development Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2* kicked off Thursday morning at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) with 23 horse-and-rider combinations representing eight nations competing for the top prize.
Manuel Esparaza designed the track that allowed for a 12-horse jump-off, where Venezuela’s Luis Larrazabal ultimately dominated with Driss Ngadi’s, Belle De Muze by Pensee V x Lando.
Larrazabal returned first for the jump-off aboard Octavia vd Bisschop (Kannan x Berlin), owned by Victoria Heurtematte, laying down a quick effort that resulted in a four-fault score. He later returned on Belle De Muze, this time delivering a lightning-fast performance that proved untouchable, stopping the clock in 36.66 seconds.
The speedy 15-year-old mare has become a trusted partner for Larrazabal, “We’ve been together for two and a half years already. We know each other inside out, and every time I have an opportunity in the jump-off with her, I just commit to my plan. I don’t worry about the competition, and she does her job.”
“The course was nice—challenging enough for a CSI2*. The triple combination came early, and then there were a couple of questions throughout. Rails came down all over, so it made for a solid qualifier ahead of Saturday night’s class,” Larrazabal commented on the track.
Larrazabal set the tone for Saturday night’s $65,000 IDA Development Grand Prix CSI2* where he will return aboard both mounts.
Michael Murphy (USA) piloted South Coast’s 10-year-old Warmblood mare Kaida CM (Kannan x Indoctro) to a faultless jump-off round in 37.57 seconds to secure second place.
Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) and Georgina de Carles, a nine-year-old mare by Kannan owned by La Cuadra Stables, LLC, rounded out the top three with a smooth effort in 38.71 seconds.
$32,000 IDA Development Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2* 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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