Little Mare, Big Victory: Waylon Roberts & Cs Carrera Win the $30,000 Grand Prix of Winter Classic 14
14 MAR 26 Wilmington, OH
Wilmington, Ohio – Fans packed the stands of the Standlee Sanctuary at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) for the $30,000 Grand Prix, but they cheered the loudest as Waylon Roberts and crowd favorite Cs Carrera (Contendro I x Beaulieus Cayenne) led the victory gallop for the second time this week.
Course designer Michael Pegg laid out the track that saw four athletes advance to the short course: Molly Kindness, Ragan Roberts, Summer Justus, and Waylon Roberts.
Kindness was the first to contest, incurring four faults along the way to finish in fourth place. Ragan Roberts and his own 10-year-old Warmblood mare, Queen Bee Z (Quincy Car x Can Get You), were second to go, posting a double-clear effort in a smooth time of 43.842 seconds.
Justus followed with her 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, La Belle SCF (Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve x Belle Bleu S). The duo laid down the fastest effort of the evening in 37.418 seconds, with one vertical down, ultimately landing in third.
Aboard Sher Schwartz’s small but mighty 17-year-old Holsteiner/Westphalian mare, Cs Carrera, Waylon Roberts found the winning, fault-free path as the last to go in 40.535 seconds.
Following the victory, he reflected on what the win meant and the journey that brought the partnership to this point.
“I am over the moon,” he smiled. “We came up here a couple of weeks ago specifically to get her out and jump some bigger classes because there’s not so much going on in Aiken [South Carolina] right now. She jumped super the last time I was here, so I thought, well, let’s go and give it another shot. And obviously, you can’t do better than winning two classes, you know? I’m super proud of her.”
Though the partnership is still gaining mileage at this height, he emphasized how meaningful it has been to step up together.
“She and I are still new to the 1.40m level, but it’s just so exciting for me to be able to show at that level,” he said. “She really is the little horse that could. I met Sher about five or six years ago when I was living in Alabama,” he explained. “She had a couple of event horses that she needed me to ride, and I got to know Carrera really well. At the time, we were eventing, and she actually went to the three-star level.”
However, after a setback, the plan for the talented mare shifted: “She unfortunately suffered an injury, and when she came back, we started show jumping her because she is an incredible jumper. Her career has just gone from strength to strength. It’s been a really special journey.”
Heading into the jump-off with only one clear round to beat, his mindset remained focused on the bigger picture.
“For me, being at this level is still such a new thing,” he said. “My wife and I remind ourselves every time we come to these shows that we’re going for a good experience. We want to ride the horse as well as we can and give her a nice, confident ride. If we happen to do well, that’s fantastic.”
Waylon also spoke highly of the experience competing at WEC – Wilmington.
“I’ve been here before and absolutely loved it,” he said. “It’s been a really good decision for us this winter,” he said with a smile. “We’re jumping the height, the courses are good, and I get to have a little glory at the same time!”
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