Rowan Willis & Cape Town Save the Best for Last in the $60,000 IDA Development Grand Prix of WEC – Wilmington Fall Classic 4
19 OCT 25 Wilmington, OH
Wilmington, Ohio – Exhibitors packed the stands of the Standlee Sanctuary Saturday evening at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) Fall Classic 4 as a field of 37 esteemed horse-and-athlete combinations competed in the $60,000 IDA Development Grand Prix.
FEI level IV course designer, Alan Wade (IRL), set a track that proved technical for the group as only six riders advanced to the jump-off phase. Rowan Willis (AUS) ultimately saved the best for last with Patricio Pasquel’s Cape Town.
“Puddles [Cape Town] has had a great three weeks here, so it’s nice to finally get ahead of them all,” Willis smiled.
“He’s owned by a good friend of mine, Patricio Pasquel, and he sent him to me a couple of months ago. I’ve always liked him. I just jumped him for a couple of weeks at the end of WEC Ocala’s summer series and have been playing around with him ever since.”
The track in the Standlee Sanctuary demanded smart riding, with rails falling throughout the course. Wade’s design set the stage for an exciting finish. “I think Alan [Wade] is the best course builder in the world, which is proven by being selected to build at the Olympics in L.A., which is really exciting,” Willis said. “I love jumping Alan’s courses. He never sets a major trap, but every jump demands respect and makes you think the whole way around. Every fence came down at some point tonight. He makes us think but never traps or scares the horses.”
Returning last in the order, Willis laid down an efficient jump-off to secure the win. “Coming back last in the jump-off, I knew I had two clear rounds ahead of me. He’s been second the last two weeks and he’s probably not the naturally quickest horse, but we’re working on that. I got a nice leave out from one to two and again from three to four. He actually turns quite quickly, and I trusted him to the double. Then it was just a nice gallop home,” Willis shared.
The duo stopped the clock in 36.862 seconds to lead the victory gallop.
Taylor Land (USA) and the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Get Go (Grey Top x Wantan), owned by Pinetree Farms Inc, secured a close second place with a time of 37.063 seconds set just before Willis.
The 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion, Echonix (Aganix Du Seigneur x Echo Peach), piloted by Kevin Gallagher (IRL), produced yet another double clear effort, rounding out the top three in 37.1 seconds.