Three-Peat: Wilhelm Genn Tops the $30,000 CWD Grand Prix Aboard Zhappy Z

Wilmington, Ohio – An electrifying atmosphere in the Standlee Sanctuary set the stage at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) Saturday evening for the $30,000 CWD Grand Prix of Winter Classic 10. FEI Level III course designer Peter Grant (CAN) set a technical track that allowed five partnerships to advance to the jump-off phase.

Izzy Beisel was the first to go with David Beisel’s 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Contigo (Carombolle), and set an instant time to beat of 40.594 seconds.

Amanda Harris and her own 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, VDL Maverick (Tinkas Boy), followed Beisel, posting the fastest time of the evening, 38.328 seconds, with an unfortunate four-fault score.

Waylon Roberts and Shannon Sullivan also tried their hand at the short course, both finishing with four faults.

Wilhelm Genn was the final to enter the ring with his beloved Zhappy Z (Zirocco Blue VDL x Happy Z), noting that he was just looking for a smooth, efficient round with his young mare.

“Izzy is usually so fast and efficient, and her horse has a big stride. Since she was the only one clear, and Zhappy is still so young and impressionable, and this was a big track for her, I thought, ‘I’m not going to push her for speed. I’m just going to go for double clean. If she does that, I’ll get a nice second and it’s a good day!’”

“But she started off nicely, and the eight in the first line was exactly what I planned,” Genn continued. “She was so much smoother than normal, which allowed me to be tighter with the turns and just keep coming. She was amazing. Of course, I was ecstatic—it’s amazing,” he smiled.

A double-clear effort in 39.954 seconds not only marked the eight-year-old Warmblood mare’s second career grand prix win, but also secured Genn’s third consecutive grand prix victory.

Genn also praised course designer Peter Grant, who was building at WEC – Wilmington for just the second time.

“Peter has been building amazing all week. I’ve always been a fan of his since I rode his first courses in Palm Beach. I think he’s definitely in the top 10 percent of course designers in the world. He’s wonderful,” he shared. “All week he built great tracks, whether it was a schooling class or the Junior/Amateur classes. He didn’t trap anybody, but he made it a real Grand Prix track tonight.”

The atmosphere in the Standlee Sanctuary also marked an important step forward for Zhappy Z.

“This was the first time she’s really had a crowd, and her mother was very similar—whenever there was a big crowd, it made her jump even higher. Today didn’t scare her at all. I took her to the combination thinking that might be a difficult part for her with the people and the atmosphere, but she just ate it up. She was so focused.”

$30,000 CWD Grand Prix Results

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