Kudos to Charlotte Clark & Kinsella on Their Third $25,000 WEC Grand Prix Win

Tonight the Sanctuary Arena hosted thrilling Jumper action as an enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch the $25,000 WEC Grand Prix and the $7,500 Futures Prix 1.30 m sponsored by Voltaire Design. Charlotte Clark and her own Kinsella (Capitalist x Jerpoint Mist) captured their third Grand Prix win of the Winter Series while Canada’s Sam Pegg earned a one-two finish in the Futures Prix for the second consecutive week .

$25,000 WEC Grand Prix

Tonight’s $25,000 WEC Grand Prix saw a fantastic win by Charlotte Clark and her own Kinsella (Capitalist x Jerpoint Mist). The pair have dominated throughout the 2019 Winter Series of the Midwest and proved their expert skill again in tonight’s class, besting the second place finisher by more than three seconds in a highly competitive jump off.

The course for tonight’s Grand Prix was designed by Tucker Williams of Ocala, Florida and featured three one-stride combinations, a triple bar and forward lines. Though ten entries jumped a clear first round and returned for the jump off, a few stood out as particularly impressive, beginning with Sarah Meier and her own Chanel (Cradilo x Red Charisma) who went about midway though the order. The pair recently returned from a few weeks of showing in Ocala, Florida where they took first place in the $10,000 1.35 m Classic. Tonight, Meier and Chanel brought their signature fast-paced style to the ring, jumping a clear first round in just 69.235 seconds, about seven seconds under the time allowed of 76 seconds, signaling that they would be hard to catch in the jump off.

Charlotte Clark and Kinsella clear an oxer.

Soon after, Clark and Kinsella took to the ring. The pair had two $25,000 WEC Grand Prix wins under their belt from the Winter Series and were determined to add another. Clark and Kinsella were also quick in the first round, jumping clear in a time of 71.085 seconds.

Wrapping up the first round were Thursday’s $5,000 Welcome Stake 1.35 m winners David Beisel and Maarten Huygens’ Angelo (Conthargos x Grand Ronja). The pair were determined to keep their winning streak, taking their time and jumping a clear first round in 73.834 seconds.

The course was refreshed and ten entries returned for the jump off. Meier and Chanel were first to jump double clear, setting the time to beat at 44.938 seconds. Clark and Kinsella retured shortly after, noting Meier’s time as they began the short course. Clark hugged the inside track, taking no extra steps to approach each fence. The pair crossed the timers at a blistering 40.275 seconds with all rails up, bringing the crowd to their feet.

David Beisel and Angelo jump into second place.

Returning at the bottom of the order were Beisel and Angelo. While the pair were tidy and clean, they could not catch Clark and Kinsella. They kept a steady rhythm throughout the jump off and delivered a clear round in a time of 43.364 seconds, which moved them into second place.

For their win, Clark and Kinsella received the lion share of the purse, along with items from WEC sponsors including a prize pack from Horse First and a $100 gift certificate from Dandy Products. Clark met up with us after the awards presentation to chat about her ride aboard Kinsella in tonight’s Grand Prix. “There were a lot of horses clean,” Clark stated, “Luckily, I went toward the bottom of the order, so I kind of knew how fast I needed to be. Originally in the jump off, there weren’t any double clears, so I was just thinking I needed to be clear. Then a few went clear and I thought, ‘Well, I have to go fast now.’ She was amazing. It was a great course.”

When asked how she achieved her three second lead, Clark replied, “I left out a stride to the vertical combination, which I don’t really recommend. But this horse has a lot of practice going really fast, so I knew that I could trust her and that she could do it. It was a hard class, though. There weren’t huge numbers, but everybody was good and there were so many clear, so it was a strong jump off.”

Clark also added, “Kinsella gets better all of the time. I’ve had such a great Winter here and I think we’ll probably come back the last week of April, then she’s going to have the month of May off and get a little down time. But, she just impresses me every day. I have nothing but good things to say about her.”

Kinsella’s groom received the Groom’s Award tonight for the mare’s stunning turnout, which included $100 cash and a $50 WEC Gift Card. Clark commented, “Layne Turner, my groom, is amazing. She treats them like her own. So, many thanks to her for everything that she does.”

Watch Charlotte Clark and Kinsella’s winning round courtesy of ShowNet

$25,000 WEC Grand Prix Results

Kinsella, Charlotte Clark – 0 | 0 | 40.275
Angelo, David Beisel – 0 | 0 | 43.364
Chanel, Sarah Meier – 0 | 0 | 44.938
Altesse De Virton, Karen McFarland – 0 | 0 | 46.261
United M, Robert Mendoza – 0 | 4 | 43.668
Larinto Van De Rollebeek, Karen McFarland – 0 | 4 | 44.577
Essince W, David Beisel – 0 | 4 | 44.878
Java Van De Kleinheide, Robert Mendoza – 0 | 4 | 46.065
Caroquados T, Sam Pegg – 0 | 8 | 42.478
Viva’s Dolce W, Elyse Batista – 0 | 17 | 61.190

$7,500 Futures Prix 1.30 m

Tonight’s $7,500 Futures Prix 1.30 m sponsored by Voltaire Design saw a one-two finish for Sam Pegg of Ten Sixty Stables in Ontario, Canada for the second week in a row, this time aboard Michael Pegg’s Shaia de Macheco and Owen Gajoch’s Coco Beach Z, respectively. Pegg proved his skill again, riding the only two double clear rounds of the class.

Sam Pegg and Shaia de Macheco jump double clear.

Pegg rode Shaia de Macheco at the top of the order, attacking the course with a blistering pace and impeccable precision. The pair jumped a clear first round in a time of 70.834 seconds, about eight seconds under the time allowed of 79 seconds. Pegg and Shaia de Macheco continued straight to the jump off, picking up even more pace, and taking the inside track but focusing more on rhythm and accuracy than tight turns. Their strategy worked and the pair crossed the timers at 42.785 seconds with all rails up.

Sam Pegg and Coco Beach Z jump an oxer with ease.

Near the bottom of the order, Pegg rode second place finisher in last week’s Futures Prix, Coco Beach Z. The pair have been consistent during the Winter Series, also placing second in the Futures Prix during Week 12. Tonight, Pegg and Coco Beach Z took a quiet approach to the first course, jumping clear in a time of 74.126 seconds. The pair picked up the pace for the jump off, executing a tidy turn to the second fence and shaving valuable seconds off of their time. Pegg and Coco Beach Z stopped the clock at 43.680 seconds, which slid them into second place behind Pegg and Shaia de Macheco.

We caught up with Pegg after the class. “This my fifth season with Shaia. She had a little bit of time off at the end of the Fall, so she’s just coming back. I know she’s naturally quick, so I just thought I’d let her jump a nice clear. She’s usually competitive.”

When asked about Shaia de Macheco’s personality, Pegg replied, “She’s a professional horse. She’s really into the competition of it. She doesn’t really take many days off or really ever complain too much. She for sure wants to win every class she goes in.”

Pegg also commented on his future plans with Shaia de Macheco, “We’ll spend a little bit of time at this level just getting her fitness back to where it was, then, by next Winter, jump the Grands Prix with her again. She’s seventeen this year, so she’ll show one more year, then we might think about the big retirement, but she’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

When asked about his ride aboard second place finisher Coco Beach Z, Pegg said, “Coco’s been super since I started to ride him again. He’s great. He’s a little younger, but a big-scope horse and a lot of fun to ride.”