Ocala, FL – Olympian Richard Vogel (GER) triumphed through a breezy afternoon to top a 15-strong jump-off field aboard Phenyo van het Keysersbos, owned by Belam S.R.O., to win the $32,000 The Dutta Corp. Grand Prix Qualifier CSI2*.
There were 64 entries in the opening round competing over a course set by Olympic designer Alan Wade (IRL). Vogel returned early in the jump-off in the fourth spot and was chasing a time of 34.68 seconds set by Laura Kraut (USA) and Lady D, owned by Cherry Knoll Farm Inc. They would end up in third place. He and “Pheny” were tidy and extremely quick, and they set the winning time at 33.16 seconds, which couldn’t be caught. Moving up into second place were Nina Mallevaey (FRA) and My Clementine, owned by Rein Family LLC and Tara Dow-Rein, who were clear in 34.48 seconds.
“There was no real tactic,” said Vogel of his jump-off ride. “It was just try my best, and try to go as fast and smooth as possible. I think he did a super job. All in all I think it was a smooth and good jump-off. I was very, very happy with him.”
Vogel has had Pheny for less than a year when he and his girlfriend, fellow Longines League of Nations™ rider Sophie Hinners, had friends who asked them to take the horse to see if it would work as a partnership for Hinners or Vogel.
“Actually right from the beginning, it was clear that it’s also not a super match with Sophie, who rides very beautifully and matches usually with all of the horses,” recalled Vogel. “He suited me a bit better. He was very quick on my list, and we have built a great partnership and had some good results.”
Since then, Vogel and the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Corydon van T&L x Heartbreaker have won six FEI classes and competed in multiple five-star events. Vogel has taken the approach of bringing him back down to smaller classes following large events.
“For this week I thought it would be nice to put him in the two-star and jump some classes that he’s very comfortable in,” he explained, “and I think he showed today that on this level he is very competitive and very comfortable. I think he’s a very exciting horse for the future. He’s very careful, a very smart horse, and also super sensitive.”
Vogel and Phenyo van het Keysersbos will compete next in Saturday’s winning round class before Sunday’s $85,000 The Dutta Corp. Grand Prix CSI2*.
Select tickets remain at wec.net/lln for Saturday’s Longines League of Nations™ Team Competition, as the world’s top 10 Jumping nations take center stage at WEC – Ocala.
Live streaming of competition from World Equestrian Center – Ocala is available throughout the week on ClipMyHorse.tv. Fans can also relive the excitement of the Longines League of Nations™ Ocala on CBS Sports Network on Thursday, March 27, from 8pm to 10pm.
Orders of go, live scoring, course maps, and results are available at Longines Timing.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes.