Ocala, FL – A sunny Florida day set the scene this afternoon in the WEC Stadium as a field of 31 talented horse-and-rider combinations vied for the win in the $15,000 Buckeye Nutrition Futures Prix. Robert Blanchette (IRL) emerged as the star of the day, clinching first place with his new mount Azmir d’Asbo Z (Aganix Du Seigneur x Uchien), owned by Setzer Farms LLC, while also securing third and fifth place.
Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR) laid the winding tracks that only saw four double-clear rides out of the strong field of competitors.
Blanchette guided three of his four mounts to a clear first-round, advancing to the immediate jump-off. His first double-clear effort came with his 17-year-old Oldenburg gelding Coupis (Coupe De Coeur 2 x Canatti Z), clocking in at 36.603 seconds, ultimately earning him third place.
Megan Wexler (USA), last week’s futures prix winner, surpassed Blanchette’s time aboard Golden Oaks Farm, LLC’s Chronicle 4 (Centurion x Cristo 5), dashing around the track in 36.390 seconds, two tenths of a second faster than Blanchette’s ride on Coupis.
With one mount remaining, Blanchette hesitated to anticipate victory with his new partner Azmir d’Asbo Z, “I told him you’re not going to win today. I didn’t think I was ready to go forward on him quite yet because this was only our second class together. So, I had a simple plan – jump clear. But he felt so perfect. I saw things a bit early, and it was just enough. I was able to get seven, where I did eight on my other two because he has such a massive step.”
The pair flew around the course, stopping the clock at a remarkable 36.360 seconds, a mere three hundredths of a second faster than the second-place finisher.
Blanchette made his debut at World Equestrian Center – Ocala an unforgettable one, “It was a great class and this is such an incredible facility. This is our first time here and I am just blown away. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before.”
He also expressed enthusiasm about his future with the talented 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding, “I don’t think there is anything he can’t do. We got him from a friend of mine, David Artos. Bruce Goodin produced him and did such a wonderful job. My good friend Lisa Setzer bought him, so I am very grateful. He’s already done 1.50m, so I am hoping we will be able to do the really big tracks soon.”
$15,000 Buckeye Nutrition Futures Prix Results:
1 Azmir d’Asbo Z, Robert Blanchette, Setzer Farms, LLC: 0 | 0 | 36.360
2 Chronicle 4, Megan Wexler, Golden Oaks Farm, LLC: 0 | 0 | 36.390
3 Coupis, Robert Blanchette, Robert Blanchette: 0 | 0 | 36.603
4 Quintane Vd Roshoeve, Beat Mandli, Beat Mandli Corporation: 0 | 0 | 39.223
5 Abra Kadabra Vd Heide Z, Robert Blanchette, Robert Blanchette: 0 | 4 | 35.770
6 Quinto G II, Tiffany Hammack, Foxwood Farm: 0 | 4 | 36.097
7 S & L Sage, Aidan Smith-Fullerton, Melinda Cohen: 0 | 4 | 36.383
8 Kapital Creation Z, Jade Lalonde, Jade Lalonde: 0 | 4 | 36.775
9 Marius, Fernando Lozinsky, Fernando Lozinsky: 0 | 8 | 36.248
10 Doo-Wop, Megan Wexler, Golden Oaks Farm, LLC: 0 | EL
Visit HorseShowing.com for final results.
Spectators are welcome! From now until March 24, 2024, experience the thrill of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
A limited number of weekly stalls remain for the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, book your stall today!
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