Ocala, FL – The 2025 Spring Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala kicked off with its first Grand Prix under the lights of the WEC Stadium on Saturday night. A strong field of 46 horse-and-rider combinations tackled a challenging course designed by Chris Barnard (USA) in the $15,000 Modelo Regional Grand Prix. After an exciting seven-horse jump-off, it was Ireland’s Robert Blanchette who dominated, claiming both first and second place aboard his longtime partner Coupis (Coupe De Coeur 2 x Canatti Z) and Carnlea Premier Balou (Balou Du Rouet x Armagh), respectively.
Blanchette was the only rider to qualify two horses for the jump-off. Returning first aboard Carnlea Premier Balou, owned by Ridersmith LLC, he set an early benchmark with a blazing time of 36.587 seconds, putting immediate pressure on the remaining field.
The next clear round didn’t come until Yann Candele (CAN) and Kama Godek’s 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, Conny 409 (Conthargos x Cassandra), delivered an efficient round in 38.844 seconds, sliding into second place behind Blanchette.
Several riders attempted to challenge the lead, but none could produce another fault-free effort—until Blanchette returned aboard his longtime partner, the 18-year-old Oldenburg gelding Coupis. Their seasoned partnership proved key as they stopped the clock in an even faster 36.020 seconds, securing both first and second place on the leaderboard.
Reflecting on his horses, Blanchette shared, “Carnlea Premier Balou is a very, very good horse. He’s brave and has everything,” he expressed. “Coupis is 18 and belongs to us. I rode him in a four-star Nations Cup™ in 2016, so he’s been going for a while.”
A regular competitor at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, Blanchette appreciates the opportunities the venue provides. “We love it here. We live 10 minutes away, so we can come and show, then go home. It’s really wonderful, and the quality of riders is really high—especially last week for [Longines League of Nations™ Ocala]. You get to compete against some of the best in the world, and it makes you ride better and keeps the horses sharp.”
$15,000 Modelo Regional Grand Prix Results
Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV