Wilmington, OH – A picture-perfect spring day provided the ideal backdrop for the first-ever international grand prix at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC). Twenty-three horse-and-rider combinations gathered in the Outdoor Jumper Arena during the Spring I show, each hoping to capture the coveted top title in the $65,000 Grand Prix CSI2*. After a thrilling six-horse jump-off, it was Victoria Birdsall aboard Abigail Wexner’s Las Lajas (Glenfiddich Vdl x Quasimodo Z) who emerged victorious.
FEI Level IV course designer Alan Wade (IRL) crafted a technical track for Saturday’s class, but it proved no match for Ty Simpson (USA) , Simon McCarthy (IRL), David Cameron (AUS), Victoria Birdsall (USA) and Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA), who all advanced to the short course.
The day marked Birdsall’s and Las Lajas’ first FEI victory during their first visit to WEC – Wilmington, “This is really exciting win because it is my first FEI and her first FEI win. It was great to come out to our first show since Wellington and take a huge win like this.”
“I think it is really exciting for WEC to have these FEI dates. For us, it is our first time coming here and it has been amazing. The facility is beautiful and there are so many places to ride our FEI horses and our young horses jumping the national classes. It has been great and we are really excited for another week here,” Birdsall shared.
Ty Simpson was the first to return, piloting Riffle Hitch’s Cashgirl 7 to a fast round marred by one unlucky rail, finishing in 38.780 seconds.
Ireland’s Simon McCarthy followed with his seasoned partner, Gotcha (Stakkato x Cassini I), owned by Rock Ridge Farms. The duo, known for their consistency, kept the momentum going with a slick, clear effort in 36.230 seconds to take the early lead.
Australia’s David Cameron qualified both of his mounts for the jump-off and returned first aboard Laura Sloey’s 17-year-old SLS stallion, Beijing Ls La Silla. Their quick and efficient round shaved two-tenths off the leading time, stopping the clock in 36.000 seconds to take over the top spot.
But that lead was short-lived. Victoria Birdsall entered the ring determined to take control with the nine-year-old KWPN mare, Las Lajas. The pair delivered a tidy, efficient round in a blazing 35.580 seconds to secure the win.
“She is a nine-year-old mare and I just started showing her last summer but she has been with John and Beezie [Madden] since she was five,” Birdsall shared about Las Lajas. “Beezie showed her in the six- and seven-year-old’s and then I got to start showing her. She is opinionated and she has a big personality but she really likes competing, and like today, she really likes going fast.”
Lisa Goldman-Smolen gave a strong effort but finished with four-faults, while David Cameron returned on his final ride, Oaks Come By Chance, only to have one rail down, leaving Birdsall atop the leaderboard.
Competition resumes tomorrow at WEC – Wilmington with the $6,000 Merck Futures Prix opening the day in the Outdoor Jumper Ring, followed by the $20,000 Regional Grand Prix.
Click here to view the full results.