Week 15 of the Winter Series of the Midwest at World Equestrian Center held plenty of exciting equestrian sport as well as plenty of fun events for exhibitors and spectators alike. Friday featured a delicious dinner of brisket and grilled cod in the Paddock Club as well as a Nintendo Switch dance party. On Friday four adorable puppies that were found near the World Equestrian Center found their forever homes with WEC exhibitors and staff. Saturday brought plenty of fun to Vendor Village with a dog adoption hosted by the Humane Society of Adams County and a Sip and Shop event. After the Grand Prix on Saturday evening, the dogs took to the Sanctuary Arena to race one another for the win. Plenty of horse show action accompanied the fun events with feature classes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Kevin McCarthy took the win for the third time during the 2019 Winter Series of the Midwest in the $5,000 Welcome Stake 1.35 m sponsored by CWD Sellier on Thursday. He and his own Catch A Star HSS (Sheraton x Tolinda) bested an international crowd for the win in the class, riding near the top of the order and laying down two clear rounds. The pair negotiated the first course with ease, nearly clearing the standards over each fence and crossing the timers at 74.664 seconds, continuing straight to the jump off of the Table II Event. McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS stepped up their speed as they began the short course, executing tight turns and shaving valuable seconds off their time. McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS stopped the clock at 29.772 seconds, setting a blistering pace for the remainder of the entries to beat. While none were able to best McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS, David Beisel and his own Essince W (Chacco Blue x Rossan) came extremely close. The pair jumped a clear first round in 72.699 seconds and continued straight to the jump off. Beisel and Essince W made it halfway through the jump off, holding an impressive time, but pulled a heartbreaking rail, leaving McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS in the top spot.
Twenty one stunning Hunters took to the R+L Arena on Friday vying for the win in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby. Many delivered stylish rounds, but it was Renee Lenkart and MacMillan Sport Horse’s Cayman that rose to the top of the class. The pair were up against stiff competition with Jennifer Nadalin and Daniela Casline’s Stellar (Quintender x Carmen) scoring an 88 in the first round, but the Lenkart and Cayman’s consistency combined with a beautiful handy round earned them the top spot. In the first round, the pair rode a lovely course, taking all four high options and earning a score of 84.5. Lenkart and Cayman returned for their handy round, taking tight inside turns and riding direct lines to each fence. The pair jumped all four high options again, earning a score of 86 and bringing their two round total to 170.5 for the win in the class.
Saturday brought thrilling Jumper action to the Sanctuary arena where David Beisel and his own Essince W (Chacco Blue x Rossan) battled head to head again with Kevin McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS in the $25,000 WEC Grand Prix. Beisel was first in the order aboard Essince W, making it known early on that the pair would be fierce competitors in the class. The pair jumped the first round with ease, never touching a rail and crossing the timers at 81.687 seconds. McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS followed shortly after, also jumping a clear round in an incredible time of 74.783 seconds. Beisel and McCarthy both returned for the jump off with Beisel riding first. He and Essince W attacked the course, wowing the crowd with their huge galloping stride and jumping style. The pair crossed the timers at 43.867 seconds, setting a tough pace to beat. McCarthy and Catch A Star HSS tried their hardest to best Beisel and Essince W’s round, but an unfortunate rail meant they would be vying for second instead. The pair still jumped a quick course in a time of 45.217 seconds, securing second place and leaving Beisel and Essince W in first.
Saturday also saw a first and third place finish in the $7,500 Futures Prix 1.30 m sponsored by Voltaire Design for Sam Pegg aboard Owen Goajoch’s Katmandu L (Monte Bellini x Attica L) and Coco Beach Z respectively. Pegg rode Coco Beach Z about midway through the order of go and jumped a clear first round in a time of 75.140 seconds. The pair continued straight to the jump off speeding around the short course and crossed the timers at 42.679 seconds, but pulled two unfortunate rails. Pegg returned aboard Katmandu L at the end of the order and the pair soared over each fence, jumping a clear first round in a time of 74.763 seconds. Pegg and Katmandu L continued straight to the jump off, picking up even more pace and powering through the timers in just 40.931 seconds to win the class.
The Roberts Ring saw fantastic Hunter action on Saturday in the $2,000 Non Pro Hunter Derby 2’6″ sponsored by Chagrin Saddlery. Katie Page rode her own Heart of Joy to victory in the class. The pair also took Champion in the Intermediate Adult Equitation and took top placings in the Intermediate Adult Hunters during the week.
Join us at the World Equestrian Center for the remainder of the Winter Series of the Midwest and for the Spring & Summer Series. The prize lists are available online at www.wec.net, and entries are being accepted via www.horseshowing.com and through Equestrian Connect. Reservations for stalls, hay and bedding as well as RV spaces may all be made online at www.horseshowing.com. Be sure to watch the ShowNet live stream daily on www.shownet.biz or from our home page at wec.net.
Become a WEC Member today! Your WEC Membership is your exclusive, all-access pass to everything World Equestrian Center. Signing up is simple, just register for WEC points online at www.wec.net, or sign up in the show office during your next horse show.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.