Wilmington, Ohio – Winter Classic 5 featured World Championship Hunter Rider Week (WCHR) at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington as well as top show jumping competition from Wednesday, January 10 to Sunday, January 14. Richard Rinehart returned to the top of the leaderboard in the $10,000 Welcome Stake Thursday evening. Anna Schierholz stole the spotlight during WCHR week with her second consecutive win in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby. Junior rider Amy Krebs scored her inaugural grand prix win in the $30,000 Tribute Grand Prix, while Devin Milan topped the $10,000 Tipperary Futures Prix Saturday evening.
The crowd in the Standlee Sanctuary cheered loudly as 16-year-old Krebs (USA) earned her first ever grand prix win in the $30,000 Grand Prix sponsored by Tribute Equine Nutrition with her own Jabantos (Corsari Van De Helle x Cassima).
Not only were they celebrated by their supportive friends and family of Fair Chance Farm, but the entire Saturday evening crowd including her competitors, “I have come so close to winning. I have been second twice, third and fifth. To finally be able to come out on top just feels so good. And the crowd here is so awesome. As I was cantering up to the last combination, I could hear them all already yelling, and I knew I could get it done!”
Milan and Garo Kazan’s Karlina T (Cabrio Van De Heffinck x Goberlina T) raced to the $10,000 Tipperary Equestrian Futures Prix win.
“My heart was kind of pounding out my chest! Richard and Luke [Rinehart] are always fast, so I was nervous. It definitely had my adrenaline going a bit,” laughed Milan.
Scheirholz scored her second consecutive $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby win with Sloane Silberman’s Star Struck (Bisquet Balou VD Mispelaere x Espoir D’api).
“We walked this course, and then watched the non-pro derby go, and had a completely different opinion of how the course rode. I stuck to my original game plan and planned out all the numbers. That way, if I made a mistake, I at least made a mistake trying to win. I actually loved the way it rode for both of my horses. It was a nice galloping course, which I always appreciate.”
Jenna Drago and her own Sandriano prevailed in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby.
Amongst their many wins at WEC – Wilmington, Drago never forgets to express her immense gratitude for her Sandriano, “He is my tried-and-true partner. I just love him. I know that at the end of the day, he is happy, and he makes me happy! He is the best horse ever.”
Rinehart (USA) dominated the $10,000 Welcome Stake track to start the week, claiming first and third place honors with Captain America 10 and Caesar, respectively.
Rinehart was not concerned about the challenges of the course, “They are both experienced horses, so I wasn’t worried. There were a few harder turns with the Liverpool right out of the corner and the one-stride across the middle.”
Make sure to visit the WEC Blog and follow us on social media @worldequestriancenter for full coverage on all feature classes!
Results can be found at wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.