Wilmington, Ohio – Competition for Winter Classic #8 concluded at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington Sunday, February 5. Nicole Loochtan (USA) earned her second consecutive win aboard It’s Me Du Bosquetiau (Dayton Sitte x Mirette Du Bosqueatiau) in the $30,000 Grand Prix Saturday evening in the Sanctuary, while Kristjan Good (CAN) stole the hunter spotlight for the second week in a row in the $15,000 USHJA National Open 3’ Hunter Derby.
Crowds flocked to the stands of the Sanctuary Arena Saturday evening for the penultimate day of competition. Loochtan (USA) of Stone Creek Stables in Lexington, Kentucky, and her own nine-year-old Belgian Sport Horse stallion It’s Me Du Bosquetiau put on a show posting the only double clear effort in the $30,000 Grand Prix to take their second consecutive win in the class.
“I want to thank my team at Stone Creek Stables. I am very blessed to have the best of the best and their work does not go unnoticed. I am very appreciative of the whole team behind me,” Loochtan shared.
Claire Austin (USA) and K T Miel (Epleaser Van T Heike x Violet P raced to the win in the $10,000 Futures Prix earlier Saturday afternoon. Austin, training out of family-owned Hidden Fox Farm in Powell, Ohio, piloted Michael Kirby’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood to two confident efforts to stop the jump-off clock in 39.188 seconds and surpass the field.
“I wanted to do the inside turn like Nicole [Loochtan] did, but we were really moving. I tried to go in between the small gap to fence six and I lost my stirrup there, but I kept going forward and he was right there, and he was awesome,” Austin commented on the jump-off.
Kristjan Good made a grand return to the winner’s circle in the $15,000 USHJA National Open 3’ Hunter Derby Friday evening aboard Jennifer Lecluse’s Quirocks. The duo who compete out of Kristjan Good Show Stable in Campbellville, Ontario, came back for the handy round sitting on top with a first-round score of 89 and looked to secure their leading position. The stylish gelding rounded out his two weeks of competition at WEC Ohio with the highest scores of the day, earning a 94 for his handy effort and an overall score of 183 to secure Good his second derby win.
“This horse [Quirocks] is newer to me. This is our second year showing him and he has been doing the 3’6” greens all year. He was champion in the division here this week. He had a rail in the derby last week, so this was his redemption week. I didn’t play it safe in the handy today like I did last week because he felt like he was in a really good state of mind,” Good spoke of his promising young mount.
Alexa Bing and Subtil topped the leaderboard in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro 3’ Hunter Derby. Bing hails from Royersford, Pennsylvania, and trains out of Kimber-View Stables. Having previously enjoyed success at WEC Ohio, she returned in the new year looking to maintain her winning reputation with her own 16-year-old Selle Francias gelding. The duo earned scores of 85 and 92 for an overall of 177 to claim the win.
“The handy offered a lot of places to use inside turns and stay on the inside tracks to get bonus points. My goal was to make all of the turns but to also stay consistent and it worked out nicely. I love doing the handy with him. I knew I was coming back sitting in fifth, so I wanted to pull out all the stops and try everything. I knew that he could do it, so I just trusted it and it all worked out smoothly,” Bing shares on her strategy to move up the leaderboard.
Izzy Beisel (USA) and Vegas H (Valentino x Cobrah) stole the show in the $10,000 Welcome Stake Thursday evening. Beisel of David Beisel Stables in Goshen, Ohio, piloted the 10-year-old Hanoverian through a fault-free first-round, moving directly to the jump-off where they deftly took inside turns and galloped around the corners to stop the clock in 33.553 seconds for the win.
“My dad [David Beisel] has had him since he was a young horse and he brought him up. It was really cool because I would always set jumps, watch them show together and watch them win some pretty big classes! I started riding him about two years ago in Ocala [Florida] and we have kept moving up from there. It is cool to watch him learn how I ride versus how my dad rode him. Courtney Berling will also show him in the Novice Adult Jumper classes every other week and he loves it,” Beisel shared of her winning mount.
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Results can be found at HorseShowing.com.
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