Wilmington, Ohio – Winter Classic 9 at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington featured top hunter/jumper competition from Wednesday, February 7 to Sunday, February 11. Devin Milan (USA) scored two featured wins in the $10,000 Premier Equestrian Welcome Stake and the $30,000 Grand Prix. Nicole Loochtan (USA) clinched the win in the $10,000 Futures Prix. Kristjan Good (CAN) stole the spotlight in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby, while Anona Svenkesen (USA) topped the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby.
Milan and Garo Kazan’s nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding, Conquest (Colestus x Excellenta C), took top honors in both the $10,000 Welcome Stake and the $30,000 Grand Prix.
“Hot Dog [Conquest] has gotten a lot better at the Liverpool. He doesn’t overjump the jumps, so I have learned to appreciate the Liverpool now because I know that he will give himself a little bit more room. At the last horse show, we struggled with the oxer-vertical one-strides. We worked on that a lot at home. So, I wanted to make sure that he saw those elements and the new pink jump going in.”
“Today was a good day,” Milan stated as she exited the Sanctuary after a rewarding round and well-deserved blue ribbon.
Loochtan (USA) clinched her fourth featured win of the 2024 Winter in the Midwest Series Saturday afternoon with her own nine-year-old KWPN gelding, Kupardie (Cidane x Akupardie), in the $10,000 Premier Equestrian Futures Prix.
“I am just getting to know him. I haven’t had him for very long and when I first got him, I ended up with an injury, so I was out for a while. Now that I know him a bit better, I feel more comfortable going a lot faster. Hopefully, this is his last week jumping the futures and he will be ready to move up to the grand prix,” Loochtan discussed her partnership with Kupardie.
None could touch Good and Ava Apostolopoulos’s 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Cassias 6 (Casall x Castella 79), in the $15,000 USHJA National Open Hunter Derby with scores of 94 and 93.
“It is amazing here at WEC. We love it. Tuesday was a bit rough after the trip, but by Wednesday and Thursday all the horses just got better and better. It is great for us to be in the warmth here. It is like spring fever!” Good laughed.
Svenkesen and her own 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding, Express De B’neville, that took the lead in the $15,000 USHJA National Non-Pro Hunter Derby with scores of 92 and 91.
“I was actually a bit nervous about the course. ‘Theo’ has trouble sometimes moving up off the right lead, and most of the lines were off the right lead. I just really had to focus on keeping him from falling on the inside and he listened to every cue. Besides that, I think the course was really nice. It was tough but not too tough. It was just enough that the riders had to think about their striding all the way around,” said Svenkesen.
Competition at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington continues Wednesday, February 13, with Winter Classic 10.
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 horseshowing.com.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.