Wellington, Fla. – Feb. 3, 2019 – Capping off a week of premier competition at the CP Palm Beach Masters Winter Classic CSI4*-W, presented by Suncast®, the $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington brought some of the most high-profile horse-and-athlete combinations to center stage at Deeridge Farms. Coming off championship honors in the $71,200 Suncast® Palm Beach Masters World Cup Qualifier on Friday, Alex Granato and Page Tredennick’s Carlchen W of the United States once again bested the field on Sunday in a hard-fought class with the quickest trip ahead of an elite nine-horse jump-off to secure the tricolor in what may be the most prestigious win of their career together. Both former winners of the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, Canada’s Mario Deslauriers and Bardolina rode to reserve honors less than one second off the leading time, while Beat Mändli and Dsarie of Switzerland concluded the afternoon in the third position.
Vying for the greatest share of the prize money and valuable points towards the 2019 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, 38 qualified combinations participated in Sunday’s finale for a chance at the top spot. The list of contenders was comprised of some of the best talent on the globe, with 10 nations and numerous Longines FEI top-ranked athletes represented across the entries list. For the initial round of riding, course designer Alan Wade (IRL) challenged entries with a 16-effort track on the expansive grass field, which had to be completed within the 84-second time-allowed. The obvious bogey fence of the afternoon proved to be the fifth obstacle, a delicate vertical, placed just a few strides after a wide triple bar.
Commencing the order on a high note and aiming to keep the title in the hands of an Irishman, Conor Swail and Vanessa Mannix’s GK Coco Chanel were the first to tackle Wade’s course, setting the bar for subsequent contenders by leaving all of the obstacles intact. Following suit, Todd Minikus (USA) and Legacy Stables, LLC’s Chaventyno, along with Cormac Hanley (IRL) and Heathman Farm, LLC’s VDL Cartello, navigated tidy rides around the pattern to add their names to the list before the halfway break. Granato and Carlchen W continued their hot streak, with Deslauriers aboard Wishing Well Farm, LLC’s Bardolina, Devin Ryan (USA) with the reins on LL Show Jumpers, LLC’s Eddie Blue and reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final champion Beezie Madden (USA) and Abigail Wexner’s Coach also hearing the celebratory music played after their clear rides. Rounding out the group, world-ranked No. 7 Ben Maher (GBR) maneuvered Poden Farms’ Concona and Mändli piloted Grant Road Partners GmbH’s Dsarie to the final clean and clear trips of the first round.
Back for the abridged nine-fence short course, Swail and GK Coco Chanel once again mastered Wade’s design as the pathfinders, setting the time to beat with a double-clean trip in 44.68 seconds. Though the next two competitors pulled rails, Swail was eventually overthrown by Granato and Carlchen W, who efficiently sliced across the track and broke the beam nearly two whole seconds quicker in 42.70 seconds. Deslauriers and Bardolina laid down a stellar effort and kept all of the rails up, but couldn’t quite make the time, stopping the clock in 43.48 seconds to settle for the current second position. Though the remaining four put in valiant efforts, none were able to complete as foot-perfect a ride as Granato and Carlchen W, securing the American pair the victory. Deslauriers and Bardolina maintained second place, while Mändli and Dsarie’s time of 44.16 seconds was good enough to clinch third place as the third of four total double-clear trips of the class.
Exactly one year ago at the 2018 Palm Beach Masters, Granato and Carlchen W jumped in their first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ class, and the pair have come a long way in the past 12 months, now claiming the distinction as champions. As the winner of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier, Granato and the 11-year-old gelding have inched closer to a coveted entry into the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, scheduled to be held from April 3–7 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Though the pair does not currently boast enough points to be eligible for the 2019 world championship in April, one more strong finish could potentially push them over the threshold and into one of the most prestigious show jumping competitions on the globe.
The CP Palm Beach Masters Winter Classic CSI4*-W is one of only seven horse shows that comprise the calendar of qualifying events in the East Coast division of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League. With Sunday’s class serving as the penultimate leg of the series, the final chance for athletes to earn points towards the grand finale will be in Ocala, Florida, at Live Oak International, held March 6–10, where many of Sunday’s contenders will reprise their efforts one final time.
Headed into the day’s competition, Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) held the lead in the eastern sub-league’s standings with 55 points, eight points ahead of Wilhelm Genn (GER) in second position with 47 points. Members of the gold medal-winning NetJets® U.S. Show Jumping Team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™, Madden and McLain Ward, were hot on Genn’s heels with 46 and 45 points, respectively, while Laura Kraut rounded out the fifth slot with 42 points. Given Sunday’s results in Wellington, Madden has jumped to the top of the leaderboard, now with 58 points to her name, after earning fifth place with Coach in the $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Alex Granato (USA) – $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W champion
On his week:
“It’s all just very surreal. It’s been an amazing week. It’s a privilege to get to ride at a venue like this and against riders like these who I’ve looked up to for a long time. To have a week like this is amazing.”
On his plan:
“I have a naturally fast horse so both classes I got to use that to my advantage and try to let him run at his pace and stay focused on my track and my turns. I think I got a bit lucky here and there with a rub in each jump-off, but the horse is very fresh. I’ve been gearing this part of the season towards this week and I think he came out really fresh, strong and ready for it.”
On Carlchen W:
“He was much like he is now [when I got him at 5 years old]. He’s always been a very hot horse. Originally when the Tredennicks and I got him, it was as a sales prospect. We brought him along for a few years and they were gracious enough to let me partner him with them so we could hold onto him a bit longer and produce him. I think it’s obviously coming to our advantage that we’ve had him that long. He’s a very particular horse. He’s very game all the time even at home flatting so I always try to focus on him being quiet and really focus on his flat work and conditioning so that when he has extra energy in the ring he can be ready for it.”
On the jump-off:
“Going into the jump-off, I went over it with Nick [Skelton] and Laura [Kraut] and they both said the same thing: that I had nothing to lose so focus on my plan from Friday and keep a good pace and be really tidy on my turns and let them try to chase me. [Nick and Laura] just started helping me recently. I got to jump on the [Nations Cup] team in Barcelona this fall with Laura and then from there coming into this winter, I talked to her about being on the ground with me some so we actually just started about a week and a half ago.”
On the 2019 World Cup Finals:
“Starting last year, [World Cup Finals] was kind of a big goal of mine. Then when Barcelona came up, I stepped out of doing a few qualifiers so I’m a bit behind. I’m going to take a look at the points and if I’m in contention I’ll look to going to Live Oak [International] for a few more points. I’d love to go but right now I’m focusing on later in the summer and hopefully gearing towards trying to be on the [Pan American Games] team.”
Mario Deslauriers (CAN) – $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W reserve champion
On Bardolina:
“My mare last year did a lot by going to WEG and Barcelona. She learned and got a lot of experience. Now she’s at a point where she’s got to learn to go a little faster. She’s got a very big stride so sometimes it’s a little more complicated to maneuver, but she’s learning to turn better. Today, and even on Friday, we tried to go a little faster to give her that experience. Half of a second, about seven [strides] home, probably would have done it, but I was happy with the way she handled herself and how she jumped.”
Beat Mändli (SUI) – $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W third place
On Dsarie:
“I’m really happy with my horse. She had a bit of time off. She had an injury on her hoof, but luckily not soft tissue or anything so it was just a question of waiting long enough. I’m really happy with today and the way she performed. It was her first time out again and I saw Alex [Granato] going and I thought, ‘There’s probably no chance,’ because he was really fast. I just tried to give her a good round. I’m really happy with the day and with the horse.”
Alan Wade (IRL) – $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W course designer
On his course design:
“I was just trying to design a course that was suitable for the occasion. I was trying to get a little short in some places and a little long in some places to create a balance. It is not about the course really, it is about the horses and the riders. They take on each other and have to beat each other, they don’t have to beat me. I just give them a test that lets them show their abilities. As we saw with some of the more inexperienced horses, it was quite a staut test today. You saw horses having three and four fences down, and I don’t personally want to see that, but no one wants to see 15 or 20 clear rounds in a grand prix or in a qualifier. I gauged what happened the other day and the level of the test had to be of a serious level.”
Lou Jacobs – Co-founder of the Palm Beach Masters Series
On operating the Palm Beach Masters Series with his family:
“As a family, some of the best times we have had have revolved around horses. For 50 years we have been doing this, and I, personally, have been doing it as a rider, a parent, a horse owner and now finally as a horse show organizer, so I’m learning the different perspectives of this. We really enjoy it and it brings us closer together as a family. It’s a love that we all share, and we have some great memories. This is a special place for us. We have had a lot of happy times here together, so it’s wonderful for me to now enjoy it with my daughter and my extended family. It is very much a labor of love.”
On the level of competition at the Palm Beach Masters Series:
“I had two very different moments that were equally gratifying this week. I was watching a 1.40m class earlier this week in the sand ring, and I knew that we had cut off the entries at 50 horses, but I noted that we had 168 on the waitlist. For me, that’s the reaction that I was hoping for; I thought this was something the horse community wanted. The other was when I was walking the course on Friday, and I thought it was a very stout course, and then to see 21 go clear speaks to the level of competition and the standard of horses. It’s extraordinary. It says to me that a lot of people brought their best horses, and it wasn’t a second- or third-tier event. What is perhaps most gratifying is that people maybe plan their year around this show and brought their best horses here.”
RESULTS
$208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Carlchen W / Alex Granato / USA / 0 / 0 | 42.70
2. Bardolina / Mario Deslauriers / CAN / 0 / 0 | 43.48
3. Dsarie / Beat Mändli / SUI / 0 / 0 | 44.16
4. GK Coco Chanel / Conor Swail / IRL / 0 / 0 | 44.68
5. Coach / Elizabeth Madden / USA / 0 / 4 | 44.28
6. Concona / Ben Maher / GBR / 0 / 4 | 44.77
7. Eddie Blue / Devin Ryan / USA / 0 / 4 | 44.97
8. VDL Cartello / Cormac Hanley / IRL / 0 / 4 | 45.16
9. Chaventyno / Todd Minikus / USA / 0 / 4 /| 46.53
10. Hadja van Orshof / Kelli Cruciotti / USA / 1 | 84.13
For a full list of results, please click here.
RANKINGS
Longines FEI World Cup™ 2018/2019 – North American Eastern Sub-League
Standings following the 6th leg in Wellington, Fla., USA
Rank / Rider / Country / Total Points
1. Elizabeth Madden / USA / 58
2. Molly Ashe Cawley / USA / 55
3. Wilhelm Genn / GER / 47
4. McLain Ward / USA / 45
5. Laura Kraut / USA / 42
6. Lucy Davis / USA / 40
7. Devin Ryan / USA / 36
8. Georgina Bloomberg / USA / 36
9. Conor Swail / IRL / 30
10. Shane Sweetnam / IRL / 30
For full rankings, click here.