Weekend in Wellington – triple the fun with dressage, show jumping and polo
Friday Night Stars – Frederic Wandres returns
Germany’s Olympic and European gold medal team winner Frederic Wandres is back competing in Wellington after a hiatus in 2024. He has left his number one horse Bluetooth OLD as well as other young horses at the Hof Kasselman stables in Hagen, Germany for the winter. Tonight for the CDI 5* FEI Grand Prix Freestyle at Global Dressage Festival, he brings out the 10-year old Oldenberg Verrenberg, with whom he has already won in Florida earlier this month at the CDI 3* West Palm Beach held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center.
Great Britain’s Susan Pape and Harmony’s Giulilanta are riding a wave this week after achieving a personal best of 73.63% to win the CSI5* Grand Prix yesterday. The 15-year old Dutch Warmblood had a couple of years off with injury when she was 11, which interrupted her upward trajectory in the sport. Tonight she continues her resurgence in the spotlight and the pair will be worth waiting for – last to go of the six combinations entered in the night class.
Gates open 6pm.
www.wellingtoninternational.com
Saturday Night Lights – Olympic medalists abound
Arrive early for Saturday Night Lights at the Winter Equestrian Festival [WEF] , so as not to miss the first competitor – Paris Olympics individual gold medalist, Germany’s Christian Kukuk who rides Just Be Gentle.
Forty five rider and horse partnerships vie for the first significant prize pot of the season in the CSI 4* $215,000 Grand Prix. The ‘Order of go’ is peppered with showjumping household names who have been tuning up at Wellington International in this, Week 3 of WEF. Britain’s Ben Maher who has both Olympic individual and team golds to his name, brings out Enjeu de Grisien, a 12-year old Selle Francais gelding that he first started riding as a seven-year old.
The list of top riders on show tomorrow night is a long one – and two-time Olympic gold medalist and local favorite, USA’s McLain Ward is likely to get an enthusiastic reception from the crowd with the 13-year old Dutch Warmblood gelding I know. Also worth more than a mention is France’s Nina Mallavaey – a new year arrival in the world’s top ten showjumpers. At just 26, she is currently ranked 8th behind her mentor, the USA’s renowned Laura Kraut, who, now 60, is ranked seventh and sidelined temporarily with injury.
Venezuela’s Luis Fernando Larrazabal is on a winning streak these days and he takes on the night class with Baroness – the pair looking to add to the WEF Challenge Cup win that is already in the bag.
Gates open 6pm.
http://www.wellingtoninternational.com
Sunday Polo – Wellington’s brothers in arms
Homegrown Wellington polo players, brothers Luis and Nico Escobar, take the Sunday field for Dana Barnes’ ConcordEquityGroup.com at the National Polo Center for the finals of the Joe Barry Memorial. Luis and Nico are invariably cheered on by their mother Georgette, who raises the bar for polo supporters, with her enthusiastic energy in cheerleading from the sidelines.
They go up against Larry Aschebrooke’s Las Brisas, and are joined in their quest to win the final by England’s Ned Hine. It is a big weekend for the Hine family as Ned’s sister Milly – rated the highest handicap possible in women’s polo on 10 goals – has her own final on Saturday, playing in the USPA’s Women’s Gold Cup for Victory/Eastern Hay held at Port Mayaca Polo Club. Aurora Polo provide the opposition. Isabelle Brockett aka Izzy who at 18, is a fifth generation polo player descending from her great great grandfather Seymour H Knox, revived his memory by using the team name Aurora – a team founded in the 1930s by Knox. Local polo celebrity USA’s Hope Arellano – also rated 10 goals in women’s handicap – spearheads the Aurora line up. Match time 1pm.
The USPA Women’s Gold Cup is only in its second year, while the Joe Barry Memorial was founded in 2005. The tournament, hosted by Port Mayaca Polo Club, is played in honor of one of the USA’s most talented players and coaches, Texas’ Joe Barry who passed away in 2002 after a lifetime dedicated to polo, which saw him win U.S. Open Polo Championship titles, three USPA Gold Cup titles and the 1971 Coronation Cup in England.
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