Wellington, FL – January 15, 2015 -Vast green polo fields created the perfect backdrop for the start of the second week of The Ridge at Wellington’s Turf Tour.
Competition in both rings remained strong throughout the day on Wednesday, January 14. While the weather remained overcast for most of the morning, the sun peeked out during the afternoon to highlight a beautiful set of courses that rode well for the competitors. The Grand Prix field saw riders from 8 a.m. until the sun began to fade around 5 p.m. The second ring stayed quite busy until the medium jumpers finished up in the mid-afternoon. The show saw almost 130 trips, significantly growing from week one of the Turf Tour.
Kristen VanderVeen rode Bull Run’s Faithful, owned by Bull Run Jumpers, Inc. to the top of the standings in the first $2,400 1.3-1.35m jumpers. VanderVeen was very pleased with her new ride on the mare.
(below:Bull Run’s Faithful and Kristen Vanderveen Win $2400 1.3-1.35m Jumpers at The Ridge at Wellington. Photos by Shannon Bower/Phelps Media Group)
“She’s brand new, so it’s only the second time we’ve shown. Last week we did her at the first stop of the Turf Tour, so I’m really happy,” VanderVeen said. “She’s a little spicy so I’m getting used to her, but she’s a gamer in the ring. It’s really nice here; the ground is so solid I don’t feel like we’re going to have any trouble.”
Jeffery Welles finished second on Triton Ventures Farms Inc’s Calais, finishing less than a tenth of a second behind Faithful. He was also fourth on Herbert Sambol’s Broken Heart.
Andrew Welles rode his own Quickly 3 to a third place finish. Andrew spoke very highly of the Turf Tour. (Calais and Jeffery Welles)
“It’s a fantastic facility and a great opportunity to do something different with our horses. I think it’s fantastic that we get to come and jump on grass, not just grass but a facility like IPC is just phenomenal for the horses,” Andrew said. “I’m planning to come back on Friday. The horse I did had a nice little break after doing well in the grand prixs in December so this was his first week back.”
Tennyson, ridden by Darrin Dliin for Susan Grange, came in fifth. Peter Leone rode Lionshare Farm’s My Pleasure to finish sixth. Leone was enthusiastic about why he chose to come to The Ridge at Wellington’s Turf Tour. “Quality venue, quality jumps, quality course designing and nice money.”
(Cassidy and Ansgar Holtgers)
Ansgar Holtgers, riding his own Cassidy, won the second $2,400 1.3-1.35m jumper class. Cartoon City, owned and ridden by Marcus Hagglund finished second. Third went to Gabrielle Pelchat, riding her own Just Stella. Hot Topic, owned by Finca Horses Inc and ridden by Nina Fagerstrom finished fourth. Beth Underhill rode her own Viggo to claim a fifth place. Nimbus, owned by Blue Gate Farm LLC was ridden by Denise Wilson to finish sixth.
The second ring saw plenty of action throughout the morning and early afternoon. The first class of the day was the low jumpers, won by Sarah Wayda on Rene Johnson’s Josephine, out of a very competitive field of 29.
Second went to Click For Quality, ridden by Marshall Field for Hidden Brook Farm. Jennifer Knobel rode her own Stash to finish third. Fourth went to Chambery 25, owned and ridden by Adolpho Franco. Alpen Star Enterprises’ Ae La Gracia finished fifth, ridden by Tatiana Gabrush. Debbi White rounded out the top six on her own Basil Hayden.
Marshall Field, who rode Hidden Brook Farm’s London and Carpathia K to finish first and second, dominated the second class of the low jumpers. Morgan Bailey rode her own Baby Ruth to finish third. Fourth went to Ansgar Holtgers on his own Delinda. Christine McCrea rode Candy Tribble’s Centrefold to a fifth place finish. Ae La Gracia finished sixth, ridden by Tatiana Gabrush and owned by Alpen Star Enterprises.
The second division was the medium jumpers at 1.2-1.25m. Paul Yanke continued to build on his successes from last week, claiming first aboard Equinvest’s Lady Sparkle and second on his own Carle. Sarah Wayda had three horses in the ribbons, riding Rene Johnson’s horses Maximus and Artemis to finish third and fifth respectively. She also rode Rian Miller’s Contentus to sixth. Fourth went to Unik De Vergne, owned by Nicolas Paillot and owned by Anne Caroline Valtin.
Ansgar Holtgers on his own El Casper won the second class of the medium jumpers, followed by Eric Flameng riding Floriac LLC’s Balous Boy.
Friday’s events promise to be exciting, with the $15,000 1.4m Grand Prix running from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.. Beginning at 8 a.m., there will be both child/adult and masters jumper classes, along with a classic round for both divisions, running concurrently with open cards until noon.
In addition, there will be a low schooling jumper division with two classes running concurrently offered at this height. The $2,000 Child and Adult Classic is pointed from Marshall & Sterling, NAL & WIHS. The $2,000 Master’s Jumper Classic, open to riders 50 and over, is also pointed from Marshall & Sterling, NAL & WIHS.
The JR/AOs will start at 12:30 p.m. and run until 4:30 p.m., with both the regular class and classic card open concurrently. The $3,000 Junior and A-O Jumper Classic is NAL pointed. High schooling jumpers will also be offered with cards running concurrently.
Week two of the Ridge at Wellington’s Turf Tour is taking place at The International Polo Club, located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington, FL 33414. The show entrance is off 120th Street between Lake Worth Road and Pierson Road.
Meadowbrook Horse Transport will provide transportation to and from the horse show and other locations throughout Wellington for both the Wednesday and Friday events. The transportation is a nominal fee of $50 per horse, and will be calculated into the final show fees. To make a reservation for one of the three pickup times: 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. please call Peter Tufano of Meadowbrook Horse Transport at (954) 415-7217, or call Nona Garson at (908) 500-0996.
For more information about the Ridge at Wellington please go to www.theridgefarm.com. For up-to-date information please follow the Ridge at Wellington on Facebook.
MacDonough ran off with the ball. It ended up ping-ponging between Pieres and Hall as they thundered down the field. Pieres swiped it and headed downfield, where he made one of his trademark neckshots, but it went wide of goal. Villa del Lago’s patron, Jim Zenni, scored from the field, tightening Engima’s lead to one point.
How did they turn things around? “We kept on playing, and we said, ‘We’re going to win; we’re going to win.’ We trusted ourselves. I think we made a hell of a comeback in the fifth chukker. And we’re happy that we won playing bad.” 