Eric Lamaze and Zigali claim the Ruby et Violette Challenge Cup
Week eleven of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued in Wellington, FL, on Thursday with a win for Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze with new mount Zigali P S in the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11. Lamaze beat out Italy's Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof and USA's Beezie Madden and Simon to take the top spot in a fifteen-horse jump-off.
Course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. (GER) saw 95 competitors over his first round track in Thursday's WEF Challenge Cup. A tight time allowed in the first round yielded ten entries with single time faults and 19 more were able clear the course without fault to qualify for the jump-off. Four entries opted out of the second round, where fifteen continued on over the short course with five double clear rounds.
Jonathan McCrea (USA) and Candy Tribble's Special Lux were first to jump-off and eventually finished fourth with their time of 39.11 seconds. Gabriela Mershad (USA) posted the next clear round in 42.60 seconds to earn fifth place honors with Mershad Stables LLC's Skara Glen's Basel. Beezie Madden was next with Abigail Wexner's Simon, and raced through the course in 38.78 seconds, which eventually finished third. Immediately following, Eric Lamaze and Artisan Farms LLC's Zigali P S stole the lead in 37.59 seconds. The only other jump-off competitor to clear the short course, Lorenzo de Luca blazed through the timers in 37.66 seconds, securing the second place prize with T&L NV's Elky van het Indihof.
After his win, Lamaze noted that he almost didn't even show in Thursday's class when it started off with a string of clear rounds, but he made the decision to go anyway, and it paid off in the end. “At first I wasn't going to go in because the first four were clear and I am pre-qualified for the grand prix, so I was thinking I was going to do the 1.45m tomorrow,” Lamaze laughed. He has a new string of horses this year and is carefully planning each horse's show schedule and taking time to get to know them.
Final Results: $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11
1. ZIGALI P S: 2004 KWPN gelding by Kigali x Palfrenier
ERIC LAMAZE (CAN), Artisan Farms LLC: 0/0/37.59
2. ELKY VAN HET INDIHOF: 2004 Belgian Warmblood mare by Toulon x Thunder van de Zuuthoeve
LORENZO DE LUCA (ITA), T & L NV: 0/0/37.66
3. SIMON: 1999 KWPN gelding by Mr. Blue x Polydox
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/0/38.78
4. SPECIAL LUX: 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Lux Z x Coille Mor Hill
JONATHAN MCCREA (USA), Candy Tribble: 0/0/39.11
5. SKARA GLEN'S BASEL: 2002 KWPN gelding by Quick Star x Quatoubet du Rouet
GABRIELA MERSHAD (USA), Mershad Stables, LLC: 0/0/42.60
6. CHEPEPE LA ESCONDIDA: 1998 Mexican Sport Horse stallion by Champion du Lys x Elobet
FERNANDO MARTINEZ-BERLANGA (MEX), Guillermo Zambrano: 0/4/36.78
7. FIRST CLASS VAN EECKELGHEM: 2005 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Balou du Rouet x Feinschnidtt I VD Richter
DANIEL DEUSSER (GER), Stephex Stables/Jos Lansink: 0/4/37.65
8. STAR POWER: 2001 KWPN gelding by Quick Star
IAN MILLAR (CAN), Team Works: 0/4/38.37
9. BROOKLYN BLUES: 2004 Oldenburg mare by Balou du Rouet x Fruhlingsball
YANN CANDELE (CAN), Carol Sollak: 0/4/38.55
10. BLUE ANGEL: 2002 AES mare by Luidam x Ascendant
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Robin Parsky: 0/4/38.82
11T. TINKABELL 12: 2005 KWPN mare by Casco x Ekstein
RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA), Rodrigo Pessoa: 0/4/40.64
11T. FIRST CHOICE 15: 2003 Hessian gelding by For Keeps x Angard
AIMEE ARON (USA), Janice Aron: 0/4/40.64