Maher Reigns Supreme in the Horseware Ireland Grand Prix
British superstar Ben Maher added an unprecedented fifth grand prix win to his tally at this year's FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) with a win in Saturday night's $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* aboard Jane Clark's Urico. Competing in the tenth week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, Maher topped Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala, and Daniel Deusser (GER) riding Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof, who finished second and third in a six-horse jump-off.
FTI WEF week 10, sponsored by Horseware Ireland, concludes on Sunday with the $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. The FTI WEF features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.
Richard Jeffery (GBR) set the course for 45 competitors in Saturday night's $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*, yielding six clear rounds to advance to the jump-off, where all six then completed double clear rounds and raced against the clock for top honors. Continuing the streak of a lifetime, Ben Maher mastered yet another grand prix track, speeding through the course last to go with Urico in the winning time of 41.01 seconds.
Maher topped Lauren Hough and Ohlala's time of 41.25 seconds to put the pair in second place. Daniel Deusser and Stephex Stables' and Double H Farm's Fyloe v/h Claeyssenhof stopped the clock in 41.53 second to finish third.
Also competing in Saturday night's jump-off, Peter Wylde (USA) and Federico Fernandez's Zorro were first to go, and set the fourth place time of 42.43 seconds. Lorenzo de Luca (ITA) and Mike Collins' Zoe II finished fifth in 42.87 seconds, and Georgina Bloomberg (USA) guided Gotham Enterprizes' Juvina to the sixth place prize in 46.73 seconds.
Final Results: $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3*
1. URICO: 2001 KWPN gelding by Zandor Z x Fedor
BEN MAHER (GBR), Jane F. Clark: 0/0/41.01
2. OHLALA: 2003 Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), The Ohlala Group: 0/0/41.25
3. FYLOE VH CLAEYSSENHOF: 2005 BWP gelding by Burggraaf x Hearbreaker
DANIEL DEUSSER (GER), Stephex Stables and Double H Farm: 0/0/41.53
4. ZORRO: 1999 Hanoverian stallion by Rabino x Westmister
PETER WYLDE (USA), Federico Fernandez: 0/0/42.43
5. ZOE II: 2004 AES mare by Kannan x Goes Without Saying
LORENZO DE LUCA (ITA), Mike Collins: 0/0/42.87
6. JUVINA: 2001 Austrian Warmblood mare by Cassini I x Grannus
GEORGINA BLOOMBERG (USA), Gotham Enterprizes, LLC: 0/0/46.73
7. AD JAC'POTES: 2003 Holsteiner stallion by Caretino
STEPHAN BARCHA (BRA), Stephan Barcha: 1/87.66
8. NEVER SAY NEVER: 2001 KWPN gelding by Heartbreaker x Jus de Pomme
THOMAS DRESLER (DEN), Thomas Dresler: 1/87.89
9. CAMBITO: 2004 Holsteiner gelding by Caretino x Contender
PAIGE JOHNSON (USA), Salamander Farm: 1/88.15
10. ZERLY: 2004 KPWN mare by Querlybet Hero x Carthago
CHRISTINE MCCREA (USA), Candy Tribble: 4/83.90
11. FANANKA A: 2005 BWP mare by Chin Chin x Kannan
EIKEN SATO (JPN), Stephex Stables: 4/83.96
12. CARRIERE: 2003 Oldenburg mare by Catoki x Contango
LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms LLC: 4/84.23
Check the jump off between Urico and Ohlala