Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus Win $60,000 Grand Prix in Wellington
Going third in a 14-horse jump-off, Brazilian Olympian Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus held off a close challenge by U.S. Olympian Chris Kappler and VDL
Oranta, with Pessoa taking the blue ribbon by 1/100ths of a second in the $60,000 Spy Coast Farm Wellington Cup.
Pessoa, a three-time World Cup Champion and the reigning Olympic champion, posted the fastest clear round on the shortened track in 35.60 seconds. Two trips later, Kappler looked like he could take over the lead, crossing the finish timers clear, but slightly slower, in 35.61 seconds.
The grand prix ended week four of the 12 week 2008 CN Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
“It's never great to go in the beginning,” Pessoa said. “But when you nail it down and you have everything 100 percent, you can make everybody chase behind you. Although I would rather come at the end and know what I have to do because I started off a little bit conservative from one to two … that would be something that I would change if I would come later. But if you go early and you can get everything nice and tight and pull a clear,
you can have everybody chase after you and oblige them to go and have rails down. And today that's a little bit what happened for me.”
Pessoa said he didn't watch Kappler go, but knows he's a tough competitor.
“He knows what has to be done to win a class and so it's anybody's shot,” Pessoa said. “One day it's in your favor. Another day it's in the other rider's favor.”
Kappler laughed and said, “What day is it going to be in mine?”
Forty-eight starters attempted the course, designed by Steve Stephens, a course designer for the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong. The 13-obstacle, 16-jumping effort course included one double and one triple combination, with the most faults tallied at the last fence in the triple, 9C.
“I think he tried to find a nice medium and not get everyone too set back early on in the circuit,” Kappler said. “It was a vertical, oxer, oxer triple combination and it was a shorter one to a longer one. I think it caught a few horses and riders by surprise. We haven't even had that many triples in the grand prix yet and that one was an in-your-face just scopey enough to catch people.”
James Benedetto rode Kannan S Gigi Z to a third-place finish, posting a clear round in 36.83 seconds. Five-time Olympian Anne Kursinski and Samara posted the only other double clear, finishing in 38.10 seconds for fourth.
Going second to last, Ian Millar and In Style had the fastest time of the class (35.02 seconds), but pulled a rail at fence 7, for four faults and a fifth-place finish.
Kappler, winner of Olympic team gold and individual silver in Athens, praised the performance of the 12-year-old Dutchbred mare in her second Sunday grand prix back after being out of commission with a back injury in 2007. Kappler is planning on taking the mare in the upcoming Olympic Selection Trials at WEF.
“She feels great down here in Florida,” Kappler said. “The trials, unfortunately, moved up a month so I feel a little bit behind the eight ball in getting ready for the trials, but I'm happy she showed good form today.”
Results (10.01.08)
CSI3* Wellington – Palm Beach – Florida
Grand Prix Wellington Cup
AM5 – 1,60m
1º Rodrigo Pessoa (Bra) / Rufus – 0/0 – 35,60s
2º Chris Kappler (EUA) / VDL Oranta – 0/0 – 35,61
3º James Benedetto (EUA) / Kannan S Gigi Z – 0/0 – 36,83
4º Anne Kursinski (EUA) / Samara – 0/0 – 38,10
5º Ian Millar (Can) / In Stile – 0/4 – 35,02 (CAN)
6º Beezie Madden (EUA) / Judgement – 0/4 – 35,22
7º Hillary Corlett (EUA) / Dobbs / 0 / 4 – 35,77
8º Peter Charles (Gbr) / Murkas Rubert / 0 / 4 – 36,25
9º Norman Dello Joio (EUA) / Malcom / 0 / 4 – 37,91
10º Georgina Bloomberg (EUA) / Curius / 0 / 4 – 39,50