Press Release WEF – Competition on the derby field at The Stadium kicked off Sunday morning with the $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, sponsored by EnTrust Capital, at the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Course designer Richard Jeffery (GBR) whittled down the contestants from 64 starters, to 16 in the jump-off, and six clear entries in round two. Stephen Moore (IRL) and Teddy Vlock’s Team de Coquerie were first to clear the short course in 40.60 seconds to eventually finish fifth. Madison Goetzmann (USA) and Wrigley were next to go and blazed the winning time of 37.63 seconds that held on to the end.
Two rounds later, Eve Jobs (USA) and Sandor de la Pomme clocked the second place time of 37.93 seconds. Wilton Porter (USA) and Sleepy P Ranch LLC’s Delinquent JX then jumped into third place with their round in 39.40 seconds. Emily Short and Coco II crossed the timers in 40.40 seconds to finish fourth, and last to go, Jennifer Gates and Pumped Up Kicks jumped into sixth place with a time of 41.03.
Goetzmann (15), of Skaneateles, NY, was thrilled to get first win in the U25 aboard her experienced mount, Wrigley, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Padinus x Burggraaf). “I am beyond excited. I am so happy with my horse,” Goetzmann stated. “This is my first year being eligible to do the U25, so since week two I have been eager to come and win a class, but I have definitely been taking my time and being careful with the bigger courses and the more difficult tracks. I am very happy with my horse and how she jumped today.”
Goetzmann and Wrigley also finished second in Saturday’s Welcome and third in the Sunday grand prix during week two. This class on the derby field gave the pair a new challenge and they stepped up to the plate. “I thought it was a very good course. I think Richard did not make the time as tight as you would normally see, but there were definitely lots of places where you could have time faults, so it was important to keep an efficient round throughout the course,” Goetzmann detailed. “The course really suited me and my horse. My horse loves jumping on the field, and she did the course perfectly.”
“Every time I sit on this horse I feel so confident and comfortable to go in and win or have top results,” Goetzmann praised. “She has never let me down, and each time we go in the ring, I feel like we get better and better as a team. I have a very strong relationship with her.”
Speaking of her first year competing in the series, Goetzmann stated, “This is such an amazing experience. I have already learned so much about competing at the higher levels with the more experienced riders. Each week I continue to get more insight on how to do things better. I think all of the riders have aspirations to compete at higher levels with international riders, and it really bridges the gap between the junior and professional divisions.”
Wrigley was also awarded the Champion Equine Insurance Jumper Style Award, presented by Laura Fetterman. For 17-year-old Eve Jobs, of Palo Alto, CA, this is not only her first year competing in the U25 Series, but also her first time competing at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Jobs finished second in the day’s competition aboard her 14-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding Sandor de la Pomme (Vigo d’Arsouilles x Darco).
“I have had him for just over a year now, and he is absolutely incredible,” Jobs said of her mount. “I have so many great things to say about that horse. He really has helped me step up into these bigger classes, and he gives me such confidence going into the ring. He is a phenomenal horse.”
“This is actually my first time doing the series and this circuit,” Jobs noted. “It is very exciting being here with all of the top riders, and to be doing well is phenomenal. I am so happy to be here.” Speaking of her jump-off round, Jobs detailed, “I was lucky enough to go eighth, so I was able to watch one go first and get a feel for how the track rode. Going in there, I know my horse has a big stride, and he covered it beautifully. I just tried to go as fast as I can. Madison is so fast with Wrigley. It is a really hard one to beat and she rode it great, so I am really happy with the outcome.”
Jobs has been riding with Missy Clark and John Brennan of North Run on and off since she was 13 years old and acknowledged the trainers and the whole team there for helping her grow as a rider and get to where she is today. The next goal is to qualify for the semi-final in week nine.
Wilton Porter (22), of Wellington, FL, has been competing in the U25 Series for the last four years and had a great ride with his mount, Delinquent JX, on Sunday. Porter showed the nine-year-old Warmblood gelding (Darco x I Need You) in young jumper classes this summer in Tryon, NC, but noted that the classes at WEF are much more competitive.
“I would say this is a step up for him, and he has done really well,” Porter stated. “This class was great. I cannot believe how many riders there are (in the series), with over 60 in this class. This is not an easy course. Anything 1.45m and higher is respectable if you can get around that, and to see all of these kids do that including myself, it is really competitive.”
Detailing his jump-off round, Porter stated, “Our plan was probably a little more conservative to start, but then Maddie and then Eve really laid it down going fast. I think they left some strides out where we were planning on doing a few more, so then I basically just tried to copy what they did. I felt like I left it all out there, but we are still learning how to go fast together. I think for today I was happy with that.”
Porter will continue showing Delinquent JX in the young rider classes and hopes that the horse will become a strong FEI competitor in the future. After WEF ends, the rider will travel to Europe to compete while training with Dutch champion Jeroen Dubbledam. Porter feels that the experience of this series and the opportunity to compete on the grass field is a good lead up to European competition.
“Riding out on this field before going to Europe is great because we are probably going to be doing a lot of grass shows over there in big rings,” Porter noted. “This is almost like going to a European show because it is only one week out here, and you really do not have too much of a warm-up, so that is really good practice for this summer.”
Remarking on the series, Porter added, “I have done all of the under 25 competitions this WEF, and I have done it for the last four years. I love this division. Especially for someone like me who is no longer an amateur, this is a great opportunity to have something to compete in on the weekend. I love the team event, that is always fun, and I am looking forward to the rest of the series. Thank you to the Zieglers, and the Dutta Corporation, and Guido Klatte for sponsoring.”
Presented by The Dutta Corp. in association with Guido Klatte, the Artisan Farms Under 25 Grand Prix Series will feature two more events showcasing top young talent in show jumping sport this winter. For the final event of the Series, the top 30 riders in the point standings will be invited to contest the $50,000 CSI-U25 Artisan Farms Under 25 Grand Prix Final held on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Saturday, March 26.
Final Results: $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, sponsored by EnTrust Capital
1. 2628 WRIGLEY MADISON GOETZMANN (USA) MADISON GOETZMANN: 0/0/37.63
2. 1155 SANDOR DE LA POMME EVE JOBS (USA) EVE JOBS: 0/0/37.93
3. 2383 DELINQUENT JX WILTON PORTER (USA) SLEEPY P RANCH LLC: 0/0/39.40
4. 577 COCO II EMILY SHORT (USA) EMILY SHORT: 0/0/40.40
5. 4904 TEAM DE COQUERIE STEPHEN MOORE (IRL) TEDDY VLOCK: 0/0/40.60
6. 2551 PUMPED UP KICKS JENNIFER GATES (USA) JENNIFER GATES LLC: 0/0/41.03
7. 1736 QUENTUCKY JOLLY EMMA HEISE (USA) OLD WILLOW FARMS LLC: 0/4/37.78
8. 1620 G&C FLASH TAYLOR ALEXANDER (USA) ALEXANDER LLC: 0/4/39.54
9. 4890 BOLOCIA SARAH JOHNSTONE (CAN) LILLIE ANN MORRIS: 0/4/41.21
10. 2388 DIAMONTE DARCO LUCAS PORTER (USA) SLEEPY P RANCH LLC: 0/4/42.08
10. 4928 WALIBA VDL MACKENZIE DRAZAN (USA) MACKENZIE DRAZAN: 0/4/42.08
12. 2589 HESTER LUCY DESLAURIERS (USA) LISA DESLAURIERS: 0/8/38.43
Source: Press release WEF
