Wrapping up Sunday’s competition, Paul O’Shea (IRL) and Imerald van’t Voorhof won the $50,000 Equiline Grand Prix CSI 2*. This class and the $70,000 Hollow Creek Farm 1.50m Classic CSI5* closed out week five competition on Sunday, February 11, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. WEF continues through April 1 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, and offers more than $9 million in prize money.
Paul O’Shea and Imerald van’t Voorhof. Photo by SportFot Photography
There were 43 entries in the $50,000 Equiline Grand Prix CSI 2*, and 11 of those went clear to the jump-off. The fastest in the second round was the last to go, Paul O’Shea (IRL) and Imerald van’t Voorhof, owned by Tequestrian Farms LLC. They left out strides across the course to finish in 36.84 seconds.
Watch the winning two star jump-off ride for Paul O’Shea and Imerald van’t Voofhof!
There were 43 entries in the $50,000 Equiline Grand Prix CSI 2*, and 11 of those went clear to the jump-off. The fastest in the second round was the last to go, Paul O’Shea (IRL) and Imerald van’t Voorhof, owned by Tequestrian Farms LLC. They left out strides across the course to finish in 36.84 seconds.
Second place went to fellow Irishman Conor Swail on GK Coco Chanel, owned by Vanessa Mannix, in 38.24 seconds. Rebecca Conway (USA) and Salitos 8 were third in 38.55 seconds.
“I had the advantage of going last, which was obviously a big help because when I walked the jump-off, I didn’t know if there would be seven strides to the double or eight strides to the last,” said O’Shea. “But then after seeing Becky (Conway) and a few other people go, it was really there and that was a big help today.”
Kelly Molinari, Managing Member of Equiline America, and Lohette Erasmus of Equiline joined ringmaster Steve Rector in the winning presentation for Paul O’Shea and Imerald van’t Voorhof. Photo by SportFot Photography
O’Shea has been riding Imerald for a year. He said, “He is owned by the Tisbo family and I am very grateful to them for letting me ride him. Lauren was here to watch him and support us.”
O’Shea said of Imerald, “He is extremely scopey and brave and has a massive stride. That was useful today with the long gallops, like down to the double (combination). To be able to really open him up, his stride and scope was a big help to the last fence.”
Swail has been riding GK Coco Chanel since July, but after competing at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto in November, he has not sat on the horse since.
Conor Swail and GK Coco Chanel. Photo by SportFot Photography
“He has had a nice break and we have done a few smaller things with him here and there with my rider, James Chalke; he has kept him going very nicely for me,” he said. “I just appeared this week and I have to say the horse feels really good and he jumped very, very well today.”
Conway and Salitos 8 have only been paired together since December, and it took some adjustments to get to this performance.
Rebecca Conway and Salitos 8. Photo by SportFot Photography
“We had to change some of the equipment a little bit as we were getting to know him,” she said. “This week, he jumped very well in the qualifier and I have to say I was very rusty in the jump-off and started slow and made a mistake. John Brennan and Missy Clarke are helping me. John said to me before I went in the ring (today), ‘Don’t go in there and try to be fifth, go in there and try to win this thing.’ He jumps this very easily and I think the few equipment changes we have made in the past few weeks are the reason why I was able to get the result I did today.”
Final Results: $50,000 Equiline Grand Prix CSI 2*
1 IMERALD VAN’T VOORHOF: 2008 BWP gelding by Emerald Van’t Ruytershof x Bacardi-Orange de Muze PAUL O’SHEA (IRL), Tequestrian Farms LLC: 0/0/36.84
2 GK COCO CHANEL: 2008 Holsteiner gelding by Clarimo x Lerano 2 CONOR SWAIL (IRL), Vanessa Mannix: 0/0/38.24
3 SALITOS 8: 2008 Oldenburg gelding by Stalypso x Böckmann’s Cordale Z REBECCA CONWAY (USA), HBC Sport Horses: 0/0/38.55
4 DELINQUENT JX: 2007 SHBGB gelding by Darco x I Need You WILTON PORTER (USA), Sleepy P Ranch LLC: 0/0/39.66
5 LOUGHNAVATTA INDIGO: 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Luidam x VDL Arkansas JONATHAN CORRIGAN (IRL), Twin Oaks Stables Inc.: 0/0/39.75
6 ZELDA: 2004 Dutch Warmblood mare by Concorde x Olisco SARAH SEGAL (USA), T.K. Farm: 0/0/41.41
7 ILIANO VAN D’ABELENDREEF: 2008 BWP gelding by Ogano Sitte x Skippy II MCKAYLA LANGMEIER (USA), Linda Langmeier: 0/4/38.20
8 TINO LA CHAPELLE: 2007 Selle Francais gelding by Mylord Carthago HN x Verdi HN JUAN JOSE ZENDEJAS SALGADO (MEX), Alejandro Zendejas: 0/4/39.74
9 GEORGIE D’AUVRAY EC: 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Vancouver d’Auvray x Nabab de Reve KARRIE RUFER (USA), Morning Star Sporthorses: 0/4/42.24
10 CYPRESS VF: 2009 Holsteiner mare by Chepetto x Classido SÖHNKE THEYMANN (GER), Morgan Evans: 0/4/45.71
11 CHICHESTER 3: 2008 Holsteiner gelding by Casall x Cosimo ALONSO VALDEZ PRADO (PER), Alonso Valdez Prado: 0/8/40.21
12 QUINTENDER LS: 2009 La Silla gelding by Quidam de Revel x Contender CARLOS MYRRHA (BRA), El Milagro: 1/76.08