Todd Minikus and Valinski S. Screenshot via LGCT TV.
Miami is a special venue for Team Minikus. It was just two years ago that the Longines Global Champions Tour first had the idea of putting an arena on the beach and letting casual Miami beach-combers walk right up to the edge of the ring and marvel as horses flew overhead, just feet from the crashing waves. And on that first incredible, experimental year, Todd Minikus and Quality Girl claimed one of the handful of inaugural Grand Prix classes offered, cementing their partnerships as one of the greatest in our sport.
Todd is back this year with two partnerships which also hold a lot of power and potential: his World Cup Final partner, Babalou 41, and Valinski S, his recent acquisition from Australian Matt Williams.
Babalou, a twelve-year-old Oldenburg mare out of the iconic Balou du Rouet, is owned by Jack Snyder and Two Swans Farm, and the horse has been on a winning spree in Wellington this winter, including taking the top spot in the Live Oaks International Grand Prix to qualify for the World Cup Final, and two major Grand Prix classes at WEF worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Switching to the indoors was a difficult obstacle for the fiery mare who covers incredible ground on the turf or in the big outdoor rings, and her initial showing in Omaha left the combination out of the top mix, but after a few rounds of adjustment, the mare shined in her final rounds, adapting quickly to incredible challenges.
Omaha may prove to have been a good introduction to a smaller ring for Babalou as she gets going here in Miami – the mare had just a single rail in a very challenging opening day course and one of the faster times of the day; she may yet find the winners circle for Todd this weekend.
Todd’s second mount, Valinski S, also got his feet wet (so to speak) on Miami Beach Thursday afternoon, joining the first round of the Global Champions League as an individual rider. The weather turned overcast and the seas threw dark choppy waves crashing near the outside edge of the ring in the second half the of day, which proved to be costly for many.
Todd and Valinski got a rough one out of the way with three rails and will hope for better weather on Friday. All the same, the 15-year-old Rio Olympic veteran (still owned in part by Matt Williams and Michael Dorman) is definitely a horse with a big year ahead of him, as he and Todd clicked right off the bat in Wellington this year, taking one of the WEF Challenge Cups in their first weeks together.
Keep an eye for this Draper Therapies-sponsored rider this week on the Longines Global Champions Tour, and stay tuned for much more action from Miami!
Go Jumping.