Wellington, FL – March 30, 2018 – The final week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) continued at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on Friday, March 30.

Victory went to Brazil’s Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa (BRA) riding Sharapova Imperio Egipicio in the $35,000 Douglas Elliman 1.45m CSI5* and there was a win for Irish rider Jordan Coyle aboard Eristov in the $35,000 Wanderers Club 1.45m CSI2* on Friday. WEF continues through April 1 and offers more than $9 million in prize money.

WEF concludes with its twelfth week of competition on March 28-April 1, sponsored by Rolex. The highlight event is the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI 5* in the WEF International Arena on Saturday, March 31, at 7:45 p.m. WEF wraps up with the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Round Two on the grass derby field at 1 p.m., and the $50,000 Wanderers Club Grand Prix CSI 2* and $50,000 CP 1.50m National Grand Prix in the WEF International Arena, on Sunday, April 1.

Musa mastered fellow Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge’s speed track and secured the top spot by more than two seconds. Stopping the clock in 58.08 seconds, he and Sharapova Imperio Egipicio, a 15-year-old Brazilian Sport Horse mare (Baloubet du Rouet x Welton Ambassador) topped the 49-horse field. Yet another Brazilian, Eduardo Menezes, took second riding Caruschka 2 in 60.97 seconds for owner E2 Stables, while Alexandra Paillot (FRA) was third aboard Uelem Croze, owned by Paillot Equine Consulting, Inc., with a time of 61.82 seconds.

Musa has had the ride on Sharapova Imperio Egipicio for a year and always points the mare toward speed classes, saying, “She is very experienced and you never have to touch the reins. The horses and riders in today’s class were very, very fast and you had to take a risk and run the whole time.

Francisco José Mesquita Musa (BRA) & Sharapova Império Egípcio in their presentation ceremony with Richard Schechter of Bainbridge and ringmaster Steve Rector.

“This is a special victory,” continued Musa, who spent the season at WEF with a string of four horses. “I have been coming to WEF for four seasons and I am happy to be here and win here. It’s like the Formula 1 of equestrian sport.”

Full Results here.

Photos: © Sportfot