Wellington, Florida, USA – January 30, 2021 – In the third week of the 2021 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), Eduardo Menezes (BRA) and H5 Elvaro, owned by the H5 Stables, put forth a double-clear effort to the win in the $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic CSI 3* on Saturday, January 30, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC).
Saturday’s feature class saw 70 horse and rider combinations challenge the 1.50m track set by Peter Grant (CAN) and Joey Rycroft (CAN) which proved to be difficult enough, narrowing the field to just 10 for the jump-off. Menezes and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Calvaro F.C. x Heartbreaker), were the first to return in the second round, executing the shortened track with precision and stopping the timers at 41.08 seconds.
“When you are in a jump-off like this with riders like this, you have to do your job and hope for the best,” said Menezes. “My horse has a big stride but he’s also a horse that collects really quickly, so I think I had an advantage coming into the last combination because it was a very big canter and then some of the other riders needed to take a little bit of time to slow down coming into the combination. My horse settled in really quick and nicely, so I think that’s where I made up some time.”
Similar to some of the other courses set this week, the jump-off path left riders with a combination of places to open up their gallop and a few opportunities to leave out strides, to optimize their time. Last to go in the second round, Katie Dinan (USA) kicked it into high gear aboard the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Dougie Douglas ((Douglas x High Roller), owned by Grant Road Partners, LLC, to chase the leading time. The dynamic duo came up just short with a double-clear effort in a time of 41.75 seconds.
Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and the nine-year-old gelding Ideal (Cardento 993 x Cortez), owned by Sweet Oak Farm and Seabrook, LLC, also put forth a solid attempt, leaving all the jumps up in a time of 42.44 seconds for third place.
The winning horse, H5 Elvaro, was purchased by the H5 stables as an eight-year-old and has been in partnership with Menezes for the past year. While he continues to prove himself as a solid mount, the Brazilian rider notes the stallion’s great mind as one of his most likeable qualities and plans to continue to challenge him with feature classes this season.
Coming up next on the schedule is Sunday afternoon’s $137,000 NetJets Grand Prix CSI 3* to wrap up an exciting week of international show jumping. You can catch the action for free on the livestream. Competition at WEF runs through April 4, with feature classes available for viewers to watch both live and on-demand, as coverage continues throughout the winter circuit in Wellington, Florida.
Final Results – $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic CSI 3*
1) Eduardo Menezes (BRA) & H5 Elvaro – 41.084
2) Katie Dinan (USA) & Dougie Douglas – 41.750
3) Shane Sweetnam (IRL) & Ideal – 42.449
Source: Press release Kate Pettersen / Jennifer Wood Media Inc. for ESP – Equestrian Sports Productions / PBIEC – Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
Photos: © Sportfot
PORTUGUÊS
Ousadia e Velocidade Marcam Vitória de Eduardo Menezes & H5 Elvaro no CSI 3* de Wellington
Wellington, Florida, E.U.A. – 30 de Janeiro de 2021 – Eduardo Menezes (BRA) foi o protagonista do dia durante a quarta semana do Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) em Wellington, Florida, EUA. O cavaleiro gaúcho montou H5 Elvaro na vitória no Clássico de $37,000, patrocinado pela CaptiveOne Advisors.
As armadilhas montadas pelo armador não foram superadas pelos dez primeiros conjuntos que entraram na arena em busca de se qualificarem para o desempate. A jornada vitoriosa do conjunto verde-amarelo começou na primeira volta com um zero, sendo o primeiro binômio responsável por tal feito. Com o resultado, Eduardo e o garanhão de 12 anos de idade de Sela Holandesa (KWPN) e propriedade do H5 Stables, teriam a desvantagem de serem os primeiros a enfrentar a fase decisiva.
Alguns dos favoritos conjuntos rápidos como McLain Ward (EUA) & Catoki, Tiffany Foster (CAN) & Brighton e Abdel Said (EGY) & Oak’s Grove Laith viriam depois, o brasileiro assumiu riscos ao longo do volta decisiva, estabelecendo a marca a ser batida ao registrar mais uma volta limpa, desta vez em 41.084 segundos. Conversando com o grande cavaleiro após a prova, ele nos confirmou que não pensou em nenhum dos concorrentes seguintes especificamente, e sim, em fazer o melhor de acordo às características de seu cavalo, e como consequência colocar pressão nos demais finalistas, forçando-os a assumirem riscos.
McLain Ward (EUA) e Tiffany Foster (CAN) bem que tentaram mas ambos falharam. O americano cometeu duas faltas, ocasionando em 8 pontos perdidos. Já a canadense esteve bem perto da vitória, sendo a única a baixar a marca estabelecida por Menezes. No entanto, ela e Brighton pagaram caro pela ousadia, terminando em sexto lugar após 4 pontos perdidos e um tempo final de 40.92 segundos. Abdel Said (EGY) chegou próximo, mas não baixou o tempo (41,567 segundos) nem sequer conseguiu o almejado duplo zero (4 pontos perdidos), dando a vitória ao brasileiro.
O pódio foi completado por duplas que obtiveram um duplo zero, com Katherine Dinan (USA) e Dougie Douglas (Douglas x High Roller) assegurando o segundo posto em 41s750. O jinete consistente Shane Sweetnam (IRL) montou Ideal (Cardento 993 x Cortez) rumo ao bronze, cruzando a linha de chegada em 42,449 segundos.
Resultado Final – $37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic CSI 3*
1) Eduardo Menezes (BRA) & H5 Elvaro – 41s084
2) Katie Dinan (EUA) & Dougie Douglas – 41s750
3) Shane Sweetnam (IRL) & Ideal – 42s449
Texto: Jumper News, não reproduza sem autorização
Fotos: © Sportfot
Categories: CSI 3*, English, Jumper News Brasil, Português, Winter Equestrian Festival
