Wellington, Florida, USA – March 23, 2023 – The Irish have been on fire all over the world, winning the most important classes at major FEI-level events this week . It was no different on Thursday during the eleventh week of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) as Simon McCarthy (IRL) and Gotcha galloped for the gold in the $39,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty CSI 4* at the Wellington International equestrian venue.
A whopping 73 combinations took part in the first round of the 1.45m speed challenge but it was Simon who soared towards victory with the 2011 Holsteiner mare (Stakkato x Cassini I), completing the course in 57.28 seconds for top honors.
Irish domination was on display and the closest rider to McCarthy was fellow countryman David O’Brien (IRL), who steered El Balou OLD (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Balou du Rouet) to second place, doing so backed by a penalty-free performance in 58.68 seconds.
A usual presence amongst the top three, including with several victories at the venue this season, Richar Vogel (GER) raced to another podium finish. This timed, the skillful German rider teamed up with Jonage LVP (Canturano x Corland) for bronze honors, registering no penalties in 59.83 seconds.
Final Results – $39,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty CSI 4*
1) Simon McCarthy (IRL) & Gotcha – 0 – 57.28
2) David O’Brien (IRL) & El Balou OLD – 0 – 58.68
3) Richard Vogel (GER) & Jonage LVP – 0 – 59.83
Text: Jumper News, no reproduction without permission.
Photo: © Sportfot
Categories: CSI 4*, English, Jumper News Ireland, Winter Equestrian Festival
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