Thermal, California, USA – February 25, 2024 – Ali Ramsay (CAN) took over the ride aboard Godfather B Belesbat at the beginning of the circuit, and it hasn’t taken the pair long at all to begin racking up FEI victories together. On Sunday of Desert Circuit 7, presented by Talus, the pair picked up another win, this time the biggest one so far, in the $32,000 San Marcos Training Classic CSI 3* 1.45m .
“My client owns the horse, Britt Scheifele, and she bought it to be her Junior/Amateur horse,” Ramsay said of the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion. “She had a broken hand at the beginning of the circuit so I took over the ride during that time, and then was able to move him up to this level.”
The horse has exceeded expectations since Ramsay took over the ride, so they’re pivoting accordingly since the horse’s ability took them by surprise. “We realized how even more incredibly amazing he was, so we decided for me to keep going,” Ramsay explained. “It wasn’t the perfect match for those two. Now the goal is to get him sold but now I want to keep him forever.”
In Sunday’s class, Ramsay was one of six to jump clear over Alan Wade’s (IRL) course, and they were up against some steep competition, including Conor Swail (IRL) with Count Me In. With that pair out of contention with a rail, Ramsay went in and put in a neat and efficient clear round, and it was good enough for the win ultimately.
Cassio Rivetti (BRA) took second with Billy Dorito, owned by Monarch Farms LLC, and Ingrid Gjelsten (NOR) took third with Nevado de Toluca.
“With ‘Billy’ I have a very large stride,” she explained of her approach to the jump-off. “He’s maybe not the quickest horse – he spends a lot of time in the air – so I have to use his stride to my advantage. Conor had one down but he was still faster than me.”
Godfather B Belesbat, or “Billy,” is not a super new ride to Ramsay, but their time in the ring has been very limited.
“The horse has been in my barn for two years,” she continued. “When his rider is away I ride the horse a lot at home so I know him really well. I’ve never been able to take him in the ring before. I feel like we just get each other. We clicked pretty instantly and were able to move up quite quickly.”
The feeling Ramsay got early on has not subsided, and she enjoys each day more and more that she gets to pilot the horse. “Every day he gets better and we get to know each other better,” she shared. “I think it all came together this week. He feels amazing, like he can do anything. It’s a really cool feeling. that ‘s what the sport is all about, finding the perfect match. When you can find that it’s pretty special.”
The pair has taken wins on both the grass and the sand so far during Desert Circuit, so the horse has proven versatile, but Ramsay believes he felt more at ease on the sand this week.
“Because we jumped the three-star on the grass last week, he was a bit impressed out there and was jumping a bit high,” she explained. “We practiced in the warm-up softening at the jump but I wasn’t quite comfortable doing that in the ring. I thought being able to come out this week in the 1.40m with no pressure in a smaller class we practiced that softer ride. He jumped very well off that and I was able to apply that throughout the week as we jumped a bit bigger. Now he’s jumping in a very good manner.”
Ramsay is continuing to compete through the final weeks of circuit with her very strong string of horses, also including Conrado 12 and Bonita VH Keizershof Z, both owned by Ramsay Equestrian Inc. Despite the same classes and same venue for weeks on end, each week still brings something new for her.
“We’re here for so long, but to have both rings that are world class arenas – to be on the sand and then go out on the grass – it never gets boring,” she reflected. “It doesn’t feel like you’re at the same facility for months on end. It keeps it refreshing. I just love it here so much. I live [on the East Coast] now and any normal person would go to Florida from the east but I find it so much more worth it to drive out here for what they have to offer. It’s a really great place to be.”
Final Results – $32,000 San Marcos Training Classic CSI 3*
1) Ali Ramsay (CAN) & Godfather B Belesbat – 0 / 0 – 38.64
2) Cassio Rivetti (BRA) & Billy Dorito – 0 / 0 – 39.22
3) Ingrid Gjelsten (NOR) & Nevado de Toluca – 0 / 0 – 42.68
Source: Press Release from Desert International Horse Park
Photos: © DIHP / TB Photography / High Desert Photo / MG Photography
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Categories: CSI 3*, English, Jumper News Canada
