Ocala, Florida, USA – March 16, 2024 – The energy was high at Hits Post Time Farm on Saturday morning as spectators and exhibitors anxiously anticipated the day’s featured event. Wrapping up its final few weeks of competition, the Hits Ocala Winter Circuit has seen fierce riding across all disciplines and that continued to prove true in the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix. Out of the jump off field, Sharn Wordley (NZL) emerged victorious, again, on Hagelin.
Under the course design of Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR), an FEI Level IV course designer, 31 horse-and-rider combinations representing 11 nations tackled the challenging tracks. Only five pairs managed to jump fault free in the first round to return for the jump-off.
Catsy Cruz (MEX) designed both the first round and short course which saw just over two dozen entries in the starting field. That number dwindled to eight and Wordley managed to qualify two of those entries, giving himself a good shot at the title. While four combinations posted a double clear effort, Wordley’s time of 39.97 seconds on Della Wordley’s 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Stolzenberg), bested the rest.
“Hagelin is a new horse for me,” explained Wordley. “He’s done two grand prixs here and he’s won both of them. He’s incredibly fast. To beat Kristen and Frosty, when she didn’t really leave much on the table, is really hard to do and this is the only horse that I’ve ridden in a long time that could get it done.”
Hometown hero Kristen Vanderveen (USA) and Bull Run Jumpers Five’s 19-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Berlin), Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili, gave it their best but clocked in mere milliseconds over Wordley’s time to take the runner up position with a time of 40.14 seconds.
Amateur competitor Hayley Waters Wear (USA) earned the final spot in the victory gallop after she crossed the timers with Dana Waters’ 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Lux Z), Over Lux, in 40.70 seconds.
Wordley’s winning execution of the course came partially from Hagelin’s footspeed and partially from strategy, having watched Vanderveen and devising a plan that he hoped would be enough.
“I figured if I went wider to the nine strides then my footspeed would be faster down the line,” he explained. “That was the only place I could see to beat her.”
Final Results – $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix
1) Sharn Wordley (NZL) & Hagelin – 0 / 0 – 39.97
2) Kristen Vanderveen (USA) & Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili – 0 / 0 – 40.14
3) Hayley Waters Wear (USA) & Over Lux – 0 / 0 – 40.70
Source: Press Release from Hits Horse Shows
Photos: © Hits Horse Shows / ESI Photography
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