Ocala, Florida, USA – January 19, 2025 – The $40,000 Golden Ocala Grand Prix brought an exciting conclusion to feature competition during Week III of the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series. Seventeen-year-old Isabella Erlick (CAN) emerged victorious aboard her own Toucare KDW Z (Toulon x Caretino), besting a competitive field of seasoned professionals at World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala.
Anderson Lima’s (BRA) American Standard tracks challenged the 20 horse-and-rider combinations, but only five advanced to the jump-off, and just two managed double-clear rounds.
First to return in the jump-off, Richard Spooner (USA) and Oaks Burgundy posted the fastest time of 37.906 seconds but incurred two rails along the way.
Erlick followed with a simple yet effective strategy. “I wanted to just have a good, positive ride for my horse. My horse is really big-strided and naturally quick, so I knew I could stick with my plan and hope to do as well as I could.” Using Toucare KDW Z’s scope and carefulness, the duo delivered a fault-free round in 39.119 seconds, securing the top spot.
Reflecting on her partnership with the 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding, Erlick shared, “I bought him two years ago, and we started in the meter together before working our way up to the bigger heights. He’s been a really great partner for me. We’ve done a lot of firsts together, so he’s a really special horse. I hope to do more FEI classes and keep moving up.”
Diego Bedoya (BOL) and NRG Farm’s 11-year-old mare Baglioni claimed second with the only other double-clear effort, finishing in 39.675 seconds.
Laura Kraut (USA) and Emeraldo 4 (Emerald x Narcos – II), a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Stars and Stripes, turned in the quicker time of 39.112 seconds but had an unfortunate rail, landing them in third place.
Daniel Coyle (IRL) earned the ‘fastest four-faulter’ award aboard Langley with a quick first round time of 73.967 seconds with one rail down. Catherine Kubiak (USA) received the ‘Luck of the Draw’ award.
Final Results – $40,000 Golden Ocala Grand Prix
1) Isabella Erlick (CAN) & Toucare KDW Z – 0 / 0 – 39.119
2) Diego Bedoya (BOL) & Baglioni – 0 / 0 – 39.675
3) Laura Kraut (USA) & Emeraldo 4 – 0 / 4 – 39.112
Source: Press Release from World Equestrian Center
Photos: © WEC / Andrew Ryback Photography
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