Ocala, Florida, USA – January 30, 2025 – A picture-perfect Florida day set the stage for the $117,000 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Grand Prix Qualifier CSI 4*, where 34 world-class combinations representing 11 nations vied for top honors. In the end, it was Kristen Vanderveen (USA) who clinched the win aboard Bull Run’s Jireh (Uriko x Colman) with a blistering fast jump-off performance.
FEI Level IV course designer Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) led the course design, working alongside FEI Level III course designer Peter Grant (CAN) to set a technical, yet fair track. Horses were jumping in top form and 18 combinations managed to navigate the first-round test successfully, earning a spot in what turned out to be one of the fastest jump-offs yet.
Alessandra Volpi (USA) and Glamour were first to go and set a strong target of 39.30 seconds, holding the lead for much of the class. It wasn’t until Zoe Conter (BEL) and La Una (Chacco-Blue x For Pleasure) took to the ring and shaved off crucial fractions to stop the clock at 39.09 seconds.
It seemed Conter might have secured the win until her fiancé, Carlos Hank Guerreiro (MEX), and H5 Porthos Maestro WH Z (Picasso Z x Ogano Sitte) stormed around the course in 38.52 seconds, sliding into the top position.
The class wasn’t over yet; Kristen Vanderveen and the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding Bull Run’s Jireh stepped into the ring determined to go all the way. “I tried not to watch too much because I knew it was going to be fast, and it’s always fast here,” Vanderveen said. “One-two, I was quite slick, and he turned really well off that left rollback to the combination. I thought he ran over the plank pretty well—he’s really careful, so I could go fast there. Then he had a huge stride to the oxer and in the last line. I don’t think many people got seven [strides], and I got seven done slow. He knows the game.”
Reflecting on her journey with the talented gelding, Vanderveen shared, “I got him when he was seven, and it’s been a nice, slow progression. I’ve always felt he’s the nicest horse I’ve ever ridden, so I’ve been careful to do things right and not rush him. But honestly, he’s like a lion—he’s never backed down or gotten worried about anything I’ve asked of him. I think we’ve built all the right building blocks to get him here, and now he’s really confident at this level.”
Stopping the clock in a blazing 37.73 seconds, Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Jireh secured a well-earned victory.
Reflecting on her journey with the talented gelding, Vanderveen shared, “I got him when he was seven, and it’s been a nice, slow progression. I’ve always felt he’s the nicest horse I’ve ever ridden, so I’ve been careful to do things right and not rush him. But honestly, he’s like a lion—he’s never backed down or gotten worried about anything I’ve asked of him. I think we’ve built all the right building blocks to get him here, and now he’s really confident at this level.”
Final Results – $117,000 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation Grand Prix Qualifier CSI 4*
1) Kristen Vanderveen (USA) & Bull Run’s Jireh – 0 / 0 – 37.73
2) Carlos Hank Guerreiro (MEX) & H5 Porthos Maestro WH Z – 0 / 0 – 38.52
3) Zoe Conter (BEL) & La Una – 0 / 0 – 39.09
Source: Press Release from World Equestrian Center
Photo: © WEC / Andrew Ryback Photography
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Categories: CSI 4*, English, Jumper News USA
