Wellington, Florida, United States – March 16, 2025 – The BrainJuice Under 25 Series came to a thrilling close Sunday of Week 10 at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Featuring some of the top young show jumpers in the world, the qualifying pairs all gave everything they could in the grand final; the $50,000 BrainJuice Grand Prix Series Final CSI U-25. Ultimately, Tim Brennan (IRL) took the top call in the class, and Hallie Grimes’ top-five placing awarded her the overall BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series title.
Brennan had a fantastic first season in Wellington, winning both the BrainJuice U25 Semi-Final under the lights during WEF 8 and Sunday’s Final—both on the same horse, Diadema Della Caccia, a 10-year-old Italian Sport Horse mare.
“It’s been an absolute dream,” Brennan, 19, said of his success in the BrainJuice U25 Series at WEF. “My horse has been incredible, she has improved and improved. To me it’s been a massive experience. She’s only 10 so it’s brought her along too. It’s been great for both of us; jumping under the lights and here today. It was two fantastic classes.”
The success he had this season reflects well on his thoughts of the venue, but regardless of results Brennan is hoping it’s not his last season in Wellington. “I’d love to come back next year,” he continued. “It’s a very nice place to be because there’s not a lot going on at home in Ireland. I’ve learned a lot over here so I’d love to come back again.”
The U25 Series creates an on-ramp to higher levels for young show jumpers, featuring various challenges like change in venue, jumping under the lights, jumping the open water, team formats and more. Brennan has big goals even in the immediate future, and success in this division will pave the way for upcoming goals, including the European Championships and the Dublin Horse Show on home soil.
Carlee McCutcheon (USA) was second in the Final with Aralyn Blue, owned by Ann C Thompson.
“This is my third year to do the U25 Series and my second year as a professional,” McCutcheon, 19, said. “It’s a great stepping stone between the junior ranks and the higher-level FEI ranks. For me, the competition is always great. These are some of the best up-and-coming riders and that makes me ride better. It makes me more competitive and it’s really a wonderful series.”
Campbell Brown (USA) and Caiam d’Ivraie, owned by MMK Equestrian LLC. Brown, 17, is newer to the U25 ranks but put in a stellar double-clear with a fast jump-off for a podium finish on Sunday.
“I just recently started doing U25 last May,” Brown shared. “We’ve been trying to figure it out over the last 10 weeks but it really came together this week. It’s nice to step up from the junior jumpers and compete against people who are jumping five-stars and have more experience. It pushes me to try a little harder and dig a little deeper.”
Lisa Ellis, CEO and CMO of BrainJuice, reflected on another spectacular season of U25 jumping at Wellington International, saying. “Every season you’re seeing such a diverse group of riders with different training backgrounds, different access to horses, and the theme here is that all of you took advantage of this to take it to the next level of competition. That’s what we’re so proud of. We want this to be a model for show jumping throughout the world where the next riders will break out of and into the grand prix level.”
Final Results – $50,000 BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Final
1) Tim Brennan (IRL) & Diadema Della Caccia – 0 / 0 – 30
2) Carlee McCutcheon (USA) & Aralyn Blue – 0 / 0 – 31.32
3) Campbell Brown (USA) & Caiam d’Ivraie – 0 / 0 – 31.74
Source: Press Release from Wellington International
Photos: © Wellington International / Sportfot / Cassidy Klein
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Categories: CSI U-25, English, Jumper News Ireland
