Wellington, United States – January 22, 2026 –  Irish riders are known for their bravery and speed competing in high-level competitions around the world. On Thursday, Olympian Bertram Allen (IRL) was a testament of that at Wellington International. Riding Eddy Blue for owner Carol Sollak, the Irishman won $116,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round III CSI 4* to kick off the first week of major CSI 4* action at the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).

The class was contested by 48 combinations but it was Allen and the 14-year-old bay Oldenburg gelding (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Chacco-Blue) who delivered the winning performance against 11 other combinations out of the original 12 that had qualified for the tiebreaker. The duo blazed through the course, securing the win in 48.68 seconds.

Ansgar Holtgers Jr. (USA) and Pixel-K van’T Kattenheye powered towards second place, doing so after leaving all the poles up and crossing the finish line in 49.55 seconds.

Ireland bookended the podium as Shane Sweetnam (IRL) registered a clean scorecard aboard Gilona AO too. The consistent combination secured bronze honors due to their final time of 50.88 seconds.

Final Results – $116,100 Adequan WEF Challenge Cup – Round III CSI 4*

1) Bertram Allen (IRL) & Eddy Blue – 0 / 0 – 48.68

2) Ansgar Holtgers Jr. (USA) & Pixel-K van’T Kattenheye – 0 / 0 – 49.55

3) Shane Sweetnam (IRL) & Gilona AO – 0 / 0 – 50.88

Source: Press Release from Wellington International

Photos: © Wellington International / Sportfot / Cassidy Klein

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