Wellington, Fla.—Feb. 8
Brianne Goutal is on quite a roll. She scored a remarkable one-two at Week 5 of the Winter Equestrian Festival, winning the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 on Friday and the $127,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 3* on Ballade van het Indihof.
“I am thrilled,” Goutal said of her victory. “This week she has been amazing, but in general she pretty much only jumps good rounds. I was very disappointed not to have her for the last two years due to a couple of injuries and now that she is back, it is really just a pleasure every time you go in the ring. She is very strong, but she takes you right down to the big jumps. She is ultra careful, so you are never worried. She is just something else. She is a freak of nature, and I am grateful every time I go in the ring with that horse.”
Sunday’s grand prix was held on the beautiful grass jumping field at The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Olympic course designer Robert Ellis of Great Britain set the international courses and concluded with a great track for 45 competitors. Seven entries were clear over the first round course to advance to the jump-off, and two went clear in the tiebreaker, but Goutal and the 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Heartbreaker) prevailed.
Goutal and Ballade van het Indihof, owned by Remarkable Farms LP, were the fastest double clear in 47.10 seconds. Heather Caristo-Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Caristo’s Evening Star finished second in 50.78 seconds. Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands and Copernicus Stables LLC’s Don VHP Z had the fastest round of the jump-off in 46.77 seconds, but a rail at the final fence put the pair in third place.
Goutal had to catch the clear round of Heather Caristo-Williams and Evening Star, but knew her horse could beat their time.
“Honestly, my horse is so fast,” Goutal said. “She wastes no time across the ground. She jumps very high, but somehow it is efficient at the same time. You never feel like you have really opened up. I just keep a high rhythm, a high canter and kind of let her go. She is so careful that you can kind of guide her and snake through a little bit. Heather had a beautiful ride, but I think her horse is a bigger mover, more bounding, and I think my horse is just really, really fast.”
Caristo-Williams explained that her horse had some time off last year and is just coming back to this level of competition, and she was thrilled with his performance.
“I was really happy with my jump-off in general,” she stated. “It has been a little while since I have been able to be in a jump-off with these guys, so I just wanted to do what was right for my horse. In the class on Friday and we had a little trouble and had the last jump down in the WEF [Challenge Cup], so I knew that I was not going to make that mistake twice. I wanted to do what was best for my horse and I know it was a slower option, but at that point going against everyone else here, I was just really happy to be efficient and go for a clear round.
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“It is so much fun out there,” Caristo-Williams added. “I love the jump-offs and I am just so happy to be able to go in there. I gave him the summer off because our end of the season last year we kind of went a little bit downhill, which is odd for him because he really is a trier. Now we are just kind of getting back into it again and peaked today, so that was nice.”
Harrie Smolders had the time in hand with Don VHP Z, but took extra risk in his jump-off course with the knowledge that Goutal and Georgina Bloomberg were still to follow. The risk did not pay off when he had the final fence down, but Smolders was happy with his horse. He began riding Don VHP Z last year and has already developed a great partnership.
Commenting on his round, Smolders noted, “My horse I think is naturally a slower mover than Brianne and Georgina’s horses, so that is why I had to take a bit more risk to put on the pressure. I think we were a bit unlucky today because I think Don is in really good shape and he deserved to go clean.
“I think I am starting to know him better and our results are getting there now,” Smolders stated. “He is a great horse. He is really scopey. Now I am looking forward to the future with him.”
The last time Smolders competed in Wellington was in 2012, and he has seen great growth in the level of competition in the last few years.
“I think the competition is very strong here,” the rider acknowledged. “There are many good horses here. It is good sport. It is not easy. It is not easy to win anywhere, but it is definitely difficult here. There are many good riders and many good horses.”
Final Results: $127,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 3*
1. BALLADE VAN HET INDIHOF: 2001 Belgian Warmblood mare by Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Heartbreaker, BRIANNE GOUTAL (USA), Remarkable Farms LP: 0/0/47.10
2. EVENING STAR: 2002 Holsteiner gelding by Coriano x Lenz, HEATHER CARISTO WILLIAMS (USA), Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Caristo: 0/0/50.78
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3. DON VHP Z: 2004 Zangersheide stallion by Diamant de Semilly x Voltaire, HARRIE SMOLDERS (NED), Copernicus Stables LLC: 0/4/46.77
4. LILLI: 2004 Brandenburg mare by Lefevre x Diamir, GEORGINA BLOOMBERG (USA), Gotham Enterprizes LLC: 0/4/49.28
5. RECADIS-B: 2001 Belgian Sport Horse mare by Karioka del Follee x Landaris, CHRIS SORENSEN (CAN), Chris Sorensen: 0/8/51.33
6. ABUNOLA: 2005 KWPN mare by Numero Uno x Voltaire, LUIS PEDRO BIRABEN (ARG), Luis Pedro Biraben: 0/8/51.68
7. NLF FAVORITE: 2005 Belgian Warmblood mare by Action-Breaker x Indoctro, EIRIN BRUHEIM (NOR), Nordic Lights Farm LLC: 0/12/71.89
8. CALVIN KLEIN: 2004 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Cardento x Feliciano, JONATHON MILLAR (USA), Millar Brooke Farm Ltd: 1/85.83
9. CONCONCRETO BELIEVE: 2006 KWPN mare by Ukato x Burggraaf, DANIEL BLUMAN (COL), Blue Star Investments, Alberto Simhon & Abraham Chehebar: 4/78.92
10. GAZELLE: 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare by Kashmir Van Shuttershof x Indoctro, KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Robin Parksy: 4/78.96
11. SILENCE: 2005 Hanoverian gelding by Stakkato Gold x Calypso II, HARDIN TOWELL (USA), Jennifer Gates LLC: 4/80.33
12. CLOUWNI: 2003 Holsteiner gelding by Colman x La Zarras, EMANUEL ANDRADE (VEN), Emanuel Andrade: 4/81.96
