Ocala, Fla.—Feb. 21  

Until 6 months ago, if you saw Fedor’s name on the start list you might brush him off. The gelding has been a contender in FEI grand prixes, but he was always waiting on the outskirts. But after today, it will be hard to forget his name.

The 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood bested a field of 50 to take home the top check in the $100,000 City of Ocala Grand Prix with Australian rider Scott Keach in the irons. The win was the culmination of a solid week for the gelding—he’d jumped a clear first round for Australia in Friday’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup.

“It was a good day,” said Keach. “Obviously I’m very happy with how the horse jumped. Couldn’t have expected anymore, and in the last six months he’s really improved and stepped up and has gotten to really jump some consistent clean rounds, so I’m very happy with that.”

Keach purchased Fedor in Belgium three years ago when the horse was still jumping 1.30-meter courses, and he stepped into the grand prix two years ago. Keach, who competed on the eventing team at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, now has his eyes set on a possible Olympic bid in show jumping. Though he’d dabbled in the sport for years, he seriously turned his attention to show jumping four years ago.

“[Fedor’s] always had a lot of scope, and he’s got a fantastic mind in the ring. As he’s learned he’s gotten more careful, but he’s got endless scope, and he’s a really good horse to come straight into any class in any strange ring to just jump straight up,” Keach said.

“He’s listed in the Australian squad and it’s all about preparing [for the Olympics]. Like I said, he’s got a lot of scope, so he can handle the big courses. It’s just a matter of putting the runs on board and getting him some experience, so hopefully if I do get to go he can go down there and make a good show of it,” he continued.

The Alan Wade-designed course saw nine to the jump off. The remaining combination 6AB—which was a trouble spot for many of the 50 entries—continued to cause heartache. All but one of the riders with rails faulted there. Brandie Holloway and Lucky Strike escaped unscathed, but dropped three other obstacles. The final rider on course, Beezie Madden, turned in a speedy round on Vanilla after dropping the B element to be the fastest four-faulter for fifth.

Eighteen riders finished the initial round with only a single rail, and while the open water caused problems for a number of combinations in Friday’s Nations Cup, it played less of a factor here. Three riders, Kyle Timm (Cornet’s Gold), David Blake (Binkie) and Santaigo Lambre (Bond Lover) elected to retire after getting into trouble on course.

“I think the courses all week have been fantastic, but everyone knows that Alan Wade is a very, very good course builder,” said Keach. “He’s got things that you look at that you have to be careful of, combinations stuff like that. He’s good enough that you saw rails come down all over the course, so basically everything has to be ridden, and I really don’t think you can take anything for granted. I loved the courses all week and I think they got the result with enough horses jumping clear to make it a good class and the Nations Cup was tough but fair. I loved jumping the courses here.”

Second-place finisher Federico Fernandez might have been the happiest rider on the property today. The Mexican team member got the ride on Guru from Swedish rider Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli in late 2014, and he was thrilled with the way the gelding has been developing.

“I’m thrilled to be here. I had a fantastic week. I’ve enjoyed all this week,” he said. “Today was unbelievable. The horse jumped incredible; the conditions were just perfect; the course design was brilliant all weekend. The Nations Cup was really a masterpiece, and I think today’s grand prix really had it’s touch, and Lord I’m just thrilled that I’m lucky enough to be here.”

Marilyn Little, who won team and individual gold at the Pan American Games (Canada) in eventing last summer, rounded out the top three with Corona 93. Little recently paired up with the mare, and they started turning heads after finishing third in the Ariat Grand Prix CSI**** in Wellington two weeks ago.
(To read more about how Little is splitting her time between the two sports, check out our Ringside Chat with her.)

“I took her down to the four-star [grand prix] in Wellington several weeks ago and she really stepped up there, and we saw what she was,” Little said. “She’s got incredible scope; she’s incredibly careful, and she’s got incredible heart, so we really can’t ask for much more from a horse. She also loves the game. She goes in there and gives you absolutely everything. She fights to leave the jumps in the cups and you can really count on her all the time so I’m really excited about the future with her.”

Want more action from HITS Ocala? Don’t miss our gallery from the professional hunters, or the coverage of Friday’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup and Saturday’s jumper classic. Of course for more detailed reports, pick up a copy of the March 7 issue of the Chronicle.