World no. 1 Henrik Von Eckermann (SWE) came out swinging on Thursday afternoon as he took the win in the $32,000 Dodd Technologies CSI3* 1.45m aboard Glamour Girl to open competition on the grass derby field during Week 2 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International in Wellington, FL.
Von Eckermann, who has held the top show jumping ranking in the world for 30 consecutive months, claimed victory aboard Glamour Girl, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (VDL Zirocco Blue x Caletto I) owned by Robin Parsky’s Portfolio Horses. The duo had the advantage of being last to go over Olaf Petersen, Jr.’s (GER) speed track, and the Swede’s round went exactly to plan.
“I saw Nayel [Nassar] and he started off on a slow pace from fence one to two,” Von Eckermann noted of the then leader, who went approximately 40 rounds before him. “He had 10 [strides] then seven and then 10 so I knew I could go easy nine, six, nine. I was a little ahead of him, so I took my time to the second to last and rode forward to the last one. That’s the good thing about being last to go, you know exactly what you have to do. For me, I was fortunate to have that starting number today.”
Nassar (EGY) ended up second aboard Linguini de la Pomme, less than half a second shy of the winning time, and third aboard Dorado de Riverland, both owned by Evergate Stables.
Glamour Girl has won at WEF in the past, which was also on their opening day of jumping four years ago, so Von Eckermann knows the mare feels at home. Riders and horses alike are happy to be back on the grass for the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival, and Von Eckermann agrees that the surface is one of the best in the world to jump on.
With a string of newer mounts in Wellington for the season, Von Eckermann is leaning on his experience with Glamour Girl, who has won all over the world and has been part of his team for about five years.
“She’s a competitor in the ring,” he said of the fight Glamour Girl gives. “She’s unbelievable; she’s won so many classes throughout her career. She knows her job—she goes in the ring and knows it’s time. She feels really well so I want to keep her on the grass as long as I can.”
Though he has a top contender for many of the big weeks in Glamour Girl, he also has a worldwide favorite joining him in the Florida sunshine.
“King Edward is coming tomorrow,” he shared of the arrival of his World Champion and World Cup Finals winning mount. “I have a bit younger group and then I have King Edward and Glamour Girl who are more experienced, so it’s a mix but I think it’s perfect. I live by Robin [Parsky] and she’s the one who makes this possible for me so I’m grateful for that. I’m looking forward to this season.”
When asked how he’s feeling, Von Eckermann replied, “Good, especially with a win. I’m happy to get out of the cold for a little bit. Europe is wet and cold at the moment. The only thing I’m missing is my wife and son but they are coming in two weeks to visit.”
Earlier on the field, Vanessa Hood (USA) started her day with a win in the $6,000 Bainbridge Companies CSI3* 1.40m aboard Cascalretto, owned by Take Two, LLC. To start the day in the International Ring, 14-year-old J.J. Torano took the win with Vitus K, owned by JET Show Stable, in the $10,000 Dodd Technologies 1.45m National Grand Prix Qualifier.
The weekend at Wellington International will also feature the return of BrainJuice Under 25 Jumper competition in Saturday's U25 Welcome and 1.40m before concluding with Sunday's $31,020 BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix.
International competition picks back up Friday with the $32,000 CSI3* Adequan® WEF Challenge Round 2, a qualifier for Sunday’s $140,000 WeatherTech CS3* Grand Prix.
Geoffrey Hesslink and Sandori Named Equine Tack & Nutritionals 3’6” Green Hunter Champion
Geoffrey Hesslink of Wellington, FL, is off and running at the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), picking up championship honors Thursday to kick off Week 2. Aboard Sandori, owned by Meridian Farm, Hesslink earned the tricolor in the Equine Tack & Nutritionals 3’6” Green Hunter division.
“He’s been a very high-profile horse for a number of years,” Hesslink said of the 9-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Sandro Boy. “He had success with Peter Pletcher and Jennifer Hannan. We acquired him last year in the middle of Circuit. He was eligible as a first-year [Green Hunter] last year but I wanted to take my time so we did another year at 3’3” to make sure he was ready. He is a really special horse but I felt he needed some diligent developing. This was our debut in the 3’6” and I couldn’t be happier.”
The pair’s win in the Equine Tack & Nutritionals 3’6”/3’9” Green Hunter Stake earned Sandori the Champion Equine Insurance Hunter Style Award, presented by Laura Fetterman.
“What stood out to me for his whole career is that he’s athletic and light across the ground,” Hesslink continued about Sandori. “He's beautiful to look at, but I think his best quality is his jump. He tries 110% at every jump. He rarely touches a jump, he’s very careful, and quite intelligent with his leads. He feels like he knows the course before I do, which is part of the reason he’s so successful.”
Sandori has already left a mark in the amateur divisions with his owner Caroline Signorino, and the whole team hopes to keep building on the successes as the horse’s career progresses.
“He’s already been an unbelievable horse for Caroline,” Hesslink went on. “Caroline started doing the 3’3” Amateurs last year and had a number of tricolors. She was champion at Capital Challenge, grand champion at Washington and reserve at the National [Horse Show]; they got a tricolor at every indoor show they did. The hope for the year is to continue success and hopefully one day he'll be the ultimate 3’6” [Amateur-Owner horse] for her.”
Hesslink reaches new heights every year as a young professional, and his goals continue to rise to follow his successes. “Some personal goals for this year are obviously Week 6 and the [WCHR] Hunter Spectacular,” he said. “I'm fortunate enough to compete on both coasts so I’ll be competing in the Hunter Spectacular in California as well. Both of those for the winter are my short term goals.”
