Marilyn Little (USA) received a special delivery a week prior to taking a big victory on the final day of Week 5 at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Olympic van de Noordheuevel, owned by Tal Milstein Stables, stepped off a plane into the winner’s circle as the pair claimed top honors in the $62,500 1/ST CSI2* Grand Prix to cap the week, presented by Fidelity Investments.
“I’m incredibly grateful and so excited for the opportunity,” Little said of getting the chance to pilot the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Zambesi TN x Darco). “It’s a great horse. He’s had a ton of experience. Tal had a feeling it was going to click. He’s probably one of the easiest horses I’ve ever had the opportunity to ride. It’s novel for me to have so much experience under me. My goal today was to trade on that and take advantage of it since he knows how to go fast.”
The jump-off, set by 2024 Olympic course builder Gregory Bodo (FRA) kept getting faster with two very fast competitors behind Little when she took over the leading time in 38.59 seconds. Ultimately, she was one one-hundredth of a second faster than second place, which went to Luciana Lossio (BRA) and LS Oscar. Third place went to Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) and Berdien, owned by Louisburg Farm.
The confidence Little had in the opening CSI2* classes with Olympic van de Noordheuevel was enough to convince her they were ready to challenge the other eight competitors over the short course.
“After the class on Friday I knew we had a good shot,” she said after her sixth place finish in the Qualifier. “He’s such a great jumper and I thought if I’m in the jump-off I really want to take a shot at it.”
Little noted that it was the final line that made the difference. “My plan was to do eight [strides] down the last line,” she explained. “I knew it was a risk but I saw it three or four [strides] out and he picked right up on it. It worked out. It’s like betting; you’re all in when you make a decision like that at the end.”
Based just a few miles down the road in Palm Beach, Sunday’s win was a hometown celebration for Little, who has been craving more diversity in her string lately.
“I’ve only had one horse for the last year,” she remarked. “I’ve needed some rides very badly. This is the first time I've had a second horse to ride and a third one just arrived yesterday. The string is growing exponentially by the day right now.”
As for Olympic van de Noordheuevel, “I don’t know where he’ll be in a few weeks,” she continued. “The horse can jump big jumps so in a blue sky world I’d love to jump some bigger classes and night classes by March. We click really well but we’ll make our plans in pencil.”
1/ST is making a significant attempt to bridge the gap between show jumping and horse racing, as the two industries have significant crossover in fandom and lifestyle. Little appreciates the effort she’s seen by the world-class sports brand.
“I’m a huge racing fan so I think it is a really natural step,” she commented. “Top sport is top sport. If you love horses and you love the equestrian lifestyle, it’s all exciting. It makes sense to bridge the gap and I'm so excited that they’re doing it. They’re doing a great job and really getting the name out there. I think people are really going to grab onto it.”
To see full results from the $62,500 1/ST CSI2* Grand Prix, click HERE.
Lorenzo De Luca Came, Saw, Conquered in $62,500 Hermès CSI5* 1.50m Classic
Lorenzo De Luca (ITA) only just arrived in Wellington and is already a winner, taking the top call in Sunday morning’s $62,500 Hermès CSI5* 1.50m Classic aboard Denver de Talma to close out Week 5 of the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Out of 53 entries over Gregory Bodo’s (FRA) track, De Luca put in a clear round in a rather quick time to qualify for the jump-off in the Winning Round format. Close to the end of the order, he sealed the deal with the Louisburg Farm-owned Selle Français gelding (Vigo Cece x Canturo Bois Margot).
“This horse is my best horse,” De Luca said of Denver de Talma, turning 12 years old this year. “It’s definitely the best horse I’ve ridden in my entire career. I have really high hopes for him. He had a magnificent season last year.”
Though the horse has all the talent in the world to win a class like this, De Luca’s strategy wasn’t pure speed in the jump-off.
“I didn’t want to go crazy to be honest since it’s his first show back [after Geneva], but he has such a natural big stride so I just used that stride to let him go a little bit more,” De Luca explained of how they managed to win the class. “In the first round I worked a little more on control. He felt amazing.”
Behind them in second place was Erynn Ballard (CAN) with Ginger ASK, owned by Ilan Ferder & Marigold Sporthorses, LLC, and in third was Michael Duffy (IRL) and RMF Clinton Son, owned by Rushy Marsh Farm LLC.
“We have had the horse for a little over a year now,” De Luca continued. “I took my time; he’s a special horse with lots of blood and his quality is incredible. We did our first five-star grand prix in May last year and from that moment on he’s grown so much into the sport. This was a good class to finish the week and WEF 7 he’ll do the WEF qualifier and five-star grand prix.”
De Luca plans to stay for the remainder of WEF and looks ahead to more weeks of CSI5* competition to come. Bringing four horses for the circuit, he’ll be competitive across levels, but has especially high hopes for Denver de Talma as he continues to challenge the horse.
“My partnership with Louisburg Farm started two years ago so it’s a pleasure to be here and make my owner happy,” he said. “Today we saw that the horses are in very good condition so I’m looking forward to Week 7 now.”
To see full results from the $62,500 Hermès CSI5* 1.50m Classic, click HERE.
Mimi Maddock and Remy Becker Share Wins in ASPCA Maclay, Presented by Fauna & Flora
Two young riders took home blue ribbons in the two sections of the ASPCA Maclay, presented by Fauna & Flora, on Sunday morning. Mimi Maddock topped section A aboard Smokeshow 8, owned by Vandenburg Equine LLC, and Remy Becker piloted Voodoo, owned by Madison Widmer, to the win in Section B.
Both partnerships are new, so the riders have put in the hard work to get to know their mounts and hope to continue achieving top results and eventually qualify for equitation championships.
“I’ve had him for three weeks,” Maddock commented on her partnership with Smokeshow 8. “He’s relatively new but he’s such a good horse. He’s so experienced so I feel really confident going around because he’s been there, done that.”
As for how the horse was helping her to the win Sunday, Maddock replied, “He’s so nice to flat; he just goes into such a natural shape so easily. It’s nice that he carries his own rhythm so he knows where he’s going and is always looking for the next jump.”
As they’ve grown together over their short time, Maddock has prioritized managing Smokeshow 8’s stride and powerful jump, making the courses look effortless and putting into practice all of the lessons they’ve learned so far. Ultimately their goal, with the help of the team at Capital Hill, is consistency, especially as Maddock continues to figure out her new ride.
Becker also just recently acquired the ride on Voodoo, so she’s learning similar lessons in and out of the show ring.
“He’s an amazing horse,” Becker said of her new mount. “He’s a gentle giant and we love him so much. He’s perfect. I recently got him at the beginning of WEF. He’s got a super big stride and is super sweet in the barn. He loves to cuddle and he jumps super cute, especially for an eq horse.”
Consistency is at the top of Becker’s priority list as well, but she has her eyes set on some bigger events to keep herself focused, under the watchful eye of the Sweet Oak Farm team.
“I just got him so I’m still getting to know him, but now [my goal is] the WEF Equitation Championship and hopefully some finals later in the season,” she continued.
To see full results from WEF 5, click HERE.
