After taking a year to focus on developing their partnership, Nayel Nassar (EGY) and Ivory TCS are making their mark on the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). After winning the Bainbridge CSI5* 1.50m during WEF 5, the pair saved the best for last in the $62,500 Adequan® CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 on Thursday of Week 10 at Wellington International.
The mare, owned by Evergate Stable, carried Nassar to the jump-off among 17 other qualifiers over a track set by Oscar Soberon (USA). The jump-off speed kept getting faster, with U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward setting a very quick pace of 37.80 seconds early on with First Lady, owned by Robin Parsky. Nassar knew the track suited his horse and executed the winning ride as the last to return.
“It had a lot of turns which is generally very good for her,” he said about the jump-off course. “She’s not the biggest-strided horse, so in a straight line I have a hard time leaving strides out, but on the turns she’s so small and agile I can match most other numbers. The one turn by the in-gate got a little out of hand, but Ivory is such a trier. There’s nothing she believes she can’t do so I just dropped my reins and let her take over. Somehow we squeaked over the back rail and it was enough today.”
As last to go, they crossed the timers in 37.11 seconds, the clear winners. Ward took second, bumping Ireland’s Max Wachman to third riding Kilkenny, owned by Susan Magnier.
Nassar is thrilled to be putting the pieces together with Ivory after the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Falaise de Muze x Ukato) joined his string from Irish Olympian Daniel Coyle.
“We’ve had her for about a year so I feel like this season we’ve come together as a partnership,” he remarked. “We’ve also understood what she’s good at and what level suits her, so we try to place her in classes that suit her strengths. Today was a bit of a step up for her. I wanted to spare my other horse and she’s been so good throughout the whole circuit. I felt like it was the right time to step up, and she delivered again.”
Finding the correct approach to jump-offs was what Nassar has spent the most time refining at home, and the practice has paid off. “It’s mainly flatwork for her,” he said of her training routine at home. “She’s quite downhill, and has a tendency to lean on my hand so over the last year that’s been part of her education process; trying to pick up her balance so she’s easier to steer.
“That was part of the issue early on; I was jumping clear rounds but having a hard time in the jump-off placing her around the turns where I wanted her,” he continued. “It seems to be going the right way. She’s learned a lot and she knows her job, so we just try to keep her fresh and happy and put the buttons in place on the flat.”
For Saturday night’s $216,000 Horseware Ireland CSI4* Grand Prix, Nassar will bring out ESI Ali, a horse that took a CSI3* Grand Prix win 10 weeks ago. With Ivory, he’ll look ahead to the spring and summer season and keep pushing onward.
To see full results from the $62,500 Adequan® CSI4* WEF Challenge Cup Round 10, click HERE.
Jean Sheptoff and Camillo VDL Capture WRMC High Performance Hunter Division
When Jean Sheptoff first found Camillo VDL, the long-term plan was to campaign him as a jumper. While she did pilot the horse for several years in the jumper divisions, he has now found his groove in the hunter rings. On Thursday of Week 10 at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International, the 18-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding was champion of the High Performance Hunter division.
“I’ve had ‘Milo’ for six years now,” Sheptoff said. “He had had some ups and downs in his jumper career. He won the 6-year-old young jumper championships [at Aachen] out of 200 horses. But he didn’t want to jump the [open] water when I got him. We decided he’d be happier as a hunter. He’s been doing the hunters for three years now and the jumps are easy for him. He’s really settled into the job and feels so happy and relaxed.”
To Sheptoff, Milo is more than just a horse. “He’s really a pet,” she shared. “He’s one of the dogs, basically. He checks all the boxes; he’s so talented and athletic, but then he’s got the personality to go with it. He’s my favorite horse.”
Their top placings throughout the division for the week put them into the championship position, which adds even more cushion to their current 60-point lead in the overall circuit standings.
With the horse’s background in the jumpers, Sheptoff knew athletically he could handle the biggest jumps in the hunter ring, and she’s been pleased with just how well he’s taken to the hunters and the slower pace.
“He’s always been a beautiful jumper and had plenty of scope, so even the high performance feels easy for him,” Sheptoff said about Milo’s transition into the hunters. “It was more getting his brain to chill and relax. It took a little time for him to realize everything’s going to be easy. He feels amazing; it’s really great that at his age he feels so good.”
With the season winding down, Sheptoff and Milo will look ahead to another successful year of showing together.
“This will probably be his last week showing so he’ll get some trail riding and turnout time for the next couple months,” she shared. “Then we’ll gear up for Devon and I’ll do a few shows with him this summer and then indoors in the fall.”
For complete hunter champion results from WEF 10, click HERE.
