Wellington, Fla. – Feb. 2, 2019 – Saturday at the CP Palm Beach Masters CSI4*-W once again hosted FEI competition on the pristine grass arena of Deeridge Farm with the $71,200 NetJets Classic CSI4*. Twenty-three horse-and-rider combinations passed through the first-round starting timers, but it was Great Britain’s Ben Maher who was just quick enough to best an electrifying jump-off and capture the victory in his first competition of 2019 aboard Poden Farms’ Cirus du Ruisseau Z.
Alan Wade’s (IRL) track challenged horses and athletes over 16 obstacles with three double combinations and a liverpool, whittling down the starting entries to just 7 pairs to see in the second round. Ireland’s Conor Swail, who guaranteed a jump-off with the second clear starting round, set the jump-off pace with Rose Hill Farm’s Rubens LS la Silla. Swail and the 13-year-old Selle Français stallion were the first to produce a double-clear round in a speedy time of 44.82 seconds.
Nayel Nassar (EGY) and Lucifer V, the 13-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Evergate Stables LLC, challenged Swail’s speed, flying to another double-clear finish less than one-tenth of a second behind the pace, in 45.04 seconds. Maher and the 9-year-old Zangersheide, “Cirus,” saw the track set and rose to the occasion, shaving just one-fourteenth of a second off of Swail’s time to steal the lead with a final time of 44.82 seconds.
Adding to the excitement of competitive rounds, Eve Jobs (USA) and her own Venue d’Fees des Hazalles, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, perfectly matched Nassar’s time of 45.04 seconds. Although nearly one-fourth of a second separated the top four combinations, Maher’s unbeatable finish would maintain his lead for first place, while Swail captured a close second and Jobs would tie Nassar for third.
Earlier in the morning, competition commenced on the turf with the $25,000 Platinum Championship Grand Prix, presented by Upperville Colt & Horse Show (UCHS), where the 2018 $216,000 Upperville Jumper Classic CSI4* winner, Ali Wolff, bested 37 entries to capture the victory with Double H Farm’s HH Venice Beach.
Competition will culminate Sunday, Feb. 3, with the highly anticipated $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping™ World Cup Wellington CSI4*-W at 1 p.m. where riders hope to gain points in order to qualify for the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden April 3-7, 2019.
View the original article on Phelps Sports.