Warwickshire’s Nick Skelton and Carlo Repeat Victory in $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup

For the second week in a row, Nick Skelton and Beverley Widdowson's Carlo led the victory gallop in the Thursday afternoon $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Grand Prix in Wellington, Florida. Yesterday’s class was the third in the series at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through 1^st April 2012. 

The class saw fifty entries in the first round of competition showing over a course set by Olaf Petersen Sr. of Germany. Seventeen jumped clear to return for the jump off, and it was Warwickshire based Nick Skelton and Carlo who had the fastest double clear in a time of 38.76 seconds.

 

Olaf Petersen's jump-off course proved challenging as the first few entries set a quick pace, leading just seven of the seventeen contenders to jump clear. Many fast rounds followed, and it was Nick and Carlo who went halfway through the order who would prove unbeatable. Kent Farrington (USA) and RCG Farm's Uceko came close as the next competitors in the ring with their time of 38.97 seconds, but had to settle for second place.

 

Class winner Carlo is an 11 year old Holsteiner gelding by Contender. Nick said that Carlo will compete in the Grand Prix on Sunday and then have two weeks rest. "Big Star gets out next Tuesday," Nick noted. "Carlo was great again today. The heat is wearing him down a little bit. This was quite quiet for him really. He takes a lot out of himself; he's a busy horse. Unique could probably go around out there four times and not take a bit of energy out of him. He puts so much effort into everything."

 
Final Results: $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round III
1. GBR Nick Skelton / Carlo - 0/0/38.76
2. USA Kent Farrington / Uceko - 0/0/38.97
3. GER Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum / Cantano- 0/0/39.43

Great Britain’s leading Scottish rider Scott Brash also found himself in the prize money. It was in the G&C Farm 1.45m class which was a timed first round format and had twenty six entries. Scott riding Elizabeth McTaggart’s 11 year old brown gelding Bon Ami II produced a foot perfect clear in a time of 73.05 seconds to finish in third position.