Wellington, FL, – November 13, 2022 – A field of Grand Prix riders took center stage in the International Arena to vie for the lion’s share of the prize money in the $25,000 Arthramid^®Vet Grand Prix on Sunday at Wellington International. Jonathan Mc Crea (USA) and Gazelle ES galloped to the win after being the only competitor to place two clear rounds in the class.

“I had a really good feeling this morning,” Mc Crea commented. “I showed her in the 1.35m earlier this week, and she was super relaxed on course. Today, I was lucky enough to go early in the first round, and I saw that there weren’t that many clear, so I went for it in the jump-off, and it worked out.”

Twenty-nine riders tested a challenging first round, designed by Héctor Loyola (PUR), that consisted of sixteen obstacles. The opening field was represented by riders from the USA, France, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Venezuela, Ireland, and Sweden. Two riders managed to clear the first round without any time faults to qualify for the jump-off. First to test the track, Mc Crea dashed through the course in a speedy fashion with Windsor Show Stables’ Gazelle ES, stopping the clock at 50.165 seconds and leaving all the rails in the cups. Wilton Porter (USA) followed him in the ring and made a bid for the top spot but knocked a rail at the second fence, incurring four faults and solidifying Mc Crea as the winner with Porter and his own Vigakata in second place. Brazil’s Joao Carvalho rounded out the podium with Emotion de Riverland, owned by Kent Farrington LLC, with a first-round time of 82.855 seconds and one time fault.

 Mc Crea shared that the partnership between him and Gazelle ES happened by chance. “She [Gazelle ES] is a ten-year-old mare that I’ve had for about a year now that I just came upon by accident. A friend of mine in Europe sent her to me, and I ended up buying her. We’re going to compete together in the 3* next week, but I use her basically as my second horse. I’m going to keep building her up week-by-week and try to keep her happy.”

“I think everything looks great,” Mc Crea commented on the new facility updates. “The stabling is amazing and the place by the International Arena’s warm-up where they put the two new vendor tents is very nice. Everything is going in the right direction!”

Click above to watch the winning jump-off ride, presented by Assets Risk Management!

For the full results of the $25,000 Arthramid^®Vet Grand Prix, please click HERE.

Earlier Sunday morning, riders competed for the top prize in the $2,500 Medium Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic. Canada’s William Martin sped to the top of the leaderboard with his own entry, Alegria Z, in a double-clear time of 36.28 seconds. Sabrina Lefebvre (CAN) finished in the runner-up position after clearing the short course in 38.416 seconds with her Billy Spiral, followed by Caroline Mawhinney (USA) and Poden Farms’ Bacara D’Archonfosse with a double-clear time of 41.214 seconds.

Friday’s $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Stake featured a field of 25 competitive entries test the first round. Only five horse-and-rider combinations advanced to the short course, while three pairs finished their day double clear. Ultimately, Tanner Korotkin (USA) and Quinn 33, owned by Rupert Carl Winkelmann, secured the leading time as one of the last pairs to test the two tracks. The winning pair crossed the timers in the jump-off at 37.636 seconds, edging out Wilton Porter (USA) and his own Vigakata, who had a time of 39.681 seconds. Sheer Levitin (USA) rounded out the all-American podium with her Vitus K after placing the final double-clear round in 39.69 seconds.

There is only one more week of the ESP Fall Series. The final week of the series will feature FEI competition with the ESP Pre-Charity CSI3* beginning Wednesday, November 16, and concluding Sunday, November 20. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the South Florida Hunter Jumper Association (SFHJA) will host the Annual SFHJA Charity Horse Show from November 23-27. The competition will feature premier “AA” hunter competition and 5* jumper competition, as well as the $40,000 Spy Coast & Sweet Oak Farm Grand Prix, the first night class of the season on Saturday, November 26.

The Holiday & Horses CSI4* will kick off the ESP Holiday Series from December 1-4, 2022, and will feature the $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI4* presented by Arthramid^®Vet on Saturday, December 3^rd. Gates will open at 6 p.m. that evening, and there will be face painting for kids, and the carousel will also be open. The show is a USEF 2022 calendar event, offering a great opportunity to get started on 2022 points. The ESP Holiday Series will continue for five subsequent events, culminating with the ESP Holiday Finale from December 28–31, 2022. The Holiday Festival II show will offer Grand Prix riders a final chance to compete under the lights ahead of the 2023 Winter Equestrian Festival with the $50,000 Zen Elite Grand Prix.

To view the prize list for the 2022 ESP Fall Series, please click HERE.

To view the prize list for the 72nd Annual SFHJA Charity show, please click HERE.

To view the prize list for the 2022 ESP Holiday Series, please click HERE.

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Photo credit ©Anne Gittins Photography. These photos may only be used once in relation to this press release with proper credit.