Cork's Shane Sweetnam’s winning streak continued Stateside as he clocked up his fifth world ranking class win of the circuit, winning the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class with Cyklon 1083 last Wednesday.
Germany’s Olaf Petersen Jnr was the course designer for week 11 classes and Wednesday’s class resulted in 55 entries over a one round speed course with 19 clears.
Sweetnam set the winning time of 59.19 seconds about halfway through the starting list.
Germany’s David Will and Black Jack 163 completed the next best time of 60.14secs while Brazil’s Joao Victor Castro finished third with Wamira in 60.15secs.
Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Alain van Campenhoudt’s Citizenguard Million Dreams placed fourth in 60.64secs. Sweetnam filled the fifth place with Sweek Oak and Spy Coast Farm’s Solerina (by Cruising) in 61.23secs.
Sweetnam has been on a roll in this year’s ranking classes and noted that his horses have stepped up a notch in 2014.
“I had a lot of seconds last year in those ranking classes and I won one Grand Prix and was second and third in other Grand Prix classes. I was close to having that many wins but I just didn’t get them and this year, those two horses – Cyklon and Solerina – have been great. They have been really up there in nearly every speed class so it has been very nice.”
Of Cyklon, Robert and Lisa Lourie’s 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood breeding stallion (by Cardento), the rider added: “He does cover the ground. He is always galloping so he is really quick. The course was delicate but he is really careful and he is always trying to leave the jumps up.”
KENNY VICTORY
A $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was the first competition to be held on Wednesday morning with a win for Offaly’s Darragh Kenny and Hyperion Stud LLC’s Chin Quidam VDL.
Yet more was to come the following day from Kenny when he enjoyed a one-two finish in the $8,000 G & C Farm 1.45m jump-off classes with Spruce Meadows’ Quiz and Caroline Lloyd’s Sans Souci Z.
LAMAZE TAKES CHALLENGE CUP
Meanwhile Canadian Olympic gold Medalist Eric Lamaze and his new mount Zigali PS won the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup beating Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca (Elky van het Indihof) and America’s Beezie Madden (Simon) in a 15-horse jump-off.
Petersen’s track saw 95 competitors start over his first round track in a tight time allowed that yielded 10 entries with single time faults while another 19 cleared the course clean to qualify for the jump-off. Four entries opted out of the second round, where 15 continued on over the short course with five double clear rounds.
Jonathan McCrea (USA) and Candy Tribble›s Special Lux were first to jump-off and eventually finished fourth with their time of 39.11 seconds. Gabriela Mershad (USA) posted the next clear round in 42.60 seconds to earn fifth place honours with Mershad Stables LLC›s Skara Glen›s Basel. Beezie Madden was next with Abigail Wexner›s Simon, and raced through the course in 38.78 seconds, which eventually finished third. Immediately following, Eric Lamaze and Artisan Farms LLC›s Zigali P S stole the lead in 37.59 seconds. The only other jump-off competitor to clear the short course, Lorenzo de Luca blazed through the timers in 37.66secs, securing the runner-up slot with T&L NV›s Elky van het Indihof.
After his win, Lamaze noted that he almost didn’t even show in Thursday’s class when it started off with a string of clear rounds. “At first I wasn’t going to go in because the first four were clear and I am pre-qualified for the Grand Prix, so I was thinking I was going to do the 1.45m tomorrow,” Lamaze laughed.
“They are new horses for me. Zigali I just got just before I came here,” Lamaze stated. “I liked everything about him from the beginning. He came close to winning a few times this winter, but it just didn’t happen. He is a fantastic horse. I can’t ask for more. In the sport there are great riders, there are great horses, but you have to be a match with a horse. You can’t buy success unless you become a match with the horse. I am a great believer in that,’’ he added.