WEXFORD’s Bertram Allen continued his winning streak, making it two from two at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida when winning the four-star $73,000 Equinimity WEF Challenge Cup with Ballywalter Stables’ GK Casper on Thursday.

Eight combinations made it through to the jump-off over course designer Anderson Lima’s (BRA) testing track. All eight jumped clear in the second round, so it all came down to speed to determine the finishing order. Allen, who had the benefit of being last to go, broke the beam in 39.00 seconds, with home rider Natalie Dean and Marigold Sporthorses LLC’s Jewel De Kwakenbeek nipping at their heels in a time of 39.02 seconds. Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire rode Gochman Sport Horses LLC’s Luibanta BH into third in 39.28 seconds.

“It’s a good start and long may it continue,” said Allen. “I’m chuffed; he’s a good horse this one and very, very careful so you can really ride him at the jumps and normally he doesn’t have too many down.

“He won the World Cup class in Toronto and, since then, I haven’t campaigned him too hard. This is the first week back up and at it and he feels great, so hopefully now he’s in for a good few weeks.”

Allen is spending two weeks in Florida with the three horses he has shipped over for the season, before returning home to Germany for a week to campaign his others. In Wellington, his “really good groom” Marlen Schannwell and friend William Hickey will keep working the horses in his absence.

Allen’s victory comes off the back of another win in the $6,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m with Quiet Easy 4 on Wednesday.