THE first FEI week of the 2023 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season ended with the CHF37,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Classic in the international Ring last Sunday with Lebanon’s Jad Dana aboard After Eight emerging as winners.

Nick Granat (USA) designed a tricky 12-obstacle course with a time allowed of 72 seconds. Fifty-nine riders vied for a clear round to take them into the jump-off. Only 10 pairs managed to make it to the second round. In the end, it was Dana, (27), and his super mare, After Eight, a 2010 Swedish Warmblood (Diarado x Cardento), owned by Springhill Farm with the quickest time of 37.70 seconds. Right behind Dana (28) came Cork international rider Shane Sweetnam and Out Of The Blue SCF in 39.58 seconds for owner Spy Coast Farm.

“She’s amazing and she’s been in top form; she won a Grand Prix two weeks ago and then she came out, was great in the first round and even better jump-off,” said Dana of the mount he has had a little over a year. “That was so fun to ride, and she makes it fun. She’s a very complicated horse in the way she goes, but we have figured her out and our program at home is extremely simple. She’s an incredible jumper; she has her own way of going and we don’t actually try to change her, we work with her.

“It’s a really simple programme, we don’t really jump school at home,” continued Dana. “When we have a show, we might jump a tiny bit the week before. She doesn’t do any heavy flat work or any heavy work, it’s all simple. We try to keep her fit and comfortable, happy and feeling good and that’s why she can do what she does.”

Rounding out the podium behind Dana and Sweetnam, Thaisa Erwin (AUS) left the jumps intact, but picked up two time faults with Vanturo, owned by Michael and Wendy Smith.

Coyle placed

In other WEF results, Derry’s Daniel Coyle was fourth with Quintin, owned by Ariel Grange in the CHF37,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round 1 in the International Arena last Thursday. Ultimately, the duo to beat was Sarah Scheiring (USA) and Margriet de Mariposa over a course set by Granat.

A competitive field of 69 combinations took on the course within the time allowed (70 seconds) over 16 obstacles in what eventually proved to be a very exciting jump-off. The first round consisted of a twisty but technically challenging course that left 12 qualifying for the jump-off. After one pair withdrew, 11 faced off.

Scheiring and the ever-impressive 2012 Belgian Sport Horse mare (Nabab de Reve x For Pleasure), owned by Bellwyn Farm LLC, were efficiently smooth in the jump-off. They made it around the course in a time of 37.30secs, crossing the timers ahead of Jacob Pope (USA) and Highway FBH, owned by The Highway Group, sitting at 38.29 seconds.

Pope settled for second while Alison Robitaille completed the podium sweep for the USA in third riding Oakingham Lira in a jump-off time of 40.25secs.