USA’s McLain Ward was quick off the mark to win the first Grand Prix of the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.

Premiere week, the first of 13 consecutive weeks of action at Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre, ended with the $75,000 Rosenbaum PLLC Grand Prix which attracted 32 combinations to take on Eric Hasbrouck’s course.

Eight of those were clear to advance to the jump-off. First to return for the jump-off were Thursday’s Adequan WEF Challenge Cup winners, Hector Florentino of the Dominican Republic and the Irish Sport Horse ABC Quantum Cruise (OBOS Quality x Cruising).They set the time to beat at 37.67 seconds with a clear round.

Immediately following Florentino were Heather Caristo-Williams (USA) and Marciano MVF, owned by Stephanie Bulger. They were just off the pace in 38.33 seconds with a clear round, which left them in fourth place.

Next into the ring were USA’s Michael Murphy and Catoki’s Son Z. They squeaked into the lead in 37.64 seconds by three-hundredths of a second with no faults, which would hold up for second place.

Murphy originally had the ride on Catoki’s Son Z in May. The horse was sold shortly thereafter but came back when the Ahearn family of Esperanza Imports LLC purchased the 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding at the end of the summer for Murphy to compete.

Four horses later in the jump-off, Ward and Catoki blazed through the jump-off in 36.00 seconds for victory.

Along with Catoki’s unique way of going, he also has an unusual programme for a top show jumper. The little horse last competed at the Washington International Horse Show in October, where he won the speed final and tied for the puissance victory, and then lived in a field until five days ago.

“We have a very strange programme with Catoki because he’s obviously very hot and very aggressive,” explained Ward. “He’s just purring now actually. He’s just unfit enough to not be totally running away with me! He goes well in the program, and he’s very happy. He was good in the class earlier in the week, and I thought he performed really well today.”

Ward noted that Catoki follows a similar plan while in Wellington, enjoying turnout as much he can in the days that he is not at the horse show.

“Once in a while we try to do a gymnastic, but it goes quite quickly,” said Ward, laughing. “He has so much fire, so much adrenaline; he’s such a competitor. That’s the way we try to keep that under wraps. It’s pretty remarkable. Along with his puissance win at Washington and that kind of program, it just goes to show his eagerness and bravery. He’s a little lion.”

While Ward’s and Murphy’s horses are by the same sire, Ward feels that “his” Catoki is “a pretty unique model. It’s pretty hard to explain and replicate it at that level, but they’re ‘blood’ and fast and typically quite careful. I’m sure those characteristics are there. As we always say, the mother plays a bit more of a role.”

ABC Quantum Cruise

Hector Florentino’s 13-year-old gelding ABC Quantum Cruise was bred by Pat Kehoe out of Ardnehue Diamond Cruiser. He was produced to five-star level by the father and son combination of Peter and Harry Charles before his sale in 2020.

In just their second month as a combination, they won the first WEF Challenge of the circuit when fastest of two clear rounds against the clock. Derry’s Jordan Coyle finished third with Centriko Volo with the fastest time but a fence down.

Florentino described the gelding as “very brave, careful, and fast. I don’t have to ask him to be fast; I actually have to ask him not to go so fast. This is our second jump-off together, and it felt very good.”