Lauren Hough lands $100,000 CSI4* Engel & Volkers Grand Prix win in Wellington

Lauren Hough led the victory gallop in an exciting top four finish for the ladies of the red, white and blue in Saturday night's $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI4* at the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). The lovely Lauren Hough and Böckmanns Lazio topped a six-horse jump-off over Laura Kraut and Nouvelle, who finished second, and the young talent Lucy Davis and Barron, who finished third. Lillie Keenan and Pumped Up Kicks finished in fourth while Live Oak Grand Prix winner of the day Ben Maher and Urico finished fifth, and USA's to-ranked Kent Farrington and Blue Angel finished in sixth position.

Olaf Petersen, Jr. (GER) set the track for 45 competitors that qualified to compete in Saturday night's $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI4* with seven entries jumping clear to qualify for the jump-off. The time allowed was certainly the great obstacle to overcome of the evening, with seven combinations finishing the course with just one time fault including top contenders Reed Kessler and recent World Cup winner Rodrigo Pessoa.

21 year old Lucy Davis finished third aboard her very own Barron. "My horse jumped incredible, again, and I am really lucky to have him."

Argentina's Ramiro Quintana and St. Bride's Farm's Whitney were the first pair to jump clear in round one, making the course look like a walk in the park, the recent proud father executed a flawless first round but elected to withdraw from the jump-off, leaving 17-year-old Lillie Keenan of the USA to blaze the trail over in the jump off. Fresh off wins in the Equitation ring if you can believe, Keenan set the time to beat at 49.27 seconds, and eventually finished fourth. Twenty-one-year-old Lucy Davis (USA) jumped next and upped the ante with Old Oak Farm's Barron in 47.13 seconds to earn third place honors.

Hot off of a win with Aristo Z in the $50,000 Live Oak Grand Prix CSI-W 2* earlier in the day, Great Britain's unbeatable Ben Maher took to the course next with Jane Clark's Urico. With whispers of making history, Ben looked very well placed to take the win to earn his second Grand Prix win of the day. Looking for his sixth grand prix win of the FTI WEF circuit, Maher did earn the fastest time of 44.46 seconds, but had a rail down at the second to last fence and would have to settle for the fifth place prize. Sighs of relief could be heard from the sidelines as fellow contenders felt an ease of pressure after the rail fell for Maher and Urico.

Next to go was the USA's Lauren Hough with Karina Rotenberg's Böckmanns Lazio. Hough knew that Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut would follow, so a fast and competitive round would be required to earn any hopes of a win this evening. Lauren did her best to ensure a top time, taking every possible risk on course, blazing through the course in 45.64 seconds for what would become the winning round. After such a stellar performance, Hough is certainly looking at an exciting 2014 season with a strong fleet of talented horses including Ohlala, Reconnaisance and of course her top-mount Quick Study.

Keeping to their well-earned reputation, top-ranked US rider Kent Farrington (USA) and Robin Parsky's Blue Angel were of course very fast, but also had a rail to finish sixth with a time of 46.44 seconds. The pair who were undeniably eyeing up tonight's title, would certainly have been disappointed with the rail but will be looking to next week's final week to go for gold. Last to go, USA's 2008 Olympic Gold medallist Laura Kraut and the Evita Group's Nouvelle jumped into second place with a clear round in 46.66 seconds. A rising mount for Kraut, no one was happier with the big bay mare than Laura as the pair crossed the finish line, 1 second behind Hough and Bockmanns Lazio. An impressive feat for the rising international prospect.

Lauren Hough and Bockmann's Lazio jumped text book to win in a time of 45.64 seconds. "I've been getting a lot of red ribbons lately, which I am very grateful for," she said. "I am very happy to be second with these kinds of riders and this caliber, but it was a little bit of a relief when (Ben) had that one down tonight. I still had a lot of fast riders coming after me though, so I knew I had to hit the gas and not let up."

This was Hough's second win of the circuit with Böckmanns Lazio, a 14-year-old Westphalian stallion by Lancer II x Cor de la Bryere. Hough started riding the horse in the fall of last year and kicked off the circuit with a win in week one's $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Since then the pair has had several top finishes in a quickly developing competitive partnership. The stallion, previously ridden by the Ukraine's Cassio Rivetti and Gilles de Balanda of France, looks to be settling into Lauren's program very well. The pair will be competitive for teh 2014 season, and the stallion will make a nice addition to Hough's team of horses which include the adorable Ohlala and of course her famous mount Quick Study.

"He is a wonderful animal, and I am really lucky to have the ride on him," Hough praised. "He is 14 now, so he has been around for a while, and he has had quite a lot of success from other riders. I acquired him in October and did a couple of shows in the fall and then started straight away having success down here. He has just been very, very consistent. It was a very good jump-off for him tonight; I could sort of just keep galloping him all the way around. He has a very big stride."

"When it's over nine strides I don't actually like to count," Hough detailed. "Missy Clark, who has been really helpful to me this winter, said, 'You can do nine to the last.' I think Ben did it slowing down, but it looked really far away, so I thought, 'I better keep kicking and not pull.' I think last week I went one too many to the last jump."

Hough breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Maher have a rail right before she went in the ring. "I've been getting a lot of red ribbons lately, which I am very grateful for," she said. "I am very happy to be second with these kinds of riders and this caliber, but it was a little bit of a relief when he had that one down tonight. I still had a lot of fast riders coming after me though, so I knew I had to hit the gas and not let up."

Hough plans to show Böckmanns Lazio in next week's $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* and looks forward to a great final week of competition at this year's FTI WEF. With plenty of mileage and success under the lights, the horse will rest up and then jump one class during the week in preparation for the circuit's finale event.

Finishing a close second to Hough on Saturday night, Laura Kraut has had great results with her mount Nouvelle this year after the marecame back from an injury last season. The pair also finished second in week eight's $150,000 CSIO 4* Grand Prix, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty, and had a fantastic finish Saturday despite the fact that Kraut was briefly not quite sure where she was going in the jump-off.

"I'm so happy with her," Kraut smiled. "This was her second time under the lights. Last week I had a couple down, but they were green mistakes, and tonight she came out and seemed to have it figured out. I'm really pleased with her."

Kraut was overjoyed with her second place finish aboard Nouvelle. "This was her second time under the lights. Last week I had a couple down, but they were green mistakes, and tonight she came out and seemed to have it figured out. I'm really pleased with her."

"I rode a little bit slow to the vertical, the last one, because to be fair, I kind of wasn't sure that was the right fence," Kraut laughed. "I didn't get a chance to watch any go because she was a little upset with the music and having just come out of the ring, so I had to stay on her and circle. I was looking at the jump and thought, 'It just doesn't look right,' but then I looked at the number, and said, 'Yeah, it's #6.' I don't think I could have beaten a horse with so much experience though, and Lauren was fast. I think I still would have been second, so I'm very thrilled."

California's Lucy Davis, who was also awarded the Leading Lady Rider award prior to the prize giving, proved that she is a force to be reckoned with when the young rider earned the biggest victory of her career this past September in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Lausanne. Davis and Barron also finished third during FTI WEF week five in the $370,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix CSI-W 5*, presented by Rolex, just behind the number one and two ranked riders in the world.

"I was really pleased with the performance tonight," Davis said after the class. "My horse jumped incredible, again, and I am really lucky to have him. In the jump-off, we were just focused on being smooth. Sometimes I get a little excited and things get hectic, but my trainer Markus (Beerbaum) told me to have a nice, smooth round and I think that is what we did."

"I thought it was a good course, but the time was very tight," Hough noted. "I don't know how many were clear with time faults, but obviously that was the biggest factor tonight. We have shown a lot, and we have a big class coming up next week. Some younger horses are coming out, some are preparing for next week, so I think he did a good job. Yes the time was tight, but I think it was doable."

"The course took a lot of concentration," Kraut added. "If you wanted to be under the time, you didn't have three strides to spare. You had to be on it. Every step of the way, to the end and through the timers, there was no letting up. There was no taking a breather. Everyone was pretty tense about how tight the time was. It definitely added an element of difficulty that sometimes is annoying, but I think for tonight it was a good test for the horses that went, and I think it was good."

Source: Equestrian Sport Productions

Final Results: $100,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI4*

1. BÖCKMANNS LAZIO: 2000 Westphalian stallion by Lancer II x Cor de la Bryere
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), Karina Rotenberg: 0/0/45.64

2. NOUVELLE: 2004 KWPN mare by Solitair x Contango
LAURA KRAUT (USA), Evita Group: 0/0/46.66

3. BARRON: 2004 Swedish Warmblood gelding by For Pleasure x Nabab de Reve
LUCY DAVIS (USA), Old Oak Farm: 0/0/47.13

4. PUMPED UP KICKS: 2003 Brandenburg gelding by Levisto x San Juan
LILLIE KEENAN (USA), Chansonette Farm LLC: 0/0/49.27

5. URICO: 2001 KWPN gelding by Zandor Z x Fedor
BEN MAHER (GBR), Jane F. Clark: 0/4/44.56

6. BLUE ANGEL: 2002 AES mare by Luidam x Ascendant
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Robin Parsky: 0/4/46.44

7. WHITNEY: 2003 KWPN mare by Indoctro x Concorde
RAMIRO QUINTANA (ARG), St. Bride's Farm: 0/WD

8. CARISMA: 1999 Swedish Warmblood mare by Cardento 933 x Maraton 600
DANIELLE GOLDSTEIN (ISR), Israeli Equestrian Partners: 1/85.42

9. TINKABELL 12: 2005 KWPN mare by Casco x Ekstein
RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA), Rodrigo Pessoa: 1/85.59

10. CYLANA: 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare by Skippy II x Darco
REED KESSLER (USA), Kessler Show Stables: 1/85.69

11. MAKAVOY: 2003 KWPN gelding by Hors La Loi II x Ahorn
BEN ASSELIN (CAN), Attache Stables: 1/86.38

12. WITH WINGS: 2003 KWPN gelding by Larino x L. Ronald
KAREN POLLE (JPN), Karen Polle: 1/87.39

Lauren Hough and Ohlala Speed to Victory in $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup

The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued with a full schedule of competition on Friday, January 31, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. The $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4 began the day's competition with a win for Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala. The $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic was held in the afternoon with a win for Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Quiz.

The day also featured the $10,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Team Event, presented by The Dutta Corp. in association with Guido Klatte, which was held at The Stadium at PBIEC in the evening with a top finish for the team of Kalvin Dobbs, Gabriela Mershad, Hayley Barnhill, and Abigail McArdle.

FTI WEF four, sponsored by Ariat®, runs January 29 to February 2. The week will feature the FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments® featuring a concert by four-time Grammy Nominee Hunter Hayes on Saturday night, and the $50,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 2* on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Sunday afternoon. The FTI WEF features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.

Venezuela's Leopoldo Palacios is the course designer in the International Arena at PBIEC for week four competition. For the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4, which was held as a speed class, Palacios saw 63 entries with 22 clear rounds. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Solerina, owned by Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farms, held the lead through most of the class with their time of 62.58 seconds, but eventually settled for second when Lauren Hough and Ohlala raced through the timers in 61.46 seconds.

Andres Rodriguez (VEN) and Arao Enterprises LLC's Caballito finished third in 62.98 seconds. Ronan McGuigan (IRL) and Capall Zidane placed fourth in 63.36 seconds, and Ben Maher (GBR) and Jane Clark's Aristo Z took fifth place honors with their time of 63.82 seconds.

Ohlala, owned by The Ohlala Group, is a 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento. The mare has had success around the world with Hough in the irons and continued her winning ways with a speedy top finish in Friday's class.

"It was a nice course," Hough stated. "Obviously not many of the horses got worked yesterday with the torrential downpour, and I sort of geared her towards this class this week knowing it was a one round. She is obviously a very quick horse. It wasn't terribly big, but it was quite careful. There were rails throughout the course, and I think he did a good job considering that for most of these horses it was probably their first class this week. I wouldn't say it was super technical today, but you needed a really careful horse."

Hough saw Sweetnam's round and knew she had a fast time to beat, but looking back, she was not sure where she made up the time.

"I put more steps in than he did, but she is just so quick across the ground," Hough said. "I always have to stick with my plan and hope that I end up faster than the one in front of me. I don't know where I made it up. She just was sort of on it everywhere. I was quite quick back to the last double. I didn't waste a lot of time there, but I did eight strides to the last where most did seven."

"She is a winner," Hough noted. "I had a little bit of bad luck last week and not great riding in the grand prix and had two down, which is very uncharacteristic of her. I was a little disappointed in myself, and I thought I would give it a go this week. She is great. First class out, you can go fast and she knows her job."

In addition to the prize money in Thursday's class, Hough earned a special $3,000 bonus as part of the SSG 'Go Clean for the Green' promotion for wearing her SSG 'Digital' Riding Gloves. Each week of the Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series, a $3,000 bonus will be awarded to the winning rider if they are wearing SSG 'Digital' Riding Gloves in all rounds of competition with the SSG logo clearly visible.

She was also awarded a special trophy for her win, earning the Barry Louise Lane Perpetual Memorial Trophy, presented by Debbie Lane.

Source: Equestrian Sport Productions

Final Results: $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4

1. OHLALA: 2003 Swedish Warmblood mare by Orlando x Cardento
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), The Ohlala Group: 0/61.46

2. SOLERINA: 1999 Irish Sport Horse mare by Cruising x Diamond Lad
SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL), Sweet Oak & Spy Coast Farms: 0/62.58

3. CABALLITO: 2002 Holsteiner gelding by Contendro x Argentinus
ANDRES RODRIGUEZ (VEN), Arao Enterprises LLC: 0/62.98

4. CAPALL ZIDANE: 2004 KWPN gelding by Concorde x Baloubet du Rouet
RONAN MCGUIGAN (IRL), Ronan McGuigan: 0/63.36

5. ARISTO Z: 2004 Zangersheide gelding by Andiamo Z x Flamenco Desemilly
BEN MAHER (GBR), Jane Clark: 0/63.82

6. URAGUAY: 2001 KWPN gelding by Nairobi x Colino
TODD MINIKUS (USA), Legacy Stables, LLC: 0/64.52

7. ZOJASPER: 2004 KWPN stallion by Concorde x Jasper
RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA), Ilan Ferder Lovsta & Tal Milstein: 0/64.76

8. CARLOS V.H.P Z: 2002 Zangersheide gelding by Chellano Z x Voltaire
NICHOLAS DELLO JOIO (USA), The Carlos Group: 0/64.85

9. UBRIS: 2004 Holsteiner mare by Caretino x Corrado I
SARAH SEGAL (USA), Chartwell: 0/66.07

10. LORENA 90: 1997 Mecklenburg mare by Loredo x Marlesko
CHELSEA MOSS (USA), Chelsea Moss: 0/67.07

11. GLORY DAYS: 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Cardento 933 x Diamond Serpent
KATIE DINAN (USA), Grant Road Partners, LLC: 0/68.09

12. FLECU: 2004 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Hip Hop x Flamingo
ALEXANDER ZETTERMAN (SWE), Alexander Zetterman: 0/68.52

Lauren Hough and Böckmanns Lazio Win $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

The $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic was held on Saturday afternoon with 13 entries and a six-horse jump-off that yielded four double clear rounds. Canada's Eric Lamaze qualified two horses for the jump-off and was first to go over the short course with Artisan Farms LLC's Quelmec du Gery. The pair had the fastest jump-off time of 30.398 seconds, but finished the course with eight faults to earn sixth place honors. Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Oakland Ventures LLC's New Look de Mescam posted the first clear round in 33.233 seconds to eventually earn the third place prize.

Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Spy Coast Farm LLC's Diktator van de Boslandhoeve jumped next and had a rail down at the final fence with a time of 34.583 seconds to place fifth. Gemma Paternoster (GBR) had a clear round in 44.314 seconds aboard her own and Julia Harrison Lee's Osiris to place fourth. Up next, Lauren Hough (USA) and Karina Rotenberg's Böckmanns Lazio cleared the course in 31.643 seconds to take the lead. Eric Lamaze was last to go with his second mount, Artisan Farms LLC's Zigali P S, but finished just shy of the time to beat in 31.654 seconds to earn the second place prize.

Böckmanns Lazio is a 14-year-old Westphalian stallion by Lancer II x Cor de la Bryere. Lauren Hough just started riding the horse this fall and explained that he has experience showing under several international riders, most recently Cassio Rivetti of Ukraine and Gilles de Baranda of France. Her first show with the stallion was in the beginning of October at the Horse of the Year show in Birmingham, England. Then he flew to America, was in quarantine, and then jumped in Equestrian Sport Productions' New Year's Grand Prix with an unlucky rail.Yesterday they had one time faults in the $25,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 1 as the first to go.

"He has had a lot of mileage, and I am lucky enough to have the ride now," Hough stated after her win. "He does everything so easy, and he is a super competitive horse. He is obviously a beautiful horse. He is a perfect model."

"He is very laid back at home; you can hardly make him go," Hough described. "He doesn't act much like a stallion. Then he is quite aggressive in the ring. He says, 'Okay, it's my job,' and he really takes you to the jump in a nice way and he just suits me perfectly. I am very grateful to the owners for allowing me to ride him."

Hough went in the jump-off knowing that she had the always fast Eric Lamaze still to follow, but managed to keep the winning edge. "I knew he was quite fast with his first horse," she noted. "I think I did one too many strides to the second to last jump because I was going to do one less to the last. I thought I left the door open a little bit, but I think that is also a new mount to him. I think I just got lucky. Even though there were only 13 in the class, it was quite competitive and I was happy to be a part of it."

Source: Equestrian Sport Productions

Final Results: $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

1. BÖCKMANNS LAZIO LAUREN HOUGH KARINA ROTENBERG: 0/0/31.643
2. ZIGALI P S ERIC LAMAZE ARTISAN FARMS LLC: 0/0/31.654
3. NEW LOOK DE MESCAM DARRAGH KENNY OAKLAND VENTURES LLC: 0/0/33.233
4. OSIRIS GEMMA PATERNOSTER GEMMA PATERNOSTER & JULIA HARRISON LEE: 0/0/44.314
5. DIKTATOR VAN DE BOSLANDHOEVE SHANE SWEETNAM SPY COAST FARM LLC: 0/4/34.583
6. QUELMEC DU GERY ERIC LAMAZE ARTISAN FARMS LLC: 0/8/30.398
7. CONTINO 14 JONATHON MILLAR MILLAR BROOKE FARM: 4/77.361
8. UNEX OMEGA STAR TIM GREDLEY UNEX COMPETITION YARD: 4/78.184
9. AD AMIGO B ALVARO DE MIRANDA VICTORY EQUESTRIAN & ALVERO DE MIRANDA: 8/75.331
10. FEROX B LORENZO DE LUCA MIKE COLLINS: 8/76.703
11. ROSANA DU PARK CARLY ANTHONY ARTISAN FARMS LLC: 8/79.171
12. AZIBANTOS GEOFFREY CASE GROUP C LLC: 12/81.066