Guilherme Jorge (BRA) tested 90 entrants over his course design in the first round, with 21 pairs going clear and under the time to make it to the jump-off challenge. The class was the largest FEI Welcome Stake ever hosted at the venue to date, and the second largest class behind Wednesday’s $36,000 Power & Speed Stake CSI 5* showcasing 102 entries. Verlooy, the top-ranked FEI Jumping U25 rider in the world, recently won the FEI European Championships at Rotterdam, and explained that Igor has been on a break for five weeks before competing at TIEC:

“The course rode super today. Igor jumped very well in the first round, and in the jump-off he actually jumped even better,” Verlooy detailed. “He’s had a bit of a break: I did the Europeans with him, and then St. Tropez, and then he had five weeks off, so he’s getting back into rhythm. But I must say, he felt much better in the jump-off.

erlooy’s jump-off performance couldn’t be beat, and his strategy to best a strong field was to be as efficient as he could where others had gone wide, he shared. “I really wanted to give it a try in the jump-off. He’s naturally very fast, and everything went to plan in the jump-off. So, it worked out.” Verlooy continued, “After the double to the skinny, I think there I got the advantage. Everyone was going a bit wide, and there I took a very big risk and came very [straight], and I think there I made up the time.”

Placing in the top 30 as an individual at the venue for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, Verlooy noted that he’s excited to give his mount a new experience after competing abroad. “I think it’s great here. Right now in Europe there are not many shows, and it’s cold, so after I did this tour, and I must say my horse still felt very fresh because I didn’t do so much this year, I saw the schedules here and it looked very interesting. I really like it here, with different people and different jumps. You always see the same people and it’s nice sometimes to come to a different place.”