Wellington, FL – January 15, 2022 – The $140,000 Southern Arches Grand Prix CSI3* was the feature event of the week at the 2022 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) on Saturday, January 15, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Part of the popular “Saturday Night Lights” series, Spencer Smith (USA) wowed the crowd and jumped to victory with Ransome Rombauer’s Ayade Hero Z. WEF 1 concludes on Sunday, January 16, and the circuit continues through April 3.
There were 45 entries in the biggest class of the week, and they competed over a course set by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) and Andy Christiansen Jr. (ECU). Eight were able to find the path to a clear round and continued to the jump-off.
Starting out the jump-off with a bang was Olympic team silver medalist Kent Farrington (USA) and his 10-year-old KWPN mare Orafina (For Fashion x Canturo). They set the time to beat at 36 seconds flat, which would hold up for second place.
Two trips after Farrington, it was Nayel Nassar (EGY) who would come closest to Farrington’s time. Nassar and Evergate Stables LLC’s Igor van de Wittemoere jumped clear in 36.65 seconds.
Smith and Ayade Hero Z were able to bring the winning time down to a blisteringly fast 34.31 seconds to take the win.
Source: Press release
Photo: © Sportfot