The fourth week of competition at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) began with a win for Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton (Heracross) in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class. In the 1m45, designed by Leopoldo Palacios, Twenty-four entries started and 15 completed the course without fault. Darragh Kenny finished second aboard Cavallo Farms' Twister with a time of 59:219 seconds. Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Palouchin placed third.
lass winner, Heracross, is a thirteen-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Ramiro B x Clover Hill. Heracross was previously ridden by Irish show jumper Francis Connors as well as Swedish rider Stephanie Finetto. Skelton purchased the gelding at the end of the year, just before Christmas, and showed him at the London International Horse Show at Olympia in December before traveling to Wellington.
Skelton dominated last year's FTI WEF circuit with his many top horses, but has had a lower profile so far this winter. His Olympic mount, Big Star, will come out for the bigger classes towards the end of the circuit. For these first few weeks, Skelton has been showing several new and younger horses. He was pleased to get a nice win on Heracross in Wednesday's class and looks forward to moving him up throughout the circuit.
source: equnews.be/WEF - picture: Sportfot
