Canadian Olympian Erynn Ballard currently holds a hot hand; she has won at least once every week since November. Adding to her tally on Sunday, she topped the $62,500 Hermes CSI4* 1.50m Classic aboard Chatadel PS (Chacoon blue x Conthargos), owned by Jose Pablo Salgado and Ilan Ferder. The win capped Week 3 of the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Running through March 29, WEF hosts 12 weeks of international competition at Wellington International.
Less than a second slower than Ballard, Mimi Gochman (USA) took second with Inclen BH, an 11-year-old Austrian Warmblood gelding, owned by DG Sport Horse. Six-time U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward and Lestro VD Valckenborg, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Marta Mattox, closed out the podium in third.
Ballard said she and her team have been patiently waiting for Chatadel PS (Chacoon Blue x Conthargos) to turn nine. And this year, the wait is over for the Oldenburg stallion.
“We have had him since he was seven and have been developing him,” said Ballard of the mount purchased from an auction in Mexico by Salgado. “He finished last season winning his first two-star grand prix—he’s a winner, and I think for a young horse, we did everything perfectly. He did the youngster tour at Aachen, and without over-jumping him, he has seen the world. I’m proud of the way we have developed him.
“To have a horse this long is unusual, and we have created a bond with him that shows in the results,” continued Ballard.
