World no. 1 Henrik Von Eckermann (SWE) came out swinging on Thursday afternoon as he took the win in the $32,000 Dodd Technologies CSI3* 1.45m aboard Glamour Girl (Zirocco Blue VDL x Caletto I) to open competition on the grass derby field during Week 2 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at Wellington International in Wellington, FL.
Von Eckermann, who has held the top show jumping ranking in the world for 30 consecutive months, claimed victory aboard Glamour Girl, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (VDL Zirocco Blue x Caletto I) owned by Robin Parsky’s Portfolio Horses. The duo had the advantage of being last to go over Olaf Petersen, Jr.’s (GER) speed track, and the Swede’s round went exactly to plan.
“I saw Nayel [Nassar] and he started off on a slow pace from fence one to two,” Von Eckermann noted of the then leader, who went approximately 40 rounds before him. “He had 10 [strides] then seven and then 10 so I knew I could go easy nine, six, nine. I was a little ahead of him, so I took my time to the second to last and rode forward to the last one. That’s the good thing about being last to go, you know exactly what you have to do. For me, I was fortunate to have that starting number today.”
Nassar (EGY) ended up second aboard Linguini de la Pomme (Marius claudius x Tinka's boy), less than half a second shy of the winning time, and third aboard Dorado de Riverland (Untouchable M x Argentinus), both owned by Evergate Stables.
Glamour Girl has won at WEF in the past, which was also on their opening day of jumping four years ago, so Von Eckermann knows the mare feels at home. Riders and horses alike are happy to be back on the grass for the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival, and Von Eckermann agrees that the surface is one of the best in the world to jump on.
With a string of newer mounts in Wellington for the season, Von Eckermann is leaning on his experience with Glamour Girl, who has won all over the world and has been part of his team for about five years.
“She’s a competitor in the ring,” he said of the fight Glamour Girl gives. “She’s unbelievable; she’s won so many classes throughout her career. She knows her job—she goes in the ring and knows it’s time. She feels really well so I want to keep her on the grass as long as I can.”
Though he has a top contender for many of the big weeks in Glamour Girl, he also has a worldwide favorite joining him in the Florida sunshine.
“King Edward is coming tomorrow,” he shared of the arrival of his World Champion and World Cup Finals winning mount. “I have a bit younger group and then I have King Edward and Glamour Girl who are more experienced, so it’s a mix but I think it’s perfect. I live by Robin [Parsky] and she’s the one who makes this possible for me so I’m grateful for that. I’m looking forward to this season.”
When asked how he’s feeling, Von Eckermann replied, “Good, especially with a win. I’m happy to get out of the cold for a little bit. Europe is wet and cold at the moment. The only thing I’m missing is my wife and son but they are coming in two weeks to visit.”
Von Eckermann, who has held the top show jumping ranking in the world for 30 consecutive months, claimed victory aboard Glamour Girl, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (VDL Zirocco Blue x Caletto I) owned by Robin Parsky’s Portfolio Horses. The duo had the advantage of being last to go over Olaf Petersen, Jr.’s (GER) speed track, and the Swede’s round went exactly to plan.
“I saw Nayel [Nassar] and he started off on a slow pace from fence one to two,” Von Eckermann noted of the then leader, who went approximately 40 rounds before him. “He had 10 [strides] then seven and then 10 so I knew I could go easy nine, six, nine. I was a little ahead of him, so I took my time to the second to last and rode forward to the last one. That’s the good thing about being last to go, you know exactly what you have to do. For me, I was fortunate to have that starting number today.”
Nassar (EGY) ended up second aboard Linguini de la Pomme (Marius claudius x Tinka's boy), less than half a second shy of the winning time, and third aboard Dorado de Riverland (Untouchable M x Argentinus), both owned by Evergate Stables.
Glamour Girl has won at WEF in the past, which was also on their opening day of jumping four years ago, so Von Eckermann knows the mare feels at home. Riders and horses alike are happy to be back on the grass for the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival, and Von Eckermann agrees that the surface is one of the best in the world to jump on.
With a string of newer mounts in Wellington for the season, Von Eckermann is leaning on his experience with Glamour Girl, who has won all over the world and has been part of his team for about five years.
“She’s a competitor in the ring,” he said of the fight Glamour Girl gives. “She’s unbelievable; she’s won so many classes throughout her career. She knows her job—she goes in the ring and knows it’s time. She feels really well so I want to keep her on the grass as long as I can.”
Though he has a top contender for many of the big weeks in Glamour Girl, he also has a worldwide favorite joining him in the Florida sunshine.
“King Edward is coming tomorrow,” he shared of the arrival of his World Champion and World Cup Finals winning mount. “I have a bit younger group and then I have King Edward and Glamour Girl who are more experienced, so it’s a mix but I think it’s perfect. I live by Robin [Parsky] and she’s the one who makes this possible for me so I’m grateful for that. I’m looking forward to this season.”
When asked how he’s feeling, Von Eckermann replied, “Good, especially with a win. I’m happy to get out of the cold for a little bit. Europe is wet and cold at the moment. The only thing I’m missing is my wife and son but they are coming in two weeks to visit.”