Germany’s Richard Vogel won the $65,000 Grand Prix CSI2* on the final day of competition at the Longines League of Nations™ Ocala CSIO5*-LLN as well as the 2026 Winter Spectacular Show Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) in Ocala, FL.
To say that Richard Vogel has been on a roll at WEC – Ocala would be an understatement. In addition to being a member of the victorious German team in the $770,000 Longines League of Nations™ Ocala CSIO5*-LLN, Vogel won and placed third in the $32,000 The Dutta Corp. Winning Round CSI2* riding Quizas van’t Hulsbos and Cardentos, respectively.
On Sunday, it was Cardentos’ turn to visit the winner’s circle after topping the $65,000 The Dutta Corp. Grand Prix CSI2*. The pair jumped double-clear in a blistering fast time of 35.46 seconds. As the final challenger, Samantha Schaefer (USA) gave it her best shot but finished shy of the leading time in 36.96 seconds riding James Bond HX for owner Bonne Chance LLC. Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) stopped the clock in 37.29 seconds to take third place with the nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, Rolex ter Leydonck, owned by Team Philippaerts and breeder Stijn Stevens.
“It felt that we were still under control, but he’s a very speedy horse, and he’s game for it,” said Vogel of his thrilling jump-off performance, which was all the more impressive considering he did not walk the jump-off course prior to executing it. “He likes to be competitive, and he’s super careful, so you don’t really have to worry about a rail so much. You can put your main focus on getting good foot speed and turning a little bit tighter. It’s a lot of fun with him.”
Vogel only began riding Cardentos, a nine-year-old Holsteiner stallion (Cardento x Quo Vados) bred and owned by Witt Pferdezucht GbR, earlier this season. During their first trip to WEC – Ocala in February, they also claimed victory in a $65,000 Grand Prix CSI2*.
“Cardentos is a very exciting horse for us,” said Vogel, currently fourth in the Longines World Rider Rankings. “He was bred by the Witt family in Germany, and I’ve been lucky to sit in the saddle on his back for three months now. This is his second time up here in Ocala. He really likes this facility, and I feel he learns a lot here. Especially for the younger up-and-coming horses, they see a lot of different obstacles here, and we have a lot of rings where we can work the horses. He jumped all three days clear here this week. I couldn’t be happier with him, and the way he performed in the jump-off today was a super finish.”
