Equine Holdings LLC's Ammeretto and David Beisel enjoyed another victory lap around the Grand Prix Ring at Flintfields Horse Park after sealing the deal with the fastest double clear round of the $25,000 Welcome Stake during the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Week IV. Beisel, from Goshen, Ohio and Ammeretto, a bay Dutch Warmblood stallion, were awarded the win of last Sunday's $50,000 Flintfields Grand Prix, presented by North Face Farm, and put in a similarly flawless effort in Friday's feature event of the day. Out of 26 entries that tried their hand at the course, designed by Portuguese course designer Bernardo C. Cabral, 13 horse and rider teams progressed to the jump-off phase, a demanding eight-effort track. "I got a shot to test out the options in the jump-off on my first horse, Call Me Hannes," Beisel said. "I unfortunately knocked two rails down, but I got a feel for the track. I know my stallion, so I was able to get all the turns done and take the win that way." Cabral created an option in the jump-off round that was challenging for many of the riders to execute and leave all the rails in their cups. The competitors had the option to turn inside a blue and white in-and-out combination to the third-to-last jump, a black and yellow vertical. That riskier approach would shave precious seconds off the clock. The more conservative option was to take the longer route around the combination, creating a more straightforward approach to the vertical, with a lower probability of knocking down a rail. Many that chose the tight inside turn knocked the rail, including Beisel and his first ride in the jump-off with Call Me Hannes, a gray Holsteiner gelding owned by Harlow Investment Enterprises, LLC. Beisel and Ammeretto stepped up to the challenge by carving a perfect inside turn that set up the approach to next fence. Their clear jump-off round in the fastest time of 35.581 seconds earned them the blue ribbon and the victory gallop.
