Week four of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Fidelity Investments®, concluded on Sunday with the $85,000 Suncast® 1.50M Championship Jumper Classic featured in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The class saw a win for McLain Ward (USA) and Double H Farm’s HH Carlos Z in a very fast 20-horse jump-off over Todd Minikus (USA) and Quality Girl. They were followed by Irish speedsters Darragh Kenny and Conor Swail in third and fourth places, respectively. Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) saw 62 starters on his final course for week four with 20 clear rounds to jump-off. Twelve were double clear over the short course, and the times were blazing. Ward and HH Carlos Z completed their course in 37.26 seconds, just ahead of second place finishers Todd Minikus and the Quality Group’s Quality Girl, who clocked in at 37.41 seconds. Darragh Kenny and Toffolon Partners LLC’s Gatsby finished third in 38.26 seconds. Kenny also tied for fourth place with Conor Swail in the same time of 38.47 seconds. Kenny’s second ride was aboard Oakland Ventures LLC’s Picolo. Swail rode Ariel and Susan Grange’s Martha Louise. Ward and HH Carlos Z had a great start to their partnership beginning last season in Wellington and went on to an excellent year with top finishes throughout North America. The pair earned two wins and several top placings at Spruce Meadows over the summer. They won the prestigious $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W at the Washington International Horse Show in October, and they went on to a great win at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto to cap off their 2014 season. The 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Chellano Z x Voltaire) is a jack-of-all-trades and has already inked a great start to this year’s winter circuit.
