“Everything was delicate tonight which made it a tough course,” said Busca Roca, who has only shown under the lights at Wellington International twice before. “My horse is a dream. He’s a real warrior and put a lot of effort in tonight. There were some very fast riders behind me, so I had to give it a try. I went as fast as I could, and it worked for me.”

Busca Roca and the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato) stopped the clock at 41.7 seconds to take over the lead from American Tanner Korotkin riding Kinmar Quality Hero, a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Obos Quality X Moujik De Sohan owned by Sandalwood Farms.

In a field where 14 countries were represented, fellow US rider Marilyn Little and her 11-year-old Mecklenburg mare La Contessa (License x Cornet’s Prinz) matched Korotkin’s time of 42.77 to end in a tie for second. Along with her second-place finish, Little was awarded the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award.

“The crowd here is pushing all the time,” continued Busca Roca—based in Wellington—of the electric atmosphere under the lights of WEF. “It’s a good atmosphere, very good sport and always difficult to win here.

“[Cristiano] has a lot of blood, and he gets excited after a really fast round, so he’s always waiting for me to tell him what’s next,” continued Busca Roca of the mount he has piloted since the gelding’s seven-year-old season. “He’s a very special horse.”

For complete results from the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission CSI3* Grand Prix, click HERE.