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Timing was in Ben Maher’s (GBR) favor on Thursday of Rolex Finale Week at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). His ride on Pamela Wright and Charlotte Rossetter’s stallion Point Break was intentional and successful, swooping in to take the win in the $116,100 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round 12, a qualifier for the Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix on Saturday. Highlighted by 12 weeks of consecutive FEI competition, WEF continues through March 30 at Wellington International in Wellington, FL.
“Point Break just flew in this week,” the Tokyo Olympic Champion said of Point Break’s quick detour back to Wellington between the Dutch Masters and FEI World Cup™ Finals in Basel, Switzerland. “He arrived on Sunday and he flies back to Europe tomorrow, so he came, did his job and he’s leaving.”
Maher made it sound simple, but winning meant he bested 16 jump-off contenders, after a total of 24 jumped clear over Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) first-round course. Among the start list contenders were six of the world’s top 10, so Maher—ranked no. 5 in the world—was in good company.
Returning later in the order of the tie-breaker, he stuck to his plan and it was just enough, pipping Kent Farrington’s (USA) time with Toulayna and holding onto the lead through the end of the class in 37.60 seconds. World no. 2 Farrington finished second in a time of 38.75 seconds, and Irish Olympian Daniel Coyle took third with Ariel Grange’s Legacy in 38.80 seconds.
“To be honest I didn’t watch Kent today; I made that mistake a couple of times this season already,” Maher joked of Farrington, who has two five-star grand prix wins to his credit during the 2025 Wellington International season. “I think the distances were quite forward for me. I was always moving and always going forward. Everything came up nicely today, and it was great to get a win on the board for the team.”
Maher has been extremely consistent during WEF with 15 international top-ten finishes this season, but was still hunting a Challenge Cup victory. Winning during the final week, especially with all that is on the line, is a push in the right direction.
“It’s sometimes the timing,” Maher continued. “I’ve had a lot of second places with Enjeu and Dallas in grand prix here, so sometimes it feels like you just need that one result to change the mentality of the team and give us all a little hope. I felt like it was coming and hopefully it has come at the right time this week.”
Maher knows as well as anyone that a win in Wellington is hard to achieve, especially when the world’s top riders keep showing up in larger numbers every year.
“It would be nice to avoid them to be honest,” he laughed about going head to head with the best in the world. “Competition is tough here—it always is—but I think more and more of the world’s best are coming here. Obviously, bigger prize money and updating the facilities here are making a difference. It’s tough to win and it raises the standard of the course builders, the whole sport in general and the riders. Nothing is for free here and we take every win we can get.”
To see full results from the $116,100 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Round 12, click HERE.
