Thirty-one international pairings representing 13 nations stepped into the WEC Grand Arena at World Equestrian Center – Ocala for the week’s premier event, the $130,000 Lugano Grand Prix CSI3*. After an exciting 10-horse jump-off, it was Robert Blanchette (IRL) who emerged victorious aboard Ridersmith LLC’s Chardonnay (Comme Il Faut 5 x Jus de Pomme).
FEI Level IV course designer Anderson Lima (MEX) crafted a technical first-round track that tested adjustability and precision. Ten horse-and-rider combinations managed to navigate a clear round to advance to the jump-off, though only half of those could deliver double-clear efforts.
Chloe Reid (USA) was the first to return over the short course aboard Team Reid LLC’s Crossover 4, a scopey 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cascadello x Chacco-Blue). The pair set a strong early standard, crossing the timers in 40.15 seconds.
Both Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) and Luis Sabino Goncalves (POR) followed, but each lowered a rail, leaving the door open.
Next in was Robert Blanchette with his longtime partner Chardonnay. He was pleased with the course and welcomed the depth of the jump-off field. “I thought it was a really nice track. I always like it when the first round time is tight because my horse is quick,” Blanchette remarked. “When there are more in the jump-off, it becomes more competitive, you play these little mental games. If no one else is in, you think, ‘Great, I already won,’ but when there’s more, it’s more fun to win.”
At the sound of the tone, Blanchette and the 14-year-old Westphalian mare launched into full speed. “I had a bunch of numbers in my head about how I was going to ride it, but I pretty much did one more stride everywhere than I thought,” he said. “Her tempo is so quick that I can do that, and she’s still genuinely the fastest.”
Their time of 39.00 seconds could not be caught, and the pair ultimately galloped away with the win.
Blanchette praised the talented mare, whom he has partnered with for five years. “She’s such a great horse and has fantastic owners, Miles and Rosanne Reiter and Brie Reiter Smith,” he shared. “She has incredible breeding. Her father, Comme Il Faut 5, was a great five-star horse; her grandmother, Ratina Z, won the Olympics; and her grandfather, Jus De Pomme, also won the Olympics. So if she doesn’t win, it’s my fault.”
The only pair to come close to Blanchette’s time was Austria’s Peter Petschenig aboard Ennebel Van Het Posthuijs, a 16-year-old KWPN mare (Numero Uno x Argentinus) owned by Petschenig Showjumping, LLC. Their fast and tidy round in 40.43 seconds was enough for third, just behind Reid and Crossover 4.
