On Thursday, January 30. Irish rider Bertram Allen continued his winning streak, leading the class of 54 on Ballywalter Stables’ GK Casper and making it two wins from two starts in two days on the turf.
Eight combinations made it through to the jump-off over course designer Anderson Lima’s (BRA) testing track. All eight jumped clear in the second round, so it all came down to speed to determine the finishing order. Allen, who had the benefit of being last to go, broke the beam in 39.00 seconds, with home rider Natalie Dean and Marigold Sporthorses LLC’s Jewel De Kwakenbeek nipping at their heels in a time of 39.02 seconds. Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire rode Gochman Sport Horses LLC’s Luibanta BH into third in 39.28 seconds.
“It’s a good start and long may it continue,” said Allen, 24. “I’m chuffed; he’s a good horse this one and very, very careful so you can really ride him at the jumps and normally he doesn’t have too many down.”
In the jump-off, Allen started at a blistering pace, taking a big pull mid-way round the course.
“I wasn’t getting there on the stride that I wanted, and so I had to add one, but that’s okay,” explained Allen. “I wanted to win this class, but it wasn’t a class to take a crazy stupid risk in, so I said I’d just do as good as I can. It was very close, but thankfully it was good enough for today.”
GK Casper is no stranger to North America, having been here in 2019. “I did a trip at the back end of last year to America and Canada and he was very good,” added Allen. “He won the World Cup class in Toronto and, since then, I haven’t campaigned him too hard. This is the first week back up and at it and he feels great, so hopefully now he’s in for a good few weeks.”
Allen, who has ridden the 12-year-old gelding by Canto 16 since he was six, added, “We know each other inside out. He’s taken a bit longer to get to the top level, but he seems to be getting there now. He’s a cheeky bugger but he’s bold and he knows he’s good and has a big character, which is nice.”
Allen is spending two weeks in Florida with the three horses he has shipped over for the season, before returning home to Germany for a week to campaign his others. In Wellington, his “really good groom” Marlen Schannwell and friend William Hickey will keep working the horses in his absence.
Fourth-placed Brazilian Eduardo Menezes also clocked a time of under 40 seconds on Magnolia Mystic Rose, an 11-year-old mare by Zirocco Blue. He was closely followed by Kent Farrington (USA) on his own and Robin Parsky’s talented mare Gazelle, who posted a time of 40.07 seconds.