The rain couldn’t stop the crowds from gathering to watch athletes give it their all Saturday evening for the inaugural international grand prix of the 2024 Winter Spectacular Show Series, the $100,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3*. Thirty-two top athletes from nine nations took on the challenging course designed by FEI Level III course designer Colm Quinn (IRL). Among them, Carlos Hank Guerreiro of Mexico, a newcomer to World Equestrian Center – Ocala, piloted H5 Sporthorses LLC’s H5 Porthos Maestro Wh Z (breeder: Christophe Wouters) to his first ever grand prix victory, making the evening a spectacular night of firsts.
Pathfinder, Daniel Coyle (IRL) commended Quinn’s course-building prowess, “I have to say this week has been the best course building I have seen in a long time. We have a lot of good horses, and a lot of good riders, I thought there would be a good number of clears, but there wasn’t. It came down to good course building because there were fences down everywhere but no disasters for anyone. The designer did an incredible job with all the material in that ring. It was a super fun night, and I am very happy with my result.”
Coyle was the first athlete to return for the tiebreaker. He piloted his new partner Incredible (Clinton x Heartbreaker), who won last week’s $24,000 C. Jarvis Insurance Welcome Prix. Coyle guided the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding to a blistering fast track in 41.00 seconds to set the pace.
Olympian Andre Thieme (GER) followed aboard his own Cordani Ps (Balou Du Reventon x Baloubet Du Rouet), but couldn’t quite catch the time stopping the clock at 46.53 seconds.
Carlos Hank Guerreiro was next in to try and best Coyle’s quick time. “My trainer Eduardo Menezes told me there was only five in the jump-off so I might as well go for it. We wanted to test the horse a little bit. He’s still green, and this was his first real big jump-off. Daniel had a pretty quick time, so we just wanted to give it a try. I knew there was one less from one to two, and I got there easy enough. My horse is very fast naturally, you just let him go and he is just eager to canter forward.”
With a time of 40.66 seconds, Guerreiro and 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding H5 Porthos Maestro Wh Z snagged the win and ultimately galloped away with the winning title.
“He’s an amazing horse,” Guerreiro said. “I got him as a seven-year-old who was quite green. He was produced by a very young rider from Belgium that took him to the Children’s European Championships then to the Belgium National Championships at 1.45m height. We saw him there a purchased him shortly after.”
“From then on, he’s just done everything and more that we’ve asked of him. We stepped up to this level last year and he’s had a few good placings, but never in the podium and never a win, so I couldn’t be happier with him. He did everything and more out there tonight.”
The young Irishman Tom Wachman was last to go and coming off a fresh victory from Thursday’s $35,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix Qualifier CSI3*. He piloted Coolmore Showjumping’s 13-year-old Zangersheide gelding Berlux Z (Berlin x Major De La Cour) to a speedy jump-off in 43.67 seconds to round out the top three.
$100,000 Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Grand Prix CSI3* Final Results:
1 H5 PORTHOS MAESTRO WH Z:
Carlos Hank Guerreiro (MEX), H5 Sporthorses LLC: 0/0/40.66
2 INCREDIBLE: 2013 KWPN gelding by Clinton x Heartbreaker
Daniel Coyle (IRL), Ariel Grange: 0/0/41.00
3 BERLUX Z: 2013 Zangersheide gelding by Berlin x Major De La Cour
Tom Wachman (IRL), Coolmore Showjumping: 0/0/43.67
4 CORDANI PS: 2014 Hanoverian mare by Balou Du Reventon x Baloubet Du Rouet
Andre Thieme (GER), Andre Thieme: 0/0/46.53
5 ACAJOU: 2015 German Sport Horse mare by Casallco x Chico’s Boy
Ilan Bluman (COL), Ilan Bluman: 0/4/40.93
6 DAVIDOFF DE LASSUS: 2009 Belgian Sport Horse gelding by Ugano Sitte x Ksar-sitte
Zoe Conter (BEL), Zoe Conter: 1/80.49
7 BULL RUN’S HESED: 2014 Oldenburg gelding by Christian 25 x Lord Z
Kristen Vanderveen (USA), Bull Run Jumpers, Inc.: 4/75.08
8 PRESCOTT: 2012 Holsteiner gelding by Lordanos x Bb Carvallo
Aaron Vale (USA), Thinkslikahorse: 4/76.69
9 CHALOURIES PS: 2014 Oldenburg stallion by Chacco-blue x Baloubet De Rouet
Eugenio Garza (MEX), El Milagro: 4/76.97
10 MARCIANO MVF: 2011 Zangersheide gelding by Stakkato x Leberoi H
Heather Caristo-Williams (USA), Stephanie Bulger: 4/77.25
11 CHAMPION LEAGUE: 2013 Hanoverian gelding by Cador 5 x Contendro I
Sharn Wordley (NZL), Della Wordley: 4/77.67
12 ECHO VH GERENDAL Z: 2012 Zangersheide mare by Echo Van T Spieveld x Jodokus
Molly Ashe Cawley (USA), Sky Group: 4/77.76