Erin Davis-Heineking (USA) is making the most of her two-week visit to the 2020 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) with a win in the $137,000 Adequan® Grand Prix CSI3* during “Saturday Night Lights” of week three at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, on Saturday, January 25.
Davis-Heineking rode Leonie to thrill Saturday night’s crowd by leading the grand prix from start to finish after posting the first clear round over Kelvin Bywater’s (GBR) opening track. She again returned first over the short course and set the pace fault free in a quick 45.51 seconds. At the conclusion of a six-horse jump-off, Davis-Heineking still stood atop the podium, barely inching out Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and Karlin van’t Vennehof. They were just fractions off the win in 45.67 seconds.
“I was a little bit in disbelief that I had left a couple of jumps up out there,” said Davis-Heineking of her jump-off ride. “It didn’t quite go as I planned; I had an idea in my mind of the numbers that I wanted to do, and then right before I went in, my trainer/husband [Christian Heineking] basically said to leave one out from all of those. So, I took a shot at the last line and tried to do the six. I chipped in a seven, and she left it up. I was really proud of her.”
Leonie, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare (Leo von Faelz x Chacco-Blue) owned by October Hill Farm, Inc., joined Davis-Heineking’s string two years ago when she came out of retirement to pilot the mount.
“She was a sale horse of my husband’s, and he was trying to get me back in the saddle,” she said. “He told me to play around with her at home. I did, and before I knew it, he had talked me into going in a small grand prix close by. I almost won it, and got the taste again. Honestly, I never saw myself here two years ago, so it’s been quite a ride.”
Davis-Heineking competed at WEF in the amateur jumper ranks in her 20s and returned with a bang this week. “I never really imagined that I would win one of these grand prix!”
After finishing the runner-up, Sweetnam is excited about Karlin van’t Vennehof’s future, saying, “It’s her first three-star ever and her first night class ever. She still has a bit of a ways to go with her rideability, but it’s getting better all the time.
U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Kent Farrington rounded out the podium on his up-and-coming mount Kaprice, owned by Farrington and Tanma Corp.
Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) finished fourth riding Cornwall BH for Gochman Sport Horses. They were double-clear in 49.89 seconds, securing Derbyshire the Martha W Jolicoeur Leading Lady Rider Award for week three. Cameron Hanley (IRL) capped the top five on Kasper Van Het Hellehof for owner Poden Farms with the fastest four-fault jump-off round.