Teams of ten men and ten women battled it out for this year’s Battle of the Sexas title, with team captains Nicole Bellissimo and Charlie Jayne at the helm. Bellissimo led Heather Caristo-Williams, Amanda Derbyshire, Abigail McArdle, Jessica Mendoza, Schuyler Riley, Haylie Rolfe, Mavis Spencer, Alexandra Welles, and Julie Welles on her team. Jayne’s team included David Blake, Daniel Bluman, Ernest Connell, Alex Granato, Darragh Kenny, Andy Kocher, Adam Prudent, Colin Syquia, and Hardin Towell.
The contest was held in three phases, consisting of a faults converted speed round, a relay race, and a match race. The men and women were pitted against each other in each phase over courses set by 2016 Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA).
In round one, the men led the women seven to three in the speed rounds. In round two’s relay races, the girls picked up an additional ten points, while the men earned just five, bringing the totals to 12 for the men and 13 for the women. With one point separating them, the men and women headed into the third and final round for match races, where the women took a decisive 18 points to the men’s nine. The final tally of 21 to 31 gave the women the win. They have been victorious in the event eight out of nine years – with the class in 2015 ending in a tie.
Julie Welles was representing the women for her first time in Battle of the Sexes competition and had a fantastic night with her mount Centalyon, owned by Ardencote Farm. The pair jumped fast and clear to help their team earns points in all three rounds. Welles is working for 2016 Olympic Champion Nick Skelton (GBR) and two-time Olympic team gold medalist Laura Kraut (USA) this year, and saw the night as a perfect opportunity to give her mount some experience in an electric atmosphere.
“It was so much fun,” Welles said. “The horse I rode is a lovely horse that Nick and Laura own. He was just unbelievable. I just kick, and off I went. I rode him last winter, and I had not ridden him since.”
Welles continued, “His barn name is Smurf because he is so little, but he rides like a big horse. He is really fast, and he has a huge stride for such a small horse. We just cruised around.”
Commenting on her team’s win, Welles stated, “To be honest, we were a little nervous in the beginning because the boys had a pretty stacked team. If you look on paper, the boys should have won. I guess I would say they got a little cocky after the first round when they kept beating us. Then we came back strong. Laura Kraut was like our cheerleader. She said, ‘You guys just have to win five of the match races. That’s all that you have to do.’ We kept counting down in the schooling area, screaming at the screen and cheering each other on.”
