Press Release by ESP/Carly Weilminster
Wellington, Fla. - Alex Granato of Wellington, FL, and Carlchen W earned top honors in the $10,000 Equiline Open Welcome at ESP Spring II at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The duo produced the fastest time in the jump-off round, crossing through the timers in 35.86 seconds. Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, and Don Juan finished in second with a time of 36.338 seconds, while Amanda Derbyshire of Wellington, FL, piloted Goldbreaker to a third place finish in 36.425 seconds. Competition at ESP Spring II continues through Sunday, April 17, highlighting the $30,000 Noble Outfitters Grand Prix on the final day of competition.
Granato and Carlchen W produced a solid first round finish, completing their first go around the course set by Ken Krome (USA) in 74.823 seconds before dominating the large jump-off competition. The class saw 33 riders move forward to the short course, after 63 original entries contested the first round in one of the largest post-circuit classes in history.
Wellington, Fla. - Alex Granato of Wellington, FL, and Carlchen W earned top honors in the $10,000 Equiline Open Welcome at ESP Spring II at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The duo produced the fastest time in the jump-off round, crossing through the timers in 35.86 seconds. Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, and Don Juan finished in second with a time of 36.338 seconds, while Amanda Derbyshire of Wellington, FL, piloted Goldbreaker to a third place finish in 36.425 seconds. Competition at ESP Spring II continues through Sunday, April 17, highlighting the $30,000 Noble Outfitters Grand Prix on the final day of competition.
Granato and Carlchen W produced a solid first round finish, completing their first go around the course set by Ken Krome (USA) in 74.823 seconds before dominating the large jump-off competition. The class saw 33 riders move forward to the short course, after 63 original entries contested the first round in one of the largest post-circuit classes in history.
"Actually, I felt a little nervous, to be honest, after watching Tori [Colvin] and Don Juan go because they were just so fast. Carl is naturally fast and actually my main goal wasn't to win, I just wanted to go in and be competitive with him because he is quick and careful," he noted.
The large class, which saw more than 30 entries move forward to the jump-off round, had Granato pushing a fast pace around the short course, which proved to be a great educational test.
"When I pre-loaded into the ring during the jump-off, I was watching Tori [Colvin] go and honestly, I thought to myself, 'Well I can't catch that, I can't even try,'" elaborated Granato. "Then when he jumped clean in the first round and when I started jumping off, like I said, he's just naturally such a quick horse and the more you try to contain him, the more you can get in his way. I let his natural speed take over and I tried to be efficient and he ended up being very quick."
While competing on the winter circuit at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is important for many professionals, Granato spent much of the winter season gaining valuable experience with a string of younger horses, and is looking forward to a strong spring campaign with the talented group he hopes will make it to the top of the sport.
He explained, "We are going to take a couple of light weeks to finish up April, and then at the beginning of May we are headed to Tryon. We have a farm leased there for the rest of the spring and summer, so we'll be very close to the show there. We plan to travel a bit to the shows in Lexington, KY, but we'll show quite a bit in Tryon and maybe pick up a couple of national classes with these younger guys there as well."
For more information on the ESP Spring Series and Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), please visit www.pbiec.com.
Final Results $10,000 Equiline Open Welcome Stake
1. CARLCHEN W, ALEX GRANATO, Page Tredennick: 0/0/35.86
2. DON JUAN, VICTORIA COLVIN, Take The High Road LLC: 0/0/36.338
3. GOLDBREAKER, AMANDA DERBYSHIRE, David Gochman: 0/0/36.425
4. ARINO DU ROUET, TODD MINIKUS, Two Swans Farm: 0/0/36.687
5. AUSTRIA 2, VICTORIA COLVIN, Take The High Road LLC: 0/0/36.755
6. FAMOSO D IVE Z, SHARN WORDLEY, Sky Group & Sharn Wordley: 0/0/36.781
7. WINN WINN, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Winn Winn Group: 0/0/36.837
8. MULLAGHDRIN RADO, ALEX GRANATO, Wood Run Farms: 0/0/36.873
9. REGLISSETOP, PABLO MEJIA, Pablo Mejia: 0/0/37.778
10. COCQ A DOODLE, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Doodle Group: 0/0/38.512
11. STRANGER, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Stranger Group: 0/0/38.899
12. BUGATTI, WILHELM GENN, Eduardo Leon: 0/0/39.031
The large class, which saw more than 30 entries move forward to the jump-off round, had Granato pushing a fast pace around the short course, which proved to be a great educational test.
"When I pre-loaded into the ring during the jump-off, I was watching Tori [Colvin] go and honestly, I thought to myself, 'Well I can't catch that, I can't even try,'" elaborated Granato. "Then when he jumped clean in the first round and when I started jumping off, like I said, he's just naturally such a quick horse and the more you try to contain him, the more you can get in his way. I let his natural speed take over and I tried to be efficient and he ended up being very quick."
While competing on the winter circuit at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is important for many professionals, Granato spent much of the winter season gaining valuable experience with a string of younger horses, and is looking forward to a strong spring campaign with the talented group he hopes will make it to the top of the sport.
He explained, "We are going to take a couple of light weeks to finish up April, and then at the beginning of May we are headed to Tryon. We have a farm leased there for the rest of the spring and summer, so we'll be very close to the show there. We plan to travel a bit to the shows in Lexington, KY, but we'll show quite a bit in Tryon and maybe pick up a couple of national classes with these younger guys there as well."
For more information on the ESP Spring Series and Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), please visit www.pbiec.com.
Final Results $10,000 Equiline Open Welcome Stake
1. CARLCHEN W, ALEX GRANATO, Page Tredennick: 0/0/35.86
2. DON JUAN, VICTORIA COLVIN, Take The High Road LLC: 0/0/36.338
3. GOLDBREAKER, AMANDA DERBYSHIRE, David Gochman: 0/0/36.425
4. ARINO DU ROUET, TODD MINIKUS, Two Swans Farm: 0/0/36.687
5. AUSTRIA 2, VICTORIA COLVIN, Take The High Road LLC: 0/0/36.755
6. FAMOSO D IVE Z, SHARN WORDLEY, Sky Group & Sharn Wordley: 0/0/36.781
7. WINN WINN, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Winn Winn Group: 0/0/36.837
8. MULLAGHDRIN RADO, ALEX GRANATO, Wood Run Farms: 0/0/36.873
9. REGLISSETOP, PABLO MEJIA, Pablo Mejia: 0/0/37.778
10. COCQ A DOODLE, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Doodle Group: 0/0/38.512
11. STRANGER, ANDREW RAMSAY, The Stranger Group: 0/0/38.899
12. BUGATTI, WILHELM GENN, Eduardo Leon: 0/0/39.031