Jessica Springsteen & Davendy S. Ph. ©Jack Mancini
Jessica Springsteen and Davendy S rose to the top of the class in the $35,000 Noble Outfitters Holiday & Horses Opener CSI 4* at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, USA on Wednesday, November 30, 2016, taking the class with a time of 58.95 seconds.
Richie Moloney (IRL) and Alsvid took second place in the class after crossing through the timers in 59.05 seconds. Eugenio Garza (MEX) piloted Bariano to third after the pair completed the track in 59.28 seconds. Competition at PBIEC continues throughout the week with both national and FEI classes, including the $35,000 TACKNRIDER 1.50m Qualifier CSI 4* beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the International Ring on Thursday, December 1.
Springsteen and Davendy S, owned by Stone Hill Farm, made a quick move to the top of the leaderboard and held their winning position for most of the class, which welcomed the first day of FEI competition of the 2016 Holiday & Horses competition. The pair made easy work of the track designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA), which saw 64 entries.
Davendy S, a 2003 Belgian Warmblood mare (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Pachat II), is one of the quicker mounts in Springsteen’s growing string and excels in speed format classes. The pair amassed an impressive record during their time on the indoor circuit this year, taking four top five finishes in FEI competition, including a win at the CSI 4* in Lexington, KY, at the beginning of November.
Garza set a blazing pace as the eighth rider to go in the class, which was not overcome until ten rounds later when Springsteen catapulted ahead. A total of sixteen combinations finished inside of the time allowed with no faults, as the class served as good experience for the days of competition ahead.
Springsteen is back in Wellington, FL, after a strong campaign throughout the summer and fall seasons, which took her throughout Europe and the United States. The talented rider will look to continue her success during the winter in Wellington and the competitive Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season set to begin in January 2017.
With three horses entered in FEI competition this week, the rising star will guide Davendy S, Tiger Lily, and Cynar VA in the first week of FEI competition back at PBIEC since the conclusion of WEF last April, with high hopes for a top finish in the $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI 4* presented by Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Competition at PBIEC continues throughout the week and will be highlighted by the $216,000 Holiday & Horses Grand Prix CSI 4* presented by Palm Beach County Sports Commission on Saturday, December 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The evening will also host the first round of charity drawings for the 2017 Great Charity Challenge (GCC) presented by Fidelity Investments® to be hosted on February 4, 2017.
To see full results for the $35,000 Noble Outfitters Holiday & Horses Opener CSI 4* please click here