January 7, 2024, Myakka City, Florida. The first week of the 2024 Sarasota Winter Classic wrapped up on Sunday, Jan. 7 at the spectacular TerraNova Equestrian Center. This year, the Sarasota Winter Classic management chose to showcase junior and amateur riders. Sunday’s feature event, the $10,000 NAL 1.30/1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, presented by Forget Me Not Farm, kicked off the schedule in the TerraNova Lakeside Arena. Morgan Ashby (Lincolnton, North Carolina) and Kilkenny Ecco topped the class and earned their second victory gallop of the week.
$5,000 1.30m Open Jumper Classic
Eight horse-and-rider combinations contested the track in the $5,000 1.30m Open Jumper Classic. Azevedo asked a series of fair but technically-challenging questions resulting in three pairs advancing to the short track. Ronny Reimer (Ocala, Florida) and Sentry Sport Horses’ Gold Diamant du Plan D’eau (Diamant d Semilly x Cassis Ideal Home), the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, took the early class lead as the first to produce two clear rounds, breaking the beam in their jump-off round at 33.271. Their lead was short lived as Shannon Hicks (Lake Saint Louis, Missouri) and Helen Gilbert’s 15-year-old Warmblood gelding Al Pachini (Cheers Cassini x Lirbine) cruised home with a leading time of 30.184 seconds. Hicks posted into the third position with another Helen Gilbert entry, Halo de Maugre (For Pleasure x Finesse du Seigneur), the 6-year-old Selle Francais stallion, downing a rail in the process.
$5,000 NAL 1.20m Junior/Amateur Classic
Later in the day during the $5,000 NAL 1.20m Junior/Amateur Classic, Julie Roberts (Tulsa, Oklahoma) and her own 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Lothario (VDL Douglas x Javas Honey), produced one of three double-clean efforts across the track and clocked in at a blazing 32.859 seconds to catapult into the top position. Jessica Roth-Thomas (Woodbury, Connecticut) and Daffodil Hill’s Quintana VIII (Quidam de Revel x Ulana VI), a 15-year-old Holsteiner mare, came close to catching Roberts with a time of 33.309 seconds but earned the red ribbon. Ashby picked up third place on her own 6-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion, Ralph van de Bleukhoeve (Chellano x Jes We Can ML), in 33.373 seconds.
$2,500 1.10m Child/Adult Classic
As the only pair to advance to the jump off in the $2,500 1.10m Child/Adult Classic, amateur rider Olga Zarlenga (Bradenton, Florida) and her own 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Barana van het Wimpelhof (Baldwin B x Arana), sealed the deal for victory. Annabella Wyman (Washington, D.C.) and Katie Triantos’ 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Mischief Managed (Albano x Golden Flight), earned second place while Tia Gay (Whiteford, Maryland), aboard her own 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Damingo (Verdi x Unknown), were third.
$1,500 1.0m Child/Adult Classic
The $1,500 1.0m Child/Adult Classic concluded special jumper competition with a win from Leslie Richman (Ocala, Florida) and The Significant Other, her own 8-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Bamako de Muze x Unknown). The pair were the only combination to go double clear while Annabella Wyman (Washington, D.C.) and Rolling Acres LLC’s Casilla (Unknown x Unknown), the 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding, took second place with a time of 31.279 seconds and four faults. Tia Gay and Caracas Car (Quincy Car x Galia Rouge), her own 11-year-old stallion, capped off the class in third place after faulting one effort with a time of 33.227 seconds.