Luis Sabino Goncalves and Vick du Croisy Lead the Way in the $100,000 Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix at WEC – Ocala
It was a packed house tonight as spectators near and far surrounded the WEC Grand Arena to watch the $100,000 Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Thirty-eight elite show jumping athletes representing ten nations put forth their best efforts over a complex track built by world-renowned course designer Leopoldo Palacios (VEN). Ultimately it was pathfinder Luis Sabino Goncalves (POR) and Sigma Stables LLC’s Vick Du Croisy (Lord Carthago x Merveille Ducroisy) who scored their second feature class win of the week and galloped away with the lion’s share of the prize money.
FEI Level IV course designer Leopoldo Palacios set the challenging track that featured 16 jumping efforts including an imposing triple combination with a tight time allowed that caught numerous riders throughout the evening. Seven horse-and-rider combinations navigated their way to a clean first round to return for the jump-off.
“I went toward the beginning of the order, so I didn’t have time to watch the class. I had to go with my plan of how I thought the course would ride when I walked. Most of the riders were saying that the line was going to be short after the triple bar to the double combination, but it ended up being a bit more open, so people were having the back rail down of oxer going in. In the last line, everyone thought it was going to be a holding five after the triple combination, but it ended up being a very going five. It was such a big combination with the arch walls right next to the VIP area, so the horses were backed off,” said Goncalves.
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