WELLINGTON, Fla.--Spain’s Gonzalo Busca Roca won for the first time at Wellington International Saturday Night Lights, going clean in 41.70 to win the $140,000, CSI3* Grand Prix during opening week of international competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Gonzalo Busca Roca Cristiano on Obolensky (Photo by Sportfot)It was a class that had some very strange results, particularly for some of the top riders in the world, over a course set by Nick Granat.
One fence, the fan fence, caused a number of horse to spook at it, resulting in a number of horse running out at it or having a rail down after almost stopping.
It caused the withdrawal of world ranked number 4 Ben Maher after one of his top horses, Ginger Blue, had a rail down at it, and the elimination of world number 9 McLain Ward on Le Louvre 5 after two stops there.
Natalie Dean on Con Calma was eliminated at the fan fence in the jump-off when Con Calma almost stopped and then fell over the fence.
Three top riders on their 5* horses had four faults in this 3* class, a competition that should have been easy for them, and two of them, Spencer Smith on Keeneland, and Ireland's Tom Wachman on Do It Easy, had their rails at the fan fence while world number 7 Laura Kraut on Dorado 212 had the last fence down.
Wachman, who won the last premiere competition of 2025, the Grand Prix in London, on Do It Easy, said he had never had Do It Easy even look at a fence before, and that he'd almost stopped at it, which caused the rail.
THE STRANGE happenings continued with Erynn Ballard''s De Flor 111 Z Santa Rosa stopping at the first fence in the eight horse jump-off after going clean in round one, which resulted in Ballard retiring.
Then Tanner Korotkin on Kinmar Qualify Hero and Marilyn Little on La Contessa tied for second with equal time of 42.77 in the jump-off, something that almost never happens.
Nine from the starting field of 43 qualified for the jump-off, with Mimi Gochman on Lumiere BH fourth in 43.46 and Canada's Chris Pratt on Ideaal ES fifth in 43.66
Nina Mallevaey of France on Destine To Be had four faults to place sixth in 39.60, and Simon McCarthy of Ireland on Leonardo S was seventh with eight faults in 46.78 with the two eliminated, Dean and Ballard, tied for eighth.
Along with her tie for second, Little was awarded the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award.
“Everything was delicate tonight which made it a tough course,” said Busca Roca, who has only shown under the lights at Wellington International twice before. “My horse is a dream. He’s a real warrior and put a lot of effort in tonight. There were some very fast riders behind me, so I had to give it a try. I went as fast as I could, and it worked for me.”
“The crowd here is pushing all the time,” said Busca Roca, who is based in Wellington. “It’s a good atmosphere, very good sport and always difficult to win here."
"Cristiano has a lot of blood, and he gets excited after a really fast round, so he’s always waiting for me to tell him what’s next,” said Busca Roca of the mount he has ridden since the gelding was 7.. “He’s a very special horse.”
As part of Wellington International’s all-new series of theme nights, a record crowd for the first Saturday Night Lights turned out in hats, boots and buckles for ‘Country Western Night.’
Earlier on Saturday, Canadian Olympian Erynn Ballard won the $30,000 National Grand Prix on Coconet, clean in the six horse jump-off in 36.922, with Marion Deslauriers, also of Canada, on Inside Of My Heart second, clean in 38.830, and Juan Manuel Gallego of Mexico on Lloyd third, clean in 40.770.
