WELLINGTON, Fla.-- Karl Cook on Candy won the $200,000, CSIO4* Grand Prix on Sunday, March 1, just one day after riding Caracole de la Roque on the winning U.S. team in the Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Karl Cook on Candy (Photo by Sportfot)A five-horse jump-off that included four nations set the stage for another face-off between the U.S. and Ireland, which had finished a close second to the U.S. in the Nations Cup..
After a flat-out gallop and leaving out a stride to the final fence over Steve Stephens and Nick Granat’s course, Cook and Candy set an uncatchable time of 36.87 seconds.
An extra stride in the same final line from Irish Olympian Darragh Kenny on Colibelle Hero Z left him second in a time of 37.72 seconds.
FIRST TO GO in the jump-off, Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam finished third in 37.75 seconds on Coriaan van Klapscheut Z.
Mclain Ward on Jordan Molga M was fourth with four faults in 37.40, Erynn Ballard of Canada on Dior was fifth, four faults in 40.05, and Marilyn Little on Heidi von Imhoff was sixth with two time faults in round one.
“The last line was eight or nine strides, but the eight was a tall ask,” said Cook. “The way we jumped in—I had to go look at my landing prints during the prizegiving—was so far to the right, I wasn’t planning to have that much of an inside line, but that made the eighth.”
The jump-off was packed with riders who have represented their nations at the Olympic Games, so the win didn't come easily.
“Jump-offs like this, you have to focus on yourself and what you’re capable of,” said Cook, an Olympic team silver medalist. “That was only our second jump-off together. I’ve had Candy for a while, but haven’t been jumping clear. We did everything we could today, and it was enough.”
Cook has taken his time with Candy, who joined his string at the end of the 2024 WEF season and rounds out his international lineup of speedy mares.
“Like any relationship, you build and build, and a lot of times it feels like you’re on a plateau, and then all of a sudden it changes,” said Cook. “Every day, I’m finding little things that we can do better. Her big strength is her power, so it’s figuring out how you can let that power shine and ride her to her strengths.”
Cook on his Paris Games mount Caracole de la Roque, will compete in the $1m Grand Prix, a Rolex Series Event during the final week at WEF, before heading to Europe to try to make the U.S. team for the World Championships in Aachen, Germany in August.
Nations Cup week on home soil at WEF is special.
“The U.S. has two Nation Cups, but the rest of the time you’re overseas," said Cook. "And while those shows are really fun, it’s also fun to be home. The crowd here is great, and you really felt that this week.”
