WELLINGTON, Fla.--Lebanon’s Jad Dana on After Eight reached a milestone by winning the $78,000 CSI5* 1.50m Classic on Sunday, March 12.
The penultimate qualifier before the 1.50m Championship during WEF 11 was the first CSI5* win for both Dana and his mount.
Returning second to last in a 15-horse jump-off, Dana crossed the timers one hundredths of a second faster than Darragh Kenny of Ireland, who took over the lead early in the second round.
Alan Wade of Ireland designed the track for 56 entries, with six different nations represented in the jump-off.
Dana on After Eight finished clean in a time of 35.10 seconds, while Kenny was both second and third, with Vancouver Dreams second in 35.15 seconds and Chic Chic third in 36.04 seconds..
Egypt’s Nayel Nassar on Dorado de Riverland was fourth, clean in 36.17 seconds.
DANA WAS almost speechless after his victory.
“I went late in the jump-off, which is definitely an advantage because I got to see how fast they went,"said Dana. "Honestly, when I saw Nayel, who ended up fourth, I didn’t think I could beat him, and I thought it would be impossible to beat Darragh."
“Even though my mare is very fast, the riders today had so much experience and they are incredibly talented,” said Dana. “I truly thought I had no chance. I was happy to just be in the jump-off to start with. This mare tried her heart out for me today.”
Dana has seen success with After Eight, but he said that he had to work to be competitive with her unconventional style.
“The way she goes and the way she jumps is a little different, but you can tell she’s very hot and has a lot of blood,” said Dana. “She does everything because of her huge heart. I love her so much. I have no words.”
Sunday’s CSI5* first win for both Dana and After Eight came after a CSI3* 1.50m victory during opening week of international competition at WEF.
“I was thinking to myself today that I’m a very competitive person and I absolutely love to win but I also recognized that I was in a five-star and I hoped to enjoy it,” said Dana who trains with U.S. Olympic team gold medalist Leslie Howard. “Even if it wasn’t a win today, I am grateful and enjoyed the moment. To win a five-star is absolutely a dream come true. I didn’t wake up this morning thinking I had a chance really, but everything just went really well.”