Thursday, February 21 2013 / Published in General

Darragh Kenny and Twister Kick Off FTI WEF 7 with a Win in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2013 – Week seven of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Hermès, began on Wednesday morning at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, with a win for Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Cavallo Farms, LLC’s Twister in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumper speed class.

Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL, set the speed track for the 1.45m jumpers in the DeNemethy Arena at PBIEC. Fifteen entries showed and nine jumped the course without fault. Darragh Kenny and Twister completed the fastest round in 63.749 seconds for the win.

Chris Sorensen and the Jolly Group’s Wriomf finished second in 64.392 seconds. Ramiro Quintana and Maverick Ventures, LLC’s Largo were third in 65.266 seconds, and Conor Swail and Cloverleaf Farm’s Vancouver D.M.L. placed fourth in 67.421 seconds.

Darragh Kenny and Twister. Photo © Sportfot.

Twister, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Orlando x Beach Boy, is owned by young rider Caroline Spogli and trained by Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farms. Darragh Kenny started riding Twister this winter, the first week of FTI WEF competition, and will continue to show him throughout the circuit.

“I just ride it for Ken and Emily at the moment, keeping it jumping at a bigger level, and I think it is a really nice horse,” Kenny stated. “It has lots of scope and it is really careful. It has been really good in the 1.45m and the 1.50m classes so far this circuit.”

Commenting on the morning’s class, Kenny noted, “It was a really nice course. It was pretty straight forward and he was great. I could go a little bit faster because he was being very good, so that is a plus. It is easy when you have very good horses. He is fast and careful and he looks where he is going, so he makes it very easy.”

Kenny has been busy with many new horses this winter and has had a great circuit so far. He is grateful to the owners that have given him the opportunity to ride.

“It has been really successful,” he acknowledged. “I have a lot of different horses and they all seem to be going great; it is just keeping them at the level and keeping them happy. I am very lucky. I have a lot of great people involved in what I am doing and helping me a lot, so it makes a huge difference.”

Also showing on Wednesday in the DeNemethy Arena, Donald Cheska and Windswept Farm’s Imprimis won the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class and Jack Hardin Towell guided Jennifer Gates’ Man In Black to victory in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40 jump-off class.

Week seven of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Hermès, runs February 20-24, 2013. The week will feature World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) competition in the International Arena at the PBIEC all week.

The highlight WCHR Peter Wetherhill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular will be featured as the “Saturday Night Lights” main event. Also on Saturday is the Special Olympics Palm Beach County Equestrian Games.
International jumper competition highlight classes, the $30,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 (Thursday, 1 p.m.), the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic (Saturday, 1 p.m.), and the $50,000 Hermès Jumper Derby (Sunday, 3 p.m.) will be held at The Stadium at PBIEC on the grass derby field. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

ATTENTION JUNIOR FANS OF U.S. SHOWJUMPING!

As Nations Cup Night draws near, the United States is calling on all Junior fans to show their support. This weekend, Saturday, February 23, and Sunday, February 24, Junior and pony riders are invited to create and submit a poster for the “Team USA Poster Contest.” Two poster contest divisions will be offered 1.) Team USA Spirit and 2.) Current United States Team Horses. Winners will receive special TEAM USA prizes!

Poster supplies will be available in the Pony Pavilion covered seating area located near pony rings #11 & #12 from 9:00AM to 3:00 PM.

All contestants and their families are invited to the Nations Cup Reception on Friday, March 1, 6-7 PM held in the USA section of the Special Events Pavilion and will receive an official Team USA /USET Foundation baseball cap where the posters will be displayed and winners will be announced! Bring your team spirit and wear your Red, White and Blue!

Seating for the USA Cheering Section will also be available on the night of the Nations Cup on a first come, first serve basis starting at 6 PM in the USA section of the Special Events Pavilion.

Final Results $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumper Speed

1. TWISTER DARRAGH KENNY CAVALLO FARMS, LLC: 0/63.749

2. WRIOMF CHRIS SORENSEN JOLLY GROUP: 0/64.392

3. LARGO RAMIRO QUINTANA MAVERICK VENTURES, LLC: 0/65.266

4. VANCOUVER D.M.L. CONOR SWAIL CLOVERLEAF FARM: 0/67.421

5. ZONNEGLANS GEMMA PATERNOSTER GEMMA PATERNOSTER: 0/67.599

6. CROSSING JORDAN NICOLAS PIZARRO NICOLAS PIZARRO: 0/67.805

7. DAKOTA PAIGE JOHNSON SALAMANDER FARM: 0/68.490

8. CARLA ILAN BLUMAN ILAN BLUMAN: 0/70.756

9. SKYLUBET RICARDO NIZRI RICARDO NIZRI: 0/71.046

10. SWAGGER DEBORAH STEPHENS CENTENNIAL FARM: 4/64.110

11. HHS CHEIRO VANESSA MANNIX VANESSA MANNIX: 4/69.262

12. BALOU DU REVENTON LJUBOV KOCHETOVA LJUBOV KOCHETOVA: 7/80.829

Photo Credit: Photos © Sportfot, An Official Photographer of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, us.sportfot.com. These photos may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.

About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival

The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 9 through March 31. The FTI WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $7 million in prize money will be awarded.

About FTI Consulting

FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 3,800 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The company generated $1.56 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2011. More information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.

Please visit www.equestriansport.com or call 561-793-5867 for more information.