Timing is everything as Ben Maher secures victory in the final week of the three-month tour at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida in this week’s international round-up
Monday 31 March 2025
Ben Maher pushed on through the pain of a broken foot to win the Adequan WEF Challenge in week 12 on Point Break, who was making a flying visit to the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International in Florida, USA.
“Point Break just flew in this week,” said Ben, of Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s 11-year-old Action-Breaker x Balou Du Rouet stallion’s quick detour between the Dutch Masters and the FEI World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland. “He arrived on Sunday and flew back to Europe on Friday, so he came, did his job and left.”
Ben broke his foot two days earlier in a freak accident.
“I opened the back of the car and a heavy piece of machinery fell on it,” explained Ben, whose broken bones remain in alignment while he sports a riding boot with a special synthetic sole for support, allowing him to compete.
Ben made the win sound simple, but 24 of the original 59 entries jumped initial clears over Rio 2016 course-designer Guilherme Jorge’s track – although eight withdrew at this point to leave 16 against the clock. And with six of the world’s to 10 amongst the contenders, Ben – ranked at currently Number 5 – was in good company.
Drawn in the latter stages of the jump-off, Ben stuck to his plan and it paid off as he relegated The USA’s long-time leader and World Number 2 Kent Farrington on Toulayna into second spot by 1.15 seconds.
“To be honest, I didn’t watch Kent today; I’ve made that mistake a couple of times this season already,” said Ben on Kent’s two five-star Grand Prix wins during the 2025 Wellington International season. “I think the distances were quite forward for me; I was always moving and always going forward. Everything came up nicely today and it was great to get a win on board for the team.”
Ben has registered wins and several top five places on this three-month tour, but a WEF Challenge victory had eluded him until now.
“It’s sometimes the timing, I’ve had a lot of second places with Enjeu [de Grisien] and Dallas [Vegas Batilly] in the Grands Prix here, so sometimes you feel you just need that one result to change the mentality of the team and give us all a little hope.”
A win in Wellington is always hard to achieve, especially when the world’s top riders show up in larger numbers each year.
“It would be nice to avoid them to be honest!” he laughed. “Competition is always tough here, but I think more and more of the world’s best coming here. Obviously, bigger prize money and updating the facilities here are making a difference. It’s tough to win and it raises the standards of the course-builders, the whole sport in general and the riders. Nothing is for free here and we take every win we can get.
Harry Charles claimed victory in day one’s Bainbridge 5* 1.40m speed with the 12-year-old Sherlock (Bisquet Balou C x Malito De Reve), besting the 48 entries to impressively win with almost six seconds in hand.
Jess Mendoza topped the £32,000 Vogel 2* 1.45m with new ride VDL Stella. Twelve of the 73 starters qualified for the jump-off, Jess and the Cardento 933 x Baloubet Du Rouet 13-year-old edging ahead to win by 0.57 seconds.
Max Routledge topped a Six-year-old on Ocella with the sole double clear in a three-horse decider.
Nathan Bull secures a Gold 1.45m win on the MET Spring tour in Spain
Nathan Bull jumped to the top in an early Gold 1.45m with Balloon P on the final week of the Mediterranean Equestrian Spring Tour in Oliva Nova, Spain.
Sixty-five competitors contended over a 12-fence, 14-effort 1.45m with mid-drawn Nathan finding the shortest route on the Balou Du Rouet x Landcapitol 11-year-old stallion to win by 0.86 seconds.
Chris Franks slipped Kannabalou into second in Friday’s 87-strong Gold 1.45m speed, the Balou Du Rouet x Kannan 12-year-old finishing 0.80 seconds behind the pace. Alex Barr eased Preben Van DE Doornakkers into third. Chris scored a winning double on Lex in an early Silver 1.25m and a Silver 1.30m.
James Smith had to settle for third in a tight 75-horse Gold 1.45m two-phase with Juno Rose 23, the 11-year-old Erdento daughter finishing 0.33 seconds behind the winner.
Joe Clayton claimed a victory double with the consistent 11-year-old Expenditure (Billy Congo x Cicero Van Paemel). Winners the previous week, the pair scored two Bronze 1.40m wins, the first a speed by 0.83 seconds and the last the Bronze 1.40m Final with 2.71 seconds to spare in an 11-strong jump-off.
Faye Adams was another 1.40m winner, beating 46 rivals in this 13-fence Gold speed competition by 0.79 seconds on her speedy long-term campaigner, the Quasimodo Z 17-year-old Demograaf.
Madison Heath notched up a hat-trick of wins. Ivory stepped up to the plate in the Gold 1.30m on two occasions, the 12-year-old Don VHP Z x Cartogran mare winning as two-phase by 2.33 seconds and a Gold 1.30m speed by 0.67 seconds.
Earlier in the week, Madison topped the Six-year-old 1.30m Final with Ti Amore Van De Doornhaag. Twenty of the original 60 starters returned to contend the jump-off, Madison and the Emerald Van Ruytershof x Toulon mare claiming the top spot by 0.31 seconds over second-placed Taisie de Gruchy on Tuscon 45. The win also earned the MET Young Horse Trophy Six-year-old by a clear 10 points for the most consistent in the Six-year-old classes on this tour.
Lee Williams had to settle for second in the Five-year-old 1.20m Final with the Cicero Z Van Paemel daughter Cicerouna, missing out on a win by only 0.07 seconds, but the results was sufficient to take the top spot on the podium in the MET Young Horse Champion Trophy for Five-year-olds six points ahead.
Other British winners included Sammie-Jo Coffin heading a Gold 1.35m speed on Elsalvador Van’t Schaaphof Z by almost three seconds, Ria Ward winning a Bronze 1.30m speed on Loughlans Bridge and Charlie Rae Nelson securing the top two places in a Five-year-old two-phase with Malibu and Ubayo Prinseveld DSC.
Jack Whitaker narrowly missed out on a world ranking win in Arezzo
Jack Whitaker steered Equine America Valmy De La Lande into second in a Gold 1.50m on the Toscana Tour in Arezzo, Italy.
A 13-fence, 16-effort 1.50m track designed by Louis Konickx (NED) reduced the big entry of 96 to 13 for the jump-off, the 16-year-old Mylord Carthago stallion finishing only 0.05 seconds behind the winner, The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders on Mr Tac.
Robert Murphy claims world ranking points in Italy
Robert Murphy claimed third in a strong 4* Grand Prix with Kannem JA Z in Gorla Minor, Italy.
Twelve of the 50 riders forward over the 1.55m course found the key to gain access to the jump-off, Robert and the Kannan x Lux Z 10-year-old one of four double clears to finish third 0.87 second behind the winning time set by Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer on Nadale Van Dorperhiede.
Ellen Whitaker guided Korlenski into third in an early 55-horse 4* 1.50m speed, the 10-year-old Cornet Obolensky daughter finishing 1.32 seconds off the winning time set by Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya on Quadrado.
Millie Allen slipped the eight-year-old Viarca PS into second place in the 58-strong 4* 1.40m two-phase 0.78 seconds off the pace.
Annabel Shields claims a world ranking podium place in Lier
Annabel Shields jumped Creevagh Carisma into third in the world ranking 1.45m at Azelhof Spring Tour in Lier, Belgium.
Seventy-six riders tackled the 2* speed class over a 12-fence, 15-effort 1.45m track with Annabel and the Camiro De Haar Z 15-year-old slipping into third place 1.40 seconds off the winning time. George Whitaker was close behind to ease Peanut into fourth.
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