BRAZIL’s Alvaro `Doda’ de Miranda landed the spoils in last Sunday’s $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida on his 10-year-old Dutch warmblood gelding AD Argos.

Mexico’s Sofia Larrea and Jumex Sport Archimides finished second while Britain’s Nick Skelton placed third aboard Deauville S over the course designed by Venezuela’s Leopoldo Palacios. From 58 entries, just 14 clear rounds advanced to the jump-off. There were nine different countries represented by riders in the top 12 finishers. Nine were clear over the shortened course in an exciting race to the finish where De Miranda and AD Argos, owned by the rider and Victory Equestrian Sport BV, had the winning time of 32.23 seconds.

Larrea and Monica Burillo’s Jumex Sport Archimides stopped the clock in 33.05 for second. Skelton and Julius Peter Sinnack’s Deauville S finished third in 33.32. Russia’s Ljubov Kochetova took fourth in a time of 33.49 with her own Balou du Reventon.

Offaly’s Darragh Kenny was 10th on Quiz, an 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding (by For Pleasure x Laudanum), owned by Spruce Meadows. They were clear in round one and had an unfortunate four faults in the jump-off in a time of 33.09.