MARK Bellissimo and a number of former majority owners of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre have bought back the equestrian venue, now called Wellington International, from Andreas Helgstrand’s Global Equestrian Group.

Bellissimo, Marsha Dammerman, Lisa Lourie, and Roger Smith formed a new entity called WI FL Acquisition, LLC to purchase Wellington International. Murray Kessler, former CEO of three Fortune 500 companies and former president of the United States Equetrian Federation (USEF) will serve as CEO of the company.

This acquisition includes Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) Management Company, the organisers of the ESP Annual Series, the Winter Equestrian Festival, as well as the Showgrounds Live platform and the Chronicle of the Horse publications.

Major expansion

Bellissimo commented: “This is an extraordinary opportunity to invest in the existing showgrounds, undergo major expansion and add new executive leadership to ensure Wellington remains the premier horse sport venue. We are committed to long-term ownership, ensuring the showgrounds thrive in Wellington for generations to come.”

Irishman Michael Stone, President of Wellington International, added: “Looking ahead, we are committed to making meaningful investments in facility upgrades and expansions. To ensure that these improvements meet the needs of our community, we will be actively seeking input from leaders, governing bodies, sponsors, partners, exhibitors, and others who play a vital role in shaping Wellington International’s future.”

Kessler, father of US London Olympian Reed Kessler, is considered to be a major coup. “I am excited to work with Wellington International President Michael Stone and his world-class management team to capitalise on this remarkable growth opportunity,” stated Kessler. “We will immediately be seeking input from community leaders, governing bodies, exhibitors and partners, as we develop and execute our plans that include significant investment for existing facility upgrades and the building of new world-class facilities on the expanded showgrounds.”

The centre was sold in 2021 to the Global Equestrian Group, which has activities in dressage, show jumping and events, the jewellery company Helgstrand Jewellery and equestrian appeal company Kingsland Equestrian, as well as other equestrian investments.

Wellington International is the largest and longest-running equestrian competition series in the world, hosting 42 weeks of competition annually across the equestrian disciplines. It stages the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) from January to April and contributes an estimated $400 million in economic impact to Palm Beach County. The venue is a home from home for many Irish show jumping riders during the winter circuit.