CORK’s Simon McCarthy scored a four-star win at Palm Beach International Equestrian Centre in Wellington, Florida, last Sunday riding Rock Ridge Farms’ Gotcha.

The pair won the four-star $37,000 Dover Saddlery 1.50m Classic to score their first big win as a partnership. From a startlist of 21, seven made it through to the jump-off where just four produced a second clear round.

Third to go against the clock, McCarthy and the 10-year-old by Stakkato set the standard in 38.25 seconds with four left to tackle the track. As it turned out, no one could catch the Irishman and he secured the top prize of $12,210.

Canada’s Tiffany Foster and Artisan Farms LLC’s Vienna finished second with a double clear in 39.31 seconds. USA’s Jonathan McCrea finished third with Gazelle ES (0/0 40.81). Galway’s David O’Brien finished fifth with El Balou Old after a fence down against the clock.

“Gotcha is a 10-year-old mare that I have been riding for about a year. This is actually the first class we have won together. We have been second quite a few times this year,” McCarthy commented afterwards. “This was her last class of the year, so it is great to finish on a high note. She will get a break now until [the Winter Equestrian Festival], and we will aim her towards the Sunday 1.50m classes and some Grand Prix classes as well.

“I thought the course was fair without being overly big. The first course was long enough and the last line caught a few people, plus there were some careful spots with the skinny to the Liverpool, and then a scopey oxer to finish. You needed some gas in the tank to finish up that last line without faults. The designer did a fantastic job.”

ISH wins four-star Grand Prix

Cork’s Shane Sweetnam and Karlin Van’t Vennehof took runner-up spot in Saturday’s $214,000 four-star Grand Prix. Just six of the starting 39 competitors made it through to the jump-off, where three produced double clear rounds.

Sweetnam’s time of 39.64 seconds in the jump-off was just edged out by USA’s Catherine Tyree who won aboard the Irish Sport Horse gelding BEC Lorenzo. Bred by Brian Duff at Broadmeadows Equestrian Centre, the 11-year-old is by Livello out of the Guidam mare B.

Talking about the gelding, who was ridden by Anna Duff before being sold, Tyree said: “I’ve had BEC Lorenzo since the end of his seven-year-old year, and he is 11 now, so four years. We started at the 1.25m level, so his first big classes were our first together. We have a lot of experience together, but we just started jumping the big classes, like CSI4* classes, about 18 months ago,” Tyree remarked following her win.

“We really took our time to perfect a few things and to develop him. It’s been an absolute dream to work with him. It’s the story everybody wants when you get a young horse – to develop them and bring them to this level and hope they’re successful. He is such a good competitor and loves what he does.