Nick Skelton and Big Star (Sportfot)

Wellington, FL - First thing Thursday morning, there were 26 entries in the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 11. The class saw 11 clear rounds advance to the jump-off, and once again it was Nick Skelton and Beverley Widdowson's Big Star that sped to the win. They knocked almost two seconds off the winning time and finished in 33.77 seconds. Ben Maher, who went first in the jump-off with Tripple X 111, led for almost the whole jump-off with a time of 35.39 seconds, which would stay in second place. Laura Kraut and Joan Kalman's Woodstock O put in a time of 35.61 seconds for third place.

Skelton has had an unbelievable circuit, with nine major wins. The list of his results include:
Week 1: $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix - 2nd with Unique, Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Unique
Week 2: Suncast 1.50m - 2nd with Unique, WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Carlo 273
Week 3: WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Carlo 273
Week 4: $80,000 Adequan Grand Prix - 1st with Big Star
Week 7: Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Big Star
Week 8: $150,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix - 1st with Carlo 273, Suncast 1.50 - 2nd with Unique, WEF Challenge Cup - 2nd with Carlo
Week 9: Suncast 1.50m - 1st with Unique
Week 10: $80,000 Pennfield Feeds Grand Prix - 1st with Big Star
Week 11: WEF Challenge Cup - 1st with Big Star

Skelton, who is 54 years old, admitted that he's never had a circuit like this, but also that, "I've never been to a circuit as long as this." He recalled, "Years back at Wembley and the Horse of the Year Show, I hadn't won a ribbon. It started on a Monday and I hadn't won a ribbon until Thursday. I won a class on Thursday and then I won every one after that until the end. I won 10 classes on the balance. That's the best I've done. I won six in two days once (too)."

Of Big Star, he said, "This horse is going great. He's come along leaps and bounds. He's only nine years old."

Skelton noted that while nothing is really different this year, his key has been to try and keep his horses fresh. "I know you would say, 'Oh god he jumps those horses all the time.' But I haven't actually gone crazy with them. Unique jumped almost every week, but the first week he jumped three classes and then he's jumped once a week. He didn't jump last week. He hasn't over-jumped really. For Big Star, he's jumped but I haven't gone mad at him. He probably jumps more than others because he jumps a lot of clear rounds. But he's feeling well."

He compared, "The thing is here, we haven't got all of the traveling to do, like in Europe. There you've got to put them on a truck after three days, travel 2,000 miles and then off the truck and jump again, then back on the truck. There's a lot of traveling involved in Europe, which tires them out. You haven't got that here."

Skelton said that he plans to ride Carlo 273 in next week's $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* on March 31. "At the end of the day, he's still a little more experienced and has a couple years on Big Star," he said.

Hunter & Equitation Riders Wow in Week Eleven

Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, wowed judges this week in the High Performance Working Hunter division atop her mount, Taken. Farmer scored three firsts and a third over fences and finished second under saddle to claim the championship tricolor with 40 points. Reserve honors went to Cynthia Williams of Somers, NY, atop her eight-year-old German Warmblood, Smoking Gun. Williams collected a second, third and two fifths over fences and topped the under saddle to bring home the reserve tricolor with 22 points.

The winning steed, Taken, is a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood imported by Ali Nilforushan, and owned by Nancy Amling. The bay gelding began his show career in 2010 as a First Year Green Working Hunter, and has since competed as a Second Year Green, High Performance and 3'3" Amateur-Owner hunter. This week's victory earned Taken the Sanctuary Peak Performance Award along with a gift certificate to The Sanctuary at PBIEC.

Following the championship presentation, Farmer commented on Taken's performance in the show ring. "He's like a big lazy pony," Farmer explained. "You have to get his blood up and remind him that he has to try hard. Yesterday, he was just a little rusty and had a few rubs, but he won a class and was third in the other. Today, he was definitely trying hard. He just needed to be reminded that he was jumping big jumps again."

Describing Taken's personality, Farmer continued, "He's a big ham, really. He thinks he's the coolest kid on the block, and he probably is. He'd be the kid that got away with everything. He would come home and be like, 'I didn't do it mom, seriously,' and I'd be like, 'Oh, you're too good, you didn't do it.'"

According to Farmer, Taken refuses to jog for ribbons without carrots for encouragement. "He demands his carrots," Farmer joked. "He's always been like that, too, since the very beginning. I remember the first time we showed him as a First Year horse and he stuck right in the middle of the ring! But, believe me, he's won enough now to deserve to act however he wants."

In the coming weeks, Farmer hopes to add yet another victory to Taken's list of accomplishments, and will compete in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby held during Week 12 of FTI WEF.

In the equitation arena today, Schaefer Raposa of Clinton, NY, demonstrated her versatility as a hunter/jumper rider, winning the WIHS Equitation overall. Raposa finished second in the WIHS Jumper Phase and third in the Hunter Phase of competition atop her mount, French Kiss, an entry owned by Heritage Farm, Inc. Second place honors went to Catherine Tyree and her mount, Co Co Pop, while Charlottoe Jacobs and Stallone VDL claimed third.

The eleventh week of the FTI WEF continues tomorrow with the Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge and the Low Adult Hunter 2'6", among many other classes. The George H. Morris Excellence in Equitation class will be the highlight class in the International Arena. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

Final Results: $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 11
1 BIG STAR NICK SKELTON BEVERLEY WIDDOWSON: 0/0/33.77
2 TRIPPLE X 111 BEN MAHER BEN MAHER & MRS. PHILLIPS: 0/0/35.39
3 WOODSTOCK O LAURA KRAUT JOAN KALMAN: 0/0/35.61
4 ROYCE MARGIE ENGLE ELM ROCK LLC: 0/0/36.01
5 OSCAR DU ROZEL JOHANNES EHNING EQUESTRIAN SPORTS GMBH: 0/0/36.14
6 LIGIST REED KESSLER REED KESSLER: 0/0/36.43
7 SILVER EXCHANGE II DAVID MCPHERSON DAVID MCPHERSON: 0/0/36.50
8 URSULA XII TINA FLETCHER LADY HARRIS: 0/0/38.43
9 MALOU MEREDITH MICHAELS-BEERBAUM CAMILLA ANDERSON: 0/0/40.13
10 V KATHERINE MONAHAN-PRUDENT: 0/4/35.58
11 VANDAVID CATHERINE PASMORE PASMORE STABLES: 0/17/54.08
12 AZZARO VAN'T HAGENHOF LAURA KRAUT SUSAN GRANGE: 4/79.66