Déjà Vu for Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue, Second 5* Victory This Week

Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue are red hot. They scored another 5* victory this week at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala at the World Equestrian Center (WEC), this time in the $62,500 CSI5*-W speed class presented by Mars Equestrian on Saturday.

A deceiving stride

“She’s amazing,” said Great Britain's Maher of the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Plot Blue x Royal Bravour). “She obviously likes it here in Ocala. She has a deceiving stride. One minute she can have quite a big stride, and then it can get small very quick, which is what makes her so fast."

Going at the verticals followed by short distances

Speaking of his jump-off plan, Maher explained, “The double of verticals were early on, and I’m able to really ride at them. It’s slightly unconventional compared to some horses, where you have to be more careful, but I really trust her quality, and we know each other well. After that, some of the distances were short, but I was able to just keep a little bit of outside line and keep traveling forward, which made the lines slightly quicker. They got very, very close, but luckily, it worked for us today.”

If the names sound familiar this week...

it's because they are earning top ribbons within five days during a high-profile event.

Canadian Erynn Ballard and Her Game Ball BG, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, finished in second place, just eight one-hundredths of a second (0.08) behind Maher and Ginger-Blue.

Ballard and Her Game Ball BG (Carambole x Burggraaf NV) won the $32,000 CSI5*-W speed class on Wednesday.

Then there's American Laura Kraut, who finished in third place with Tres Bien Z (Toulon x Nabab de Reve), an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding, in the 1.50-meter class on Saturday.

World no. 3 Maher and Ginger-Blue won the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala Qualifier on Thursday. Ballard was second with Epsilon de Brenil, and Kraut was fifth with Tres Bien Z.

Saturday speed class stats

In the field of 32 in Saturday's 5* speed class, 14 jumped double clear.

Apart from first and second place, just 0.4 seconds separated sixth and ninth places.

Belgium's Pieter de Brabandere, aboard Dothraki Warlord, was the fastest four-faulter (4/57.66), coming in 15th.

Top 10 Results

1 Ben Maher (Great Britain) - GINGER-BLUE - 0/56.56

2 Erynn Ballard (Canada) - HER GAME BALL BG - 0/56.64

3 Laura Kraut (USA) - TRES BIEN Z - 0/57.12

4 Hunter Holloway (USA) - PEPITA CON SPITA - 0/57.30

5 Jordan Coyle (Ireland) - FOR GOLD - 0/57.77

6 Nina Mallevaey (France) - MY CLEMENTINE - 0/58.27

7 Jacob Pope (USA) - JECIBELLE - 0/58.30

8 Eduardo Pereira De Menezes (Brazil) - H5 MESSENTUS PS - 0/58.51

9 Nicola Philippaerts (Belgium) - H&M QUE SERA - 0/58.67

10 Tanimara María Macari Carrillo (Mexico) - QUENALA T - 0/59.68

In the 5* speed class that Erynn Ballard won earlier this week, some of the above horse-and-rider combinations also did well, including Hunter Holloway and Pepita con Spita (second); Nina Mallevaey and My Clementine (third), and Nicola Philappaerts and H&M Que Sera (fifth).

Mainly, the quotes were from a WEC Ocala press release.

Photo credit: Andrew Ryback Photography