Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue Capture the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala Qualifier

World no. 3 Ben Maher took first place with Ginger-Blue in the $117,000 CSI5*-W on Thursday in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifier at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala. Maher was first to go in the jump-off, stopping the clock with a time the remaining 16 pairs could not catch with a clear round.

Canadian Erynn Ballard came the closest, nearly two-tenths of a second behind with Epsilon de Brenil, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding.

Ballard won the $32,000 CSI5*-W speed class on Wednesday with Her Game Ball BG.

World no. 8 Nina Mallevaey of France steered My Clementine, 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare, to a third-place finish, just 0.66 off Maher's trailblazing time on the 1.55-meter course.

Two who finished in the Top 10 had the time to beat Maher, but those pesky four faults!

Laura Kraut was the highest-placing U.S. rider, taking fifth place with Tres Bien Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding. The pair had a faster time than Maher and GInger-Blue, but four faults kept them from victory. Kraut also qualified for the jump-off with Dorado 212, but withdrew after the first round.

Ireland's Daniel Coyle also beat Maher's time, yet left the arena with four faults aboard Daydream.

In the field of 59, 18 qualified for the jump-off in which four went double clear.

Ginger-Blue enjoys some R&R in Florida

After two wins at the Brussels CSIO5* in August of 2025, Maher decided to let Ginger-Blue travel to Florida and rest for the remainder of the year. The rest period seems to have paid off, as Ginger-Blue returned to the show ring in January and has placed in the top three in every class in which she competed, racking up three international wins in a row.

“We’ve had Ginger-Blue since she was seven years old, so we know each other very well,” said Maher. “She has jumped five-star grands prix, won some big competitions earlier in her career but, in the last two years, we decided to very much pinpoint her in certain classes that she finds a little bit easier.

“You can see she’s such a trier,” he continued. “She gives everything. She’s very careful, and she really enjoys her job. The new plan was to give her a couple of months’ break, just because she’s a little bit older horse, and not for any real reason other than she deserved it.”

A new jump-off plan for Maher

Maher noted that he has been working to improve his strategy in recent jump-offs. “I felt like I wasn’t taking enough chances – enough risk – in the latter part of last year, so I’ve been working on putting it into practice,” he revealed. “It’s starting to pay off, and the horses are trusting that.”

Watch the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ NAL -Ocala HERE on ClipMyHorse.TV

Top 10 Results

1 Ben Maher (Great Britain) - GINGER-BLUE - 0/37.63

2 Erynn Ballard (Canada) - EPSILON DE BRENIL - 0/37.82

3 Nina Mallevaey (France) - MY CLEMENTINE - 0/38.29

4 Shane Sweetnam (Ireland) - JAMES KANN CRUZ - 0/39.13

5 Laura Kraut (USA) - TRES BIEN Z - 4/37.35

6 Daniel Coyle (Ireland) - DAYDREAM - 4/37.51

7 Tom Wachman (Ireland) - DO IT EASY - 4/38.93

8 Jacob Pope (USA) - HIGHWAY FBH - 4/41.82

9 Cian O'Connor (Ireland) - KENTUCKY TN - 4/42.37

10 Hilary Scott (Australia) - OAKS MILKY WAY - 4/43.92

Ben Maher finished 35th with his other mount - Nighthawk - on five faults (four jumping and one time) in the first round of the class presented by Ethel M. Chocolates.

The week culminates with the $300,000 1.60m CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Ocala presented by MARS Equestrian on Saturday evening, February 14.

Some of this article was derived from a WEC Ocala press release.

Photo credit: Andrew Ryback Photography