Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue Claim the Blue in the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix

No stranger to the winner’s circle, reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher (GBR) concluded a successful weekend at Equestrian Village during the ESP September horse show on Sunday, grabbing the top spot in the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix aboard Jane Forbes Clark’s Ginger-Blue. The quick-footed partnership bested the class of 24 entries hailing from 11 nations, which added another victory to Maher’s list after finishing one-two in the $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Stake earlier in the week on Forbes Clark’s Tic Tac and Ginger-Blue, respectively.
“These horses have been here the whole summer, so the last time they jumped was the $500,000 [Rolex Grand Prix CSI5*] class in April,” noted Maher. “I’m very lucky to be a part of the team with Jane [Forbes] Clark as they keep them fit for me. This week was a good week to come as it is always an amazing show over here on this side of the street.“
Friday featured the $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Stake, which saw 28 partnerships vie for the top spot in the class. Maher made the most of his two entries in the competition and finished one-two ahead of the rest of the field. Maher and Tic Tac led the way with a victorious time of 44.19 seconds without any faults in the jump-off, followed by Maher’s other Forbes Clark entry, Ginger-Blue, in second position with a double-clear time of 45.03 seconds.
Alannah Wagstaff (USA) and Great Thing, owned by Mill Pond Farm Inc., jumped to first prize in the $5,000 Premier Equestrian 1.35m Stake on Saturday. Out of five jump-off qualifiers, Wagstaff and Great Thing finished the class as the quickest of only two double-clear pairs with a leading time of 41.42 seconds.
Hadley Becker of Wellington, FL, and her own Lyranta Van’t Gebroekt earned the blue ribbon on Sunday in the Medium Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic, as well as the division championship.
The $2,500 Low Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic presented by Equiline saw Caroline Michele Dugas of Vestavia, AL, and her own Skyfall clinch the top honors to round out a successful weekend, which included the championship tricolors.
Sunday’s action concluded the ESP September horse show, but the 2022 ESP Summer Series will continue in a few short days with the ESP Florida State Fall & Region 10 ASPCA/NHSAA Maclay Championship, which will run from September 22-25, 2022.
HSJ

Press Release WEF
Photo ©Anne Gittins Photography – Ben Maher and Ginger-Blue, pictured with Susie Wong, Feed Sales & Technical Representative Equine Specialist on behalf of Nutrena, won the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix.