Todd Minikus and Kiekeboe Spirit Have What It Takes in Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Premiere Round

Todd Minikus (USA) started his jump-off in the $35,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Premier Round on Thursday with a top-five finish as his only goal. Kiekeboe Spirit, however, had other plans. The nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Darius x Game Boy), owned by the Spirit Group, carried Minikus to an early victory during opening week of the 2024 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). 
“I watched Darragh go, it looked nice and fast and I thought, ‘well, I’ll probably be riding for fifth’,” said Minikus. He pipped both Richard Vogel (GER) and Darragh Kenny (IRL), who sat one-two before he entered the International Ring. “Everyone knows that it’s not about how you start but how you finish, but it’s always good to get a positive start [to the season].”  

The pair’s jump-off round was a telling sign of their promised success, “I came in on an angle to the combination, which is a question you usually give to a veteran horse, not a green horse, but he came up with the right answer. Once I felt like he was really game, I took the final inside turn which was not part of my original track, but got us the win,” explained Minikus. 
While Minikus and Kiekeboe are making their WEF debut this week, they trace their roots back to Wellington when Minikus first spotted the horse last season. 
“My team and I kept an eye on him and took all the chances we could to see him in the ring. We saw him jump clear from 1.30m all the way to 1.45m,” recalled Minikus, who finally added the mount to his string in July. 

Final results

Todd Minikus & Kiekeboe Spirit, winners of the $35,000 Adequan® WEF Challenge Cup Premier Round. Photo © Sportfot

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