Pavarotti Rebounds To Take USEF WEG Selection Trial 4 But Spooner Stays On Top The Standings

After a disappointing 27^th placed finish in the third leg of the U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping World Equestrian Games Selection Trials on Wednesday, Todd Minikus and his Pavarotti returned to competition in top form today, March 5. The pair won the $30,000 1.60-meter Classic and USEF WEG Selection Trial 4, held in conjunction with the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.

Minikus and Pavarotti won Trial No. 1, and stayed in the hunt with two rails in Trial No. 2, before a disappointing performance in Trial No. 3, held in the unfamiliar Stadium.

“Anyone who can even spell horse had to realize that those were riding errors when we were over on the grass field,” said Minikus of his horse's 16 faults in Trial No. 3. “My owner and I had a serious discussion in the bathroom mirror as I was brushing our teeth, and he’s still not over it, but that’s the way owners go. That was disappointing. Generally I don’t make a habit of too many riding errors.”

Richard Spooner and Cristallo staunchly defended their spot atop the WEG Selection Trials Standings. Spooner posted one of four double-clear rounds, surprising himself as much as anyone else with his third-placed performance. The class was run as a speed round, but like the last trial, the competitors all rode for clear, rather than blue.

And that proved difficult enough.

“I think it would be very hard for a course designer to set three courses like he did the first part of the trials and do something new for the fourth round,” said Spooner of Guilherme Jorge’s tracks. “But today he did change it up: He made the time tighter.”

Five other riders managed to keep the jumps up but picked up a few seconds on the clock. Spooner had planned to allow himself the luxury of a single time fault, and he worried that he’d picked up 2 or 3 by the time he crossed the timers. But his efficiency in the turns made up for any extra time he’d accrued adding a stride up one line.

Neither of Nicole Shahinian-Simpson’s mounts ticked a pole all class, but up-and-comer Tristan picked up a single time fault, still not enough to move him from his second-placed spot in the standings. Her other partner, Kilkenny Rindo, posted his best performance of the trials, having logged scores of 4, 13 and 4 over the last three trials, promoting him to the 12^th placed spot in the standings. 

“He’s a very smart horse and very willing and able. He’s really coming into his own and enjoying it,” said Shahinian-Simpson of Tristan, owned by Ilan Federer. “I try to stay focused and take one round at a time. Every day is a new day and hopefully I’ll stay a little bit lucky and stay focused and get through one more class.”

Hillary Dobbs and Quincy B improved on their 8-fault performance in Trial No. 3, to log just a pair of time faults. Despite her third-placed ranking on the leaderboard, Dobbs was sober about her WEG prospects.