Lillie Keenan and Kick On Kick Off Their First Win in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix
Lillie Keenan and Kick On Kick Off Their First Win in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix
Lillie Keenan and Kick On ride to the win in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix. Photo by EQ Media
Mayakka City, Fla. - March 16, 2024 - Thirty five horse-and-rider combinations from nine countries took center stage this morning for the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix at the TerraNova Winter Series Week III. The first-round track produced just four clear riders in a star-studded lineup that included four Olympians, but it was Lillie Keenan (USA) and Kick On (Warrior x Sussex Caretino) who emerged victorious.
Mauricio Garcia Ballesteros’ (PUR) CSI2* grand prix course had 16 jumping efforts with an adjusted time allowed of 83 seconds. The first-round track began with a large triple bar approached on the left or right lead, followed by three combinations: a vertical-oxer one stride, an oxer-vertical two stride, and a vertical-vertical one stride. Though the course looked inviting at first glance, the time allowed proved tight with four riders jumping clear rounds but finishing outside the time allowed.
"My original thought with the time allowed was to be tight, but I think I got it tighter than I anticipated,” Ballesteros said. “When I built the track, I wanted to give a bit of height. Everything was a little bit far away. People were saying ‘Oh, it's nice, it's easy,’ but having a wide track like that, you’re going to have rails.”
The jump-off track, a short course with a time allowed of 43 seconds, included eight jumping efforts giving riders the opportunity to save time with tight inside turns. Stella Stinett (USA) returned first and laid down a clean and quick round to finish in 43.40 seconds. When Luiz Francisco de Azevedo (BRA) navigated the inside turn from jump four and the decorative water feature, Keenan, who returned last, knew she could beat the time.
"I had designed the course last week, and I didn’t expect to have the pond in the middle,” Ballesteros said. “So I tweaked the course to flow with the pond included, but that's one of the beauties of this, is that people are always going to find a way to try to find a gap for time. Lillie was amazing, she really saw the gap and it was just a masterpiece.”
Kick On, the 10-year-old entry of Chansonette Farm LLC, is a relatively new addition to Keenan’s string, but the pair felt right at home in the Lakeside Arena.
Lillie Keenan and Kick On lead the victory gallop in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix. Photo by EQ Media.
"I only bought him at the end of last year from David Blake and Amanda Derbyshire,” Keenan said. “We just started jumping FEI two or three weeks ago. Before that he had really just jumped nationally in England, and even though he's ten, he maybe doesn't have the most international experience. You wouldn’t know that riding him; I think that he's an incredibly talented horse and there's just something about him that we get along so well.”
The win caps off Keenan’s first trip to TerraNova. “I actually came here for experience, a change of scenery and to give my horses a nice week that wasn't too much pressure,” she said. “I really loved that today we had a chance to push ourselves. The turn in the jump-off I actually hadn't planned, and then I saw Luiz do it successfully and I thought I'd rather learn how to do it here with him then at the last moment. But he acted like he had done it every day of the week, so I’m just really privileged that I have such a special horse and that we get to jump at such a fantastic place like TerraNova!”
Stella Stinnett and Storiall Blue ride to second place in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix. Photo by EQ Media
Following 3.3 seconds behind Keenan was Stinnett aboard the Heathman Farm LLC’s Storiall Blue (Stakkato x Corialla), who spent last winter training under Keenan’s tutelage. “This is my first time competing against Lillie, but I don’t think the student was ready to surpass the master just yet,” Stinnett said. “We’ve worked so hard to get here. This horse is everything to me and I just thought about being good for him.”
Azevedo aboard Perte Totale de Res Nova finished third in the $65,000 The Estates at TerraNova FEI 1.45m Grand Prix. Photo by EQ Media
Rounding out the top three was Brazilian rider Luiz Fransisco de Azevedo aboard Perte Totale de Res Nova (Comme I’m Faut x Musica Do Magico), a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding. “We love showing here,” Azevedo said. “It’s a great atmosphere and the horses love it.”
Hear from Lillie Keenan about her winning round!
Shannon E. Hicks and Halo De Maugre Win the $20,000 Laughlin Tanner Group at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty 1.35M National Grand Prix
Shannon E. Hicks and Halo de Maugre won the $20,000 Laughlin Tanner Group at Premier Sotheby's International Realty 1.35m National Prix. Photo by EQ Media
Following the grand prix, the $20,000 Laughlin Tanner Group at Premier Sotheby's International Realty 1.35m National Prix had 15 entries try their hand in a 16-effort track followed by an immediate jump-off. In the end, it was Shannon E. Hicks (St. Louis, Missouri) and Halo de Maugre (For Pleasure x Finesse Du Seigneur) who secured the win by more than one second.
The course, set by Puerto Rico’s Mauricio Garcia Ballesteros, had a first-round time allowed of 83 seconds, extended to 90 seconds after the first three horse-and-rider combinations. The track began on a wide oxer set towards the VIP pavilion with three combinations to navigate throughout the course. Riders had opportunities to shave time by taking a tight right-hand rollback to the last line. The jump off, with a set time of 43 seconds, afforded similar opportunities, including the option to slice the final jump by finding a gap inside of the decorative pond in the Lakeside Arena.
For Halo de Maugre, Helen Gilbert’s 7-year-old Selle Francais gelding, who finished the jump off on a time of 37.508 seconds, the win marked multiple firsts.
This was actually the first big 1.35m class he’s jumped,” Hicks said. “And to win it, obviously I was ecstatic with how he performed.”
Being the biggest track of Halo de Maugre’s career, Hicks’ plan for the short course depended on his confidence in the first round. “He’s a fast horse naturally,” Hicks explained. “I thought he handled the first round so well that I was like, ‘I just have to go for it. He feels comfortable, I'm going to go!’”
Hicks is no stranger to the winners circle in the Lakeside Arena, having won the 1.40m Welcome Stake at the Sarasota Winter Classic at TerraNova Equestrian Center in January. “Honestly, what is there not to love about showing at TerraNova? I think it’s the greatest facility in the United States. It’s amazing.”
Luis Pedro Biraben and Solaguayre Sandalo finished in second in the $20,000 Laughlin Tanner Group at Premier Sotheby's International Realty 1.35m National Prix. Photo by EQ Media
Argentina's Luis Pedro Biraben secured the reserve honors with a jump-off time of 38.536 seconds aboard Solaguayre Sandalo (Sandro Boy x Corralina), a warmblood gelding owned by La Cuadra Stables LLC.
"I thought the course today rode nice and easy,” Biraben said. “He’s a young horse, just 9 years old. Now I feel like he’s prepared to do the grand prix classes in the next few months and for the rest of the year.”
Victoria Ketchum and Arusha jumped to third in the $20,000 Laughlin Tanner Group
at Premier Sotheby's International Realty 1.35m National Prix. Photo by EQ Media
The top three was rounded out with Victoria Ketchum (Wellington, Florida) aboard Arusha (Eldorado Van de Zeshoek x Stakkora), a 12-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Copperline Farm LLC, who finished on with a jump-off time of 39.799.
TerraNova Winter Series Week III competition continues Saturday, March 17, with the $3,000 1.20m Junior/Amatuer Jumper Classic and the $3,500 1.30m Junior/Amatuer Jumper Classic, presented by Forget Me Not Farm.
Watch Shannon E. Hicks winning round!
TerraNova Winter Series
What: Exciting four weeks of hunter/jumper competition in a family-friendly, country setting with boutique shopping, food truck fare and VIP experiences.
Where: TerraNova Equestrian Center
31625 Clay Gully Rd
Myakka City, FL 34251
When: Week III: March 13-17. Week IV: March 20-24.
Time: Daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission and Parking: Free to the public. VIP experience is available for purchase- link below.
Other information: This is an outdoor event. Wear comfortable shoes or boots and dress for the weather. Bleacher seating.
TerraNova Media Contact: Carrie Wirth | Carrie@EQMedia.agency | (612) 209-0310
TerraNova Winter Series continues with Week III and IV March 13-17 and March 20-24.
Book your accommodations with our hotel partners and save big on room rates. Hotels become booked quickly this time of year, and we recommend making reservations as soon as possible.