Aboard a horse he’s developed over the past four years , Spain’s Gonzalo Busca Roca won his first Saturday Night Lights competition, the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission Grand Prix CSI3*, in just his third attempt at the Winter Equestrian Festival’s weekly night class.
Busca Roca was full of praise of Cristiano Obolensky, a 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cornet Obolensky—Eskkato, Stakkato) he co-owns with Stud V.V. BVBA and has brought up from the young horse levels.
“My horse is a dream,” Gonzalo Busca Roca said of Cristiano Obelsensky, the horse he rode to the top of the $140,000 Palm Beach County Sports Commission Grand Prix CSI3* on Jan. 10 at Wellington International (Fla.). “He’s a real warrior and put a lot of effort in tonight.” Sportfot Photo“Everything was delicate tonight which made it a tough course,” Busca Roca said of Nick Granat’s course, which saw nine pairs advance to the jump-off. “My horse is a dream. He’s a real warrior and put a lot of effort in tonight. There were some very fast riders behind me, so I had to give it a try. I went as fast as I could, and it worked for me.”
In a 40-horse field where 14 countries were represented, Busca Roca took the top spot with a time of 41.70 seconds, while U.S. riders Tanner Korotkin and Marilyn Little tied for second on a time of 42.77 riding Kinmar Quality Hero and La Contessa, respectively. Along with her second-place finish, Little was awarded the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award.
“The crowd here is pushing all the time,” said Busca Roca, who is based in Wellington, Florida, with Kalany Stables—of the electric atmosphere under the lights of WEF. “It’s a good atmosphere, very good sport and always difficult to win here.
“[Cristiano] has a lot of blood, and he gets excited after a really fast round, so he’s always waiting for me to tell him what’s next,” he added. “He’s a very special horse.”
Watch their winning jump-off round, courtesy of Wellington International:
From here, Cristiano Obolensky will enjoy a few weeks of rest before taking aim at the CSI4* on the grass derby field during WEF 4.
A tradition at Wellington International, Busca Roca’s groom Carmela Martini was presented with the Double H Farm Grooms Award and $500 prize for her care and preparation of the winning horse.