Press release from Palm Beach Masters Series

The sun peeked out from the clouds Thursday at the Hampton Classic Horse Show CSI4*, as Brianne Goutal-Marteau (USA) sped to the top of the $10,000 Palm Beach Masters Open Jumper CSI4*.

Topping a field of more than 50 international pairs, Goutal-Marteau and longtime partner Zernike K mastered course designer Michel Vaillancourt’s track. Competing under the two-phase special format, Goutal-Marteau and the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding crossed the timers of the second speed phase in 29.01 seconds. Behind them were Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Kirschwasser SCF, who took runner up honors with a time of 29.70 seconds. Hardin Towell (USA) and Tupac van de Vrombautshoeve Z finished third; that duo’s time was 30.25 seconds.

“Once he jumped through the power phase, I just tried to go as fast as I could—take an inch here, take an inch away there in the turns—and it worked out well,” Goutal-Marteau said.

Goutal-Marteau has had Zernike K under her tutelage for more than six years. However, Thursday’s class marked their first international outing together since 2016, as Goutal-Marteau’s student Lilli Hymowitz had been campaigning the bay.

“My goal with this horse, because he’s a veteran, was to just take advantage of whatever he was going to jump,” Goutal-Marteau said. “I was happy with the way the footing felt and the way he was jumping."

The class was originally slated for Wednesday, but excessive rain forced its postponement to first thing Thursday morning, resulting in ideal conditions.

“It was amazing today,” Goutal-Marteau said. “I don’t know how many inches we must have gotten yesterday. I felt like it was deluging all day. Today, you’d barely know that we had that kind of weather yesterday. If you look out [at the field], there’s barely any track marks after watching [so many] horses turn and jump in all the same spots.”

The Palm Beach Masters Series is proud to support the Hampton Classic Horse Show CSI4* as it gears toward its fifth season. Both the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington and the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ USA will return to Deeridge Farms in 2020.

The Series kicks off Jan. 28—Feb. 2, 2020, with the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington, one of seven east coast qualifiers for the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Las Vegas, NV. From Feb. 11-16, 2020 the Palm Beach Masters hosts the only qualifier in the country for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final. The Nations Cup is show jumping's oldest and most celebrated team challenge, and the Palm Beach Masters Series® is in rarified air to be awarded the opportunity to host both the World Cup and Nations Cup in a two-week span. 

Beginning with one elite competition in 2016, the Palm Beach Masters Series has grown into one of the sport’s most prestigious and highly anticipated events of the year. Located at the spectacular Deeridge Farms in Wellington, FL, the events’ picturesque location, unrivaled hospitality, custom-built jumping rings and world-class facilities guarantee a one-of-a-kind experience for riders and spectators alike.

Tentative event schedules can be found at palmbeachmasters.com. Follow along there and on social media at @pbmastersevent for additional event dates and information.