"When you have to push the limits, you have to try. In a long gallop like that to the last jump, there’s no other strategy," Gonzalo Busca said after his victory in the CSI4* $117,000 LeMieux Grand Prix qualifier. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Press release from World Equestrian Center - Ocala, edited by World of Showjumping
A perfect Florida morning set the stage for the CSI4* $117,000 LeMieux Grand Prix qualifier, where 31 horse-and-rider combinations contested top honors. Last to go, Gonzalo Busca of Spain secured the victory aboard Kalany Stables’ Cristiano Obolensky (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato), edging out the competition by just one tenth of a second.
Ireland’s Colm Quinn, an FEI Level 3 course designer, set an intricate track that featured a delicate triple combination and technical lines throughout. In the end, 11 combinations produced clear first rounds, but only four managed double-clear efforts.
Gonzalo Busca and Cristiano Obolensky stand for their first-place photo. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
McKayla Langmeier (USA) was the first to return for the jump-off and set the early standard aboard Rafferty Farm LLC’s nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion Riesling van de Gaathoeve (Iron Man vd Padenborre x Diamant de Semilly), stopping the clock in 39.15 seconds.
Several riders attempted to catch her time but were unable to do so without faults. Second to last in the order, Daniel Bluman (ISR) entered the arena determined to claim another win. He piloted Over The Top Stables LLC’s 15-year-old KWPN mare Gemma W (Luidam x Unaniem) to a blazing round, breaking the beam in 37.37 seconds to take over the lead.
Daniel Bluman and Gemma W scored another podium finish taking home second place. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
As the final rider, Busca knew he would have to take risks. “I was lucky to go last,” he shared. “At the beginning, I saw that McKayla was in the lead for a long time, and she was really fast. She had a really nice course. And just before me, Daniel jumped with Gemma. That’s a really, really fast combination. They’re always very competitive, and they were really quick. I didn’t know if I would be able to beat them, but I gave it a try,” he expressed. “When you have to push the limits, you have to try. In a long gallop like that to the last jump, there’s no other strategy.”
Busca and Cristiano Obolensky answered the challenge, flying through the timers in 37.20 seconds to claim the win.
The Spanish rider also reflected on his longtime partnership with the now 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “I started riding Cristiano when he was seven. He was doing smaller classes with a friend while I was spending the summer in Europe. They asked me if I could show him for the summer, and after those shows, I had a really good feeling with him. I decided to buy him, and here we are.”
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