Press release from World Equestrian Center Ocala

Spectators and exhibitors once again flocked to World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) for the highlight event of Week VII of the 2025 Summer Series: the $65,000 UF Health Grand Prix CSI2*. Riders from thirteen nations contested Saturday night’s feature class, but it was Ireland’s Paul O’Shea who saved the best for last, piloting Team Eye Candy’s Hellcat (Cassander Van Het Bremhof x Conan) to victory and securing the lion’s share of the prize money.

Olympian Lauren Hough (USA) was the first to return, guiding her own Clarisall Junior to an efficient 42.56 seconds to set the pace. Peter Petschenig soon shaved over a second off that time aboard the massive Wannabe CS (Warrant x Pythagoras), owned by Brooke Peterson.  The Austrian rider and his 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding turned up the heat, stopping the clock in 41.16 seconds.

Wilton Porter (USA) and Larderello came close with a time of 41.60 seconds, but it was New Zealand’s Georgia Bouzaid, who edged behind Petschenig on the leaderboard, riding her own 17-year-old gelding Copabella Voltage (Copabella Visage x Quidam de Revel), finishing in 41.20 seconds.

Last to return, O’Shea had already navigated the course once with Manglar Ls La Silla, jumping clear in 42.84 seconds. With Hellcat, however, he had a different plan.

“She has a huge stride, but she’s honestly better when she doesn’t leave out the strides, so she can be quick over the fences as well,” O’Shea explained.

After fence two, the course presented a question at the double combination, where some riders stayed wide while others opted for a tighter turn. O’Shea decided to try something different.

“That’s a spot I wouldn’t normally have a number, but I’m trying to learn to do that now. So I’m walking the turns, because that’s the way the sport has gone. You see riders like Conor Swail and Henrik von Eckermann counting up to 13 strides on the rollbacks, so I’ve had to adapt. It worked out, and I got the ten,” he said. “In the last line, Peter did nine, but I knew 10 would be enough because I wanted to make sure she didn’t get too quick. Luckily, she’s so quick across the ground and over the jump, it was quick enough.”

And quick it was. The pair stopped the clock in a blazing 40.14 seconds, nearly a full second faster than Petschenig, to secure the win.

O’Shea praised the 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare: “I’ve been riding her for five years. She’s owned by Eye Candy Jumpers, and I’m very grateful to Erica Hatfield for her support. I’m very fortunate to have a horse like Hellcat. She’s won a lot, and she’s very, very fast. She’s so willing and honest. She just loves to do her job.”

No stranger to WEC – Ocala, O’Shea also had high praise for the venue: “Everything is incredible; the space, the jumps, the course designers. Colm Quinn did a super job tonight. It’s so nice having the indoor area to warm up in—what is there not to like?”