Edited press release from World Equestrian Center Ocala

The $65,000 Golden Ocala Grand Prix CSI2* was the highlight event of Sunday morning at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (USA), where 26 international combinations battled for top honors. After an exciting 13-horse jump-off, the competition ended in a rare tie between Canada’s Kara Chad aboard her homebred Corinna Z (Cornet Obolensky x Kannan) and the United States’ Sloane Coles with her longtime partner, Ninja Jw Van De Moerhoeve (Elvis Ter Putte x Kashmir Van Schuttershof).

The competition was fierce, but only five of the 13 jump-off contenders managed to deliver a second clear round. Marcus Gruenthal (GER) set the standard early, guiding Garrincha Van De Kalevallei (Plot Blue x Dolce Vita VDK) to a time of 41.75 seconds. Julie Welles (USA) soon raised the bar, clocking in at 39.33 seconds aboard Lingote De Oro (Kannan x Urnike).

Kara Chad then entered with Stone Ridge Farms LLC’s Corinna Z, prepared to push the pace. “Honestly, I’ve only done two or three jump-offs with her, Friday being the second one. So we’re still working on coming through the turns a bit, but she has so much ability, and I just need to go with her. I usually find the faster I go, the more rhythm I have, and she jumps better.”

The duo soared around the course, taking each fence on an open gallop and stopping the clock in an impressive 36.97 seconds—more than two seconds faster than the leading time.

Chad’s bond with Corinna Z makes the victory even more meaningful. “She’s a nine-year-old mare, and she’s actually a homebred. She’s by a mare that I rode when I was a junior at 14 years old. The sire is Cornet Obolensky. So it’s even more exciting to be able to get to this level and be competitive. I am absolutely thrilled with her. She’s such a fighter and has so much ability. I’m excited for what’s to come with her, but today, this victory is one to remember.”

Several challengers attempted to best Chad’s time but fell short, with rails proving costly.

Samantha Schaefer (USA) and Bonne Chance LLC’s James Bond Hx (Douglas x Cash) came the closest, piloting the 11-year-old KWPN gelding to a fault-free round in 37.99 seconds, securing second place – for the moment.

Last to go, Sloane Coles had a strategy for her longtime partner, Ninja Jw Van De Moerhoeve (Elvis Ter Putte x Kashmir Van Schuttershof), a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by The Ninja Group. “I watched Kara go, and honestly, I didn’t know if I could beat her. But I tried a little different approach to fence one and did one less to fence two. Then I was like, okay, I gotta stay on it.”

Coles stopped the clock at 36.97 seconds, matching Chad’s time to the hundredth of a second and securing an extraordinary tie for first.

“I thought I won,” Coles laughed. “I couldn’t really hear what was going on when I came out of the ring, and they told me it was a tie. I just saw my time and saw rank one. I didn’t know Kara’s exact time, but I thought it was still so great that we tied, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Reflecting on her journey with Ninja Jw Van De Moerhoeve, Coles added, “I bought Ninja when she was eight, and she’s been an incredible horse for me. She hasn’t shown FEI since Thanksgiving, so I came here not knowing exactly my plan—just wanting to jump—and she loves to go fast.”