Press release from Equestrian Sport Productions

The Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) week 8, presented by Premier Equestrian, got underway Wednesday, March 2, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBEIC) in Wellington, FL, with the daytime $5,000 Premier Equestrian Welcome CSIO4*.

Fitting for Nations Cup week, riders from 20 nations contested the speed track set by Nick Granat (USA) and Steve Stephens (USA), with foreign athletes making up 75% of the 80 combinations in the starting order. Roberto Teran Tafur (COL) and Susan van Lammers’s Gabrovo stepped right on the gas, claiming the first win of the week.

WEF 8 continues through March 7 and is jam-packed with highlight classes including the $37,000 Hermès Under 25 Semi-Final Grand Prix under the lights on Friday, March 4, the $50,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m National Grand Prix during daytime competition on Saturday, March 5, the $150,000 Nations Cup, presented by Premier Equestrian, during the feature “Saturday Night Lights,” and Sunday’s $214,000 Grand Prix CSIO4*, presented by JTWG, Inc., to close out the exciting week.

Gabrovo is a newer ride for Teran Tafur, having just picked up the reins on the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Grey Top x Graf Sponeck in the spring of 2021. Since then, he’s been a consistent partner in the 1.45m and 1.50m classes, including a win in the $8,000 Douglas Elliman 1.45m class during WEF Premiere Week.

For today, Teran Tafur had a strong plan going into the speed class. “He’s a really careful horse,” noted Teran Tafur. “I just went in there a little forward, because that prepares him better for the bigger classes. The idea was to be in the top three, and a win is always fantastic.”

Fellow Colombian athlete, John Perez, came closest to catching the lightning-quick time of Teran Tafur, which was 62.14 seconds. He and Julio David Vainer’s Voodoo 10 crossed the timers in 62.71 seconds for second place. Third place went to Max Wachman (IRL) and Ikaros, owned by Coolmore Show Jumping, who finished just fractions of a second behind Perez in 62.89 seconds.

Teran Tafur will look to duplicate his success with Gabrovo in Friday’s $37,000 Douglas Elliman 1.45m Classic CSIO4* and continue to develop the horse towards more two-star and three-star competition for the remainder of the circuit. “Right now, he’s only becoming the horse that he’s going to be. I’m very excited,” enthused Teran Tafur. “He is getting better and better, and he is going to have an excellent career in the international ring. He’s just competitive and a good boy.”

Reflecting on the significance of the week, Teran Tafur expressed, “A win at WEF any week is always great, and then to hear your anthem in any class is always amazing.”

1. GABROVO: 2012 Hanoverian gelding by Grey Top x Graf Sponeck
ROBERTO TERAN TAFUR (COL), Susan van Lammers: 0/62.14

2. VOODOO 10: 2010 Hanoverian gelding by Valentino 240
JOHN PEREZ (COL), Julio David Vainer: 0/62.71

3. IKAROS: 2012 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Chelltago Z x Feliciano 823
MAX WACHMAN (IRL), Coolmore Show Jumping: 0/62.89

4. GIGI-CARMEN: 2011 KWPN mare by Bacardi VDL x Oklund
JOHN PEREZ (COL), Antonio Chedraui: 0/63.00

5. INCREDIBLE BLEU: 2013 KWPN gelding by Zirocco Blue VDL x Diarado
TIFFANY FOSTER (CAN), 5 Roosters: 0/63.50

6. BUGA Z: 2010 Zangersheide gelding by Chester Z x Quality Touch Z
SAMUEL PAROT (CHI), Samuel Parot: 0/65.10

7. TOULOUSE Z: 2011 Zangersheide mare by Toulon x Quintus v/d Dwerse Hage
JUAN ORTIZ (VEN), Blue Trim LLC: 0/65.22

8. ALPHA DE TERNOIRE: 2010 Selle Français gelding by Kashmir van Schutterschof x Olisco
MARIE HECART (FRA), Normandie Collection: 0/68.22

9. CALGARY TAME: 2012 Selle Français stallion by Old Chap Tame x Kashmir van’t Schuttershof
LAURA KRAUT (USA), Eugenie Angot: 0/68.63

10. ISLA DE MUZE: 2013 Westphalian mare by Iceman de Muze x Cento
TANIMARA MARIA MACARI CARRILLO (MEX), Tanimara Maria Macari Carrillo: 0/69.77

11. ALAN 111 Z: 2011 Zangersheide gelding by Arko III x Kannan
DAVID CAMERON (AUS), Graham & Linda Huddy: 0/70.37

12. NANKING VD DONKHOEVE: 2013 Belgian Warmblood stallion by Houston x Cassini I
FILIP DE WANDEL (BEL), Five Way Farm LLC: 0/71.51