Press release from Sacramento International

The featured event this week in the GGT Indoor Arena at Sacramento International was the $40,000 FEI Welcome Grand Prix 1.45m. An enthusiastic crowd braved wind and rain to watch 30 horse and rider combinations tackle the Bernardo Costa Cabral designed course, which consisted of 16 jumping efforts including one double and one triple combination. 

The horses were in fantastic jumping form and ten pairs went clear in the first round to return for the short course. With a good-sized field of talented riders, the pressure for speed was on, and it was Swedish rider Viggo Björklund who proved impossible to catch on Zaloubet, a 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding he's had the ride on only since this summer. 

"He's a funny horse, he's big and maybe not the prettiest but he has a massive heart, and all the ability, and I love him to bits," said Björklund of Zaloubet. 

"I went in there with a plan just to go as fast as possible because I knew I had Conor [Swail] behind me and he's really quick, so there wasn't any reason not to just go as fast as I could," said Björklund of his jump off plan. "So I just gave it all I got and luckily I have an amazing horse and it worked out."

Finishing just behind Björklund was Rich Fellers aboard Steelbi, an 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding who won the FEI 1.40m Silver Tour on Friday at Sacramento International. 

Rounding out the podium in third place was Ireland's Conor Swail riding Koss Van Heiste, a 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.