Eric Lamaze unstoppable in recent competition

January 28, 2015 · 0 Comments

Eric Lamaze, mounted on Artisan Farms LLC’s Fine Lady 5, is presented with a $3,000 bonus from Jennifer Ward on behalf of SSG Gloves for wearing SSG “Digitals” on his way to victory in the $34,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round III at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.

Photo by Sportfot
For an unprecedented third week in a row, Canada’s Eric Lamaze won the $34,000 WEF Challenge Cup and also claimed a $3,000 bonus in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion for wearing SSG “Digital” riding gloves on his way to victory. The SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion runs throughout the duration of the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival, running through March 29 in Wellington, FL.
Lamaze had won the first two events in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series riding Rosana du Park, owned by Artisan Farms LLC, in partnership with Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable. For the win in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round III, held January 22, Lamaze’s partner was Fine Lady 5, a 12-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Artisan Farms LLC.
Of the secret to his success with Rosana du Park and Fine Lady 5, Lamaze noted: “They are very competitive horses. The two horses I’ve had are very competitive horses anywhere in the world. They are quick, quick horses. If you get into the jump-off, you just set up the speed. Today, I was going for it; I hate to go half-way. Fine Lady loves it; she loves to be competitive.”
In addition to winning the WEF Challenge Cup three weeks in a row, Lamaze was also a winner in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion for the third week in a row. A $3,000 bonus is on offer to the winning rider if they are wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style riding gloves and, as always, the 2008 Olympic Champion was sporting his ‘Digitals’. Lamaze has now claimed a total of $9,000 in bonus money for his three consecutive wins.
“Like I said the first week, you have to be crazy not to wear them with the bonus!” said Lamaze of his SSG Digitals. “It all adds up. Three WEFs, and I’ve won $9,000. I saw last year, when the bonus was up for grabs, there were three winners without the gloves. That was kind of crazy! The promotion is great. Everything helps, and it makes the event even more valuable.”
SSG Gloves will continue to offer a $3,000 bonus in each of the weekly Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series events, as well as a $1,000 bonus in the High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and the Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic competitions. If the winning rider in any of these three competitions is wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style gloves with the SSG horse head logo clearly visible, they will be presented with the SSG Gloves bonus during the awards presentation. A total of $60,000 in bonus money is on offer from SSG Gloves at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival.
Having won the first two events in the 12-week WEF Challenge Cup Series riding Rosana du Park, owned by Artisan Farms LLC in partnership with Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable, Lamaze returned to the International Arena to take his third consecutive win riding Fine Lady 5 for owner Artisan Farms LLC.
With huge starting fields, a win in the WEF Challenge Cup never comes easy. For the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round III, a total of 72 entries – the exact same number as last week’s Round II, attempted to jump clear over the airy track set by two-time Olympic course designer Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela. Only eight found their way to a clear performance, with Lamaze coming back sixth in the jump-off order.
When he entered the International Arena, Lamaze was chasing the time of 36.41 seconds set by German superstar Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum riding Fibonacci 17. Lamaze made quick work of the shortened jump-off track, using Fine Lady 5’s natural speed to his advantage. When the clock flashed 35.28 seconds, Lamaze moved to the top of the leaderboard. Only two riders were still to come and although American rider Alex Granato was able to produce a clear round with Mullaghdrin Rado, his time of 35.81 seconds would see him settle for second place.
For the third week in a row, Lamaze was the victor in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series.
“You don’t expect to win three WEFs in a row, even if you feel your horses are on form, especially when there are 72 starters, including some of the best riders and best horses in the world,” said Lamaze. “It comes down to having a fast horse. Fine Lady is a class, class horse. I am really happy that the Zieglers of Artisan Farms bought her for me. I was in need of a great speed horse when we bought her, but she is so much more than just that!”
Of the secret to his success, Lamaze, 46, explained: “It hasn’t been as easy as it may look now. We took a lot of time to rebuild a good string of horses and there were a few mistakes along the way, but when you have great owners that support you and they stay with you, success will come. The Ziegler family of Artisan Farms, they did that. We invested in some young horses, and they’ve shown up. I have a great string of horses, Tiffany (Foster) has a great string of horses, and we are rebuilding Cait’s (Ziegler) string of horses. It’s been a long process. This is the pay-off. We are very lucky to have Artisan Farms behind us.”
Lamaze is also planning to call on Fine Lady 5 for the Furusiyya Nations’ Cup qualifier, to be held for the first time in Ocala, FL, on Friday, Feb. 13.
For more information on Eric Lamaze, please visit www.ericlamaze.com.