A fresh horse at the end of the Winter Equestrian Festival works well for Irish rider

Sarah Eakin's avatar
By
Published In News
Bertram Allen and Pacino Amiro jumping to victory at the Winter Equestrian Festival
Twelve weeks in and Bertram Allen and Pacino Amiro are flying high at the Winter Equestrian Festival
(Image credit: Sportfot)

Fresh horses may be the exception rather than the rule after 12 weeks of jumping at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). But careful management of Pacino Amiro certainly paid off for Ireland’s Bertram Allen, who took to the Stadium Derby Field to claim victory in the FEI $140,000 CSI 5* Adequan WEF Series Round XII. They finished with a clear round in 42.88 seconds, ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo De Luca on T One USA who clocked a time of 44.24.

“I started him off out here on the grass the first week just to mix it up a bit because I knew the next three five-stars were on the sand,” said Bertram. “He’s been great all of the circuit. He had the last two weeks off and I’ve just been trying to have him feel fresh. He really felt fresh today and found it very easy, so that was a nice feeling.”

Sarah Eakin
Sarah Eakin
Freelance journalist

Sarah Eakin is an international equestrian journalist who writes for publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including Horse & Hound, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph in the UK. A former Pony Club team member for dressage, showjumping and eventing, Sarah’s mother trained National Hunt horses and she and her three brothers also played polo. Formerly married to a US professional polo player, Sarah is currently based in Wellington, Florida.