Paige on top, Athina is back

Bologna, March 2015 – Paige Johnson captured yesterday night the first place in the $127,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* at “Saturday Night Lights” in week 11 at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Riding Dakota she went in a four-horse jump off where she was faster than the usually super fast Kent Farrington on Gazelle. Actually faster than the two both was Argentina’s Ramiro Quintana on Whitney but with one rail down, while in 5th place came USA’s Lisa Goldman on Centurion B. Many riders were clear in the first round but with time faults: Meredith Michaels Beerbaum (GER) on Comanche in 5th place, Kevin Babington (IRL) on Shorapur in 6th, Blythe Marano (USA) on Quabelle in 7th. With two time faults in the 8th place came Greece’s Athina Onassis de Miranda aboard Rackham’Jo: it was the first Grand Prix for her after the last December’s tragedy in Geneva, where she lost her grey mare Camille Z. “I came into this circuit hoping to win a WEF (Challenge Cup), and I did that week six. My next goal was to win a grand prix. I had no idea it would happen (in) the same season,” Johnson remarked. “You can imagine that I am super excited and happy. Kent is my trainer, so it feels like the hard work and the team and everything around us is really paying off, and that is a great feeling.”

March 22, 2015