Moloney qualified two horses for the jump-off in the Suncast 1m50 Championship Jumper Classic, taking the lead first with Equinimity LLC’s Elouise de Muze in 38.45 seconds to eventually finish third. Sixteen-year-old Joao Victor Castro of Brazil briefly took over in 38.25 seconds with Wamira, but settled for second when Moloney returned with his next mount, Equinimity LLC’s Alsvid, last to go, to secure the win in 36.94 seconds.

Moloney won this same 1m50 class on week ten in 2013 with the Irish Sport Horse Slieveanorra and had the added inspiration to defend his title this year. “I just remembered that I won it last year, so I was a little bit motivated to do it again, and I wore the same jacket,” Moloney pointed out.

Class winner, Alsvid, is a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Escudo I x Azur and Elouise de Muze is a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Nabab de Reve x Darco.

“She is pretty green and this is her first 1.50m this year, so I was very happy with her,” Moloney stated. “It is her first time to go that quick in the jump-off, and she was close enough.”

“The second one, I probably would not have gone as quick with, except that I knew I wasn’t in the lead anymore with the other,” Moloney laughed. “He was very good. He is a horse that I have had since I started the job with Equinimity, and he is a lovely horse to work with. They have owned him since he was five as far as I know, and he is always knocking on the door, so he was due a result. It is nice for him.”

Moloney has had a good Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, including a fourth place finish with the Irish team in week eight’s $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup, aboard Carrabis Z.

Shane Sweetnam with the Irish Sport Horse Solerina opened the week at Wellington on Wednesday with victory in the $34,000 1m45 speed class.

Sweetnam has had an outstanding winter circuit in Florida so far, with wins in four very competitive FEI World Ranking classes, among other top finishes.

“I think it was a tricky enough course,” Sweetnam stated after his win. “There didn’t seem to be too many clear. I didn’t get to see all of the class, but from what I saw, it looked like it was hard enough to jump a clear round in the first place.”

Sweetnam has had a lot of success with Sweet Oak and Spy Coast Farms’s Solerina and explained that she showed with fellow Irish rider Conor O’Regan before he got the ride. She had done well in some smaller grand prix classes at that point and has since stepped up to have great success with the Cork rider in the last few years.

“She is a quirky mare for sure,” Sweetnam said of Solerina’s personality. “She is not the most lovable horse in the stable, but Lilly Johnson, her groom, does a great job with her. Lilly loves her, and I love her because she does her job in the ring, you’re just not going to be hanging out with her in the stable or anything.”

The tenth week of WEF is sponsored by Horseware Ireland, and runs from March 12-16. The week will feature the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 on Thursday, the $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45 on Friday, the $125,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday, and the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday.

“She is very funny about the jumbotron (the giant video display), that is her big thing. She has matured about it, but she is still kind of nervous about it. Today in the practice ring she was nervous; you could tell that she was nervous. She’s a much better horse when there is no TV, ” he explained.

The 33 year-old US-based Irish rider said that to help with Solerina’s nerves about the jumbotron, the mare has a TV screen that she watches in her stall at horse shows.

“It helps a little, but I’m not sure how much,” Sweetnam admitted. “She’s not as dramatic about it as she was before, but as soon as she sees a big TV it is still a factor. At shows she always has a TV in her stall. Spruce Meadows show jumping is what she’s watching at the moment. It used to be some cowboy guy before. I better get the Winter Equestrian Festival video, maybe that will work better.”

Despite her reservations about giant TV screens, the 15 year-old Cruising mare, who is owned by Sweet Oak & Spy Coast Farms, still took home the winner’s trophy in Florida last night with a comfortable two seconds in hand over Mexican challenger Eugenio Garza and the stallion Providence 3.

Sweetnam has so far won four opening speed classes with different horses since the equestrian festival opened in Wellington, Florida eight weeks ago.