Rodrigo Pessoa and Palouchin de Ligny Race to Win in $25,000 G&C Farm Speed Derby at 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival
January 17, 2026
Wellington, FL - January 17, 2026 - Fast was the word for the day in the $25,000 G&C Farm Speed Derby, and delivering on that was Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), who rode Palouchin de Ligny owned by Pessoa Stables to victory.
The first week of the FTI WEF is sponsored by G&C Farm and concluded with today’s competition. The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 4, 2010, and the circuit will be awarding almost $6 million in prize money through the circuit.
Olaf Petersen of Germany designed a challenging 17 obstacle derby course that incorporated the horseshoe bank, a water jump, a closed combination, and the table bank. There were 22 entries in the class, and all were going for time in the faults-converted format, which changes refusal and jumping faults into seconds for just a final time to determine the winner.
The early leader was Alexandra Vanderrest, who set down a clear round in a time of 99.926 seconds with the handy Oxsona M. Eight riders later, the lead changed hands when Leslie Howard entered the ring on Lennox Lewis 2. Howard blazed around the course to set an original time of 95.009, which was the fastest of the day, but she had a rail at the last jump on course, fence 17, a vertical off a short right-hand turn. With faults converted, she ended with a time of 99.009, which kept her in second place at the end of the class.
The next clear round came from Casey Hodges and Finn Razel, who finished in a slower time of 102.444 seconds, and gave them sixth place in the class. An early ride from Clementine Goutal and Cloverleaf Farm’s Kelline Fonroy gave them fourth place in a time of 101.028 seconds. Ali Nilforushan and Green Sleeps Vioco finished fifth in a time of 101.585 seconds.
Pessoa and Palouchin de Ligny, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood by Baloubet du Rouet, sped through the derby course with a consistent, quick pace. They finished with a time of 95.515 seconds, and with a clear round, they came home with the win.
Pessoa said of the course, “The last two fences were really delicate verticals, and you wanted them to still have some spring at the end of the course. For myself, I tried to find a good tempo in the beginning, let him cruise around, and not get in his way too much. He had plenty at the end of the course.”
“I thought this horse had a good shot in the class because he’s a very fast horse. There was nothing really too spooky for him, which was good. I didn’t want to start too fast because it’s a long course, and up and down the banks, it cuts their energy a little bit. I wanted to start a little bit conservative and then after the water accelerate a bit and put up a good time,” Pessoa explained of his plan for today’s class. “I wanted to put up a time that was difficult to catch but not go full speed because it’s only the second class of the circuit for the horse. There are still a lot of classes ahead of us.”
Palouchin de Ligny, who is a homebred for Pessoa, has had quite a bit of success in the speed classes at WEF. “He’s really consistent in this ring; last year he won ten or twelve classes here. He really likes this place and he feels really comfortable,” Pessoa said. “It’s nice to have a homebred horse winning some classes.”
This marks the end of the first week of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Next week, which is sponsored by Purina Mills, will have many exciting hunter and jumper classes, including the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round Two on Thursday, January 21, at 1 p.m.; the $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix CSI 2* on Saturday, January 23, at 7 p.m.; and the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Classic on Sunday, January 24, at 1 p.m.
Final Results: $25,000 G&C Farm Speed Derby
Horse, Rider, Owner, Final Time
1. PALOUCHIN DE LIGNY, RODRIGO PESSOA, PESSOA STABLES: 95.515
2. LENNOX LEWIS 2, LESLIE HOWARD, LESLIE HOWARD: 99.009
3. OXSONA M, ALEXANDRA VANDERREST, ALEXANDRA VANDERREST: 99.926
4. KELLINE FONROY, CLEMENTINE GOUTAL, CLOVERLEAF FARM: 101.028
5. GREEN SLEEPS VIOCO, ALI NILFORUSHAN, ALI NILFORUSHAN: 101.585
6. FINN RAZEL, CASEY HODGES, CASEY HODGES: 102.444
7. UNADONJA, SHANE SWEETNAM, SPY COAST FARM LLC: 102.825
8. PRIMA, BEEZIE MADDEN, JENNY SUTTON & NEAPOLITAN HOLDING CO.: 103.472
9. MIKA, REED KESSLER, REED KESSLER: 104.200
10. G&C LEPANTO, PABLO BARRIOS, GUSTAVO & CAROLINA MIRABAL: 107.988
11. ROCK AND ROLLA, MICHAEL KEARINS, SLIGO FIELDS: 109.057
12. ESQUILINO BAY, MAGGIE JAYNE, PONY LANE FARM: 109.938
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