Wellington, Fla. – February 5, 2026—With a lineup befitting the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival’s (WEF) first five-star week, young superstar Mimi Gochman (USA) rode to the win on 11-year-old Inclen BH in the $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 at Wellington International on Thursday. Hosting 12 consecutive weeks of international competition, WEF runs through March 29 in Wellington, FL.
Mimi Gochman & Inclen BH. Photo ©Sportfot
Twelve returned for a second round over Paris Olympic course designer Gregory Bodo’s (FRA) track, including three Olympians, an Olympic Champion and two of the world’s top 10. With the pressure on, Gochman—knowing her mount’s abilities—stuck to her plan and rose to the challenge, stopping the clock in a swift 43.99 seconds over runner-up Marilyn Little (USA) on her own La Contessa.
“I looked back at the oxer where I knew five had been a little flat in the first round—if I had a good one in, I could let him canter up there,” said Gochman, 21, of Inclen BH, owned by DG Sport Horse. “My rollback to the vertical and the six put me in a really good flow, and I think that is where I had the time.”
Hear From Mimi
Little piloted La Contessa, an 11-year-old German Warmblood mare by License, notching a time of 44.74 seconds to hang on for second place. Rounding out the all-American female podium, Lillie Keenan took third by a slim margin in 44.80 seconds with Team Nijhof vof’s Highway TN, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood Stallion (Eldorado VD Zeshoek TN x Chellano Z).
Gochman has been paired with Inclen BH for three years, admitting on Thursday that she has found her rhythm and grown the partnership on a foundation of trust. “[Alfie] has such a competitive brain himself and is super level-headed,” she said of the Austrian Warmblood (Stakkato Gold x Raphael). “He really knows how to place himself well, which makes my job really easy.”
Mimi Gochman & Inclen BH are presented as winners of the Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup Round 5 by Valerie Arcuri, Key Account Manager for the Adequan® Southeast Region. Photo ©Sportfot
Opening the first five-star week of the WEF season with a win, Gochman remarked on her ability to compete against some of the top athletes in the world. “WEF is so challenging on so many different levels. There are amazing rider and horse combinations here,” said Gochman, who has already collected four international top-tens during WEF. “It’s nice to be able to prove myself against some of these top riders. I feel honored to be in this class, and I’m honored that my horse was right there with me.”
Highlighting two-star competition on Thursday during WEF 5, Sydney Shulman Desiderio (ISR) topped the Chrome Horse Tequila CSI2* Speed riding 12-year-old Diamant de Semilly daughter Eyepop Semilly for owner Capri Truesdale.
Sydney Shulman Desiderio & Eyepop Semilly. Photo ©Sportfot
Sydney Shulman Desiderio & Eyepop Semilly are presented as winners of the Chrome Horse Tequila CSI2* Speed. Photo ©Sportfot
Competition returns to the WEF International Arena on Friday with the Chrome Horse Tequila two-star qualifier and Bainbridge Companies Speed, a second chance to qualify for the $500,000 Fidelity Investments CSI5* Grand Prix. The week’s feature event will take center stage during Saturday Night Lights with five out of the world’s top-ten ranked riders going head-to-head at Wellington International.
For complete results of $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup Round 5, click HERE.
Full results from WEF 5 are available HERE.
