Wellington, Fla. – March 14, 2026—The future of show jumping was shining bright on Friday at Wellington International with Young Jumper Finals for horses aged 5- to 7-years-old taking to the International Arena to highlight Week 10 at the 2026 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). In the featured $25,000 Lövsta Future Challenge 1.35m Young Jumper Final for 7-year-olds, Madison Myro (USA) and Titaness P vd Donkhoeve, a Belgian Warmblood mare owned by LMW Sporthorses, LLC, took top call after an uncatchable jump-off.
Madison Myro & Titaness P vd Donkhoeve. ©Sportfot
The Lövsta Future Challenge is a well-established Swedish concept for talent development aimed at young grand prix horses in both dressage and jumping. The development tour’s vision is to provide the best possible conditions to strive for the highest level of international show jumping and hosted weekly qualifiers during WEF at Wellington International.
Myro and her mare (Pegase Van’t Ruytershof x Malito De Reve) bred by Prinsenveld de Donk stopped the clock at 31.464 seconds to bump 2025 final winner Michael Hughes (USA) to second in 32.427 seconds, this time aboard White Cloud, a Swedish-bred mare by Hip Hop x Drosselklang II) owned by Sweet Oak Farm. Diego Perez Bilbao (ESP) partnered with Diaron’s Pitscher RP by Diaron only two days earlier and pulled off a podium finish in a time of 32.943 seconds for owner Thaisa Erwin.
“My goal was to be double clear—I wanted to be top ten, and when I made the top ten, I thought I would go for it, and it just happened to work out,” said Myro, who rides in the stable of Mary Mandfredi and Peter Lutz, and partnered with Titaness P vd Donkhoeve at the start of the mare’s 6-year-old year.
“We’ve really gotten to know each other very well, and she’s been amazing—we stepped up to the 1.30m at the end of last year, and she’s special in every way. In the barn, she’s sweet and to ride, she’s brave. She’s everything,” continued Myro, 26. “This was the goal for the season, and this program gives young horses a chance to really develop nicely, and a chance to work towards something.”
Madison Myro & Titaness P vd Donkhoeve are presented as winners of the Lövsta Future Challenge 1.35m Young Jumper Final. Pictured left to right: Mary Manfredi, Peter Lutz, groom Jose Garcia and Antonia Ax:son Johnson of Lövsta Future Challenge. Photo ©Sportfot
Hughes, who brought another Sweet Oak Farm charge to the ribbons, hung on for the runner-up position after getting the ride on White Cloud four months ago. “She’s been a lovely horse from the day we got her. She has a lot of experience—she jumped Falsterbo last year, and her experience in many different rings helped us out there today,” said Hughes of the mare bred by Caroline Bengtsson. “She has a big stride and is very scopey, but she’s also very level over the jumps; you never get thrown around, so you’re always landing right with her every time. That helped me a lot today to be able to do a lot of the leave-outs down the lines.”
Rounding out the podium in third, Perez Bilbao took over the reins on Diaron’s Pitscher RP from German European Champion Richard Vogel while he was away competing at the Dutch Masters. “The two [qualifying] classes that Richie showed him in, he won, so I knew the horse is brave, careful and that he can go fast,” said Perez Bilbao, who also develops young horses within the program of USA’s Lillie Keenan. “For me, coming from Europe, we give so much credit to the development of young horses. I think it’s important that here in the States, we are starting to offer more for young horses.”
Antonia Ax:son Johnson, owner of Lövsta Stuteri and founder of the Future Challenge, was thrilled with the turnout and performance of the Young Jumper Final. This is the 15th year Lövsta is providing opportunities for young horses in Wellington, and every year the interest grows.
“I remember the first year, I kept wondering, ‘Is this going to fly or is it not going to fly?’ It takes time, but that’s part of our philosophy,” she said. “In the US, we are committed 100% to the young horses. What we’re seeing now is really, beautiful. We also have a very deep commitment to horsemanship—the riding I’ve seen today has been unbelievable and teaching the horses so much. Wellington has taken on this challenge that we set up a number of years ago, and seeing this riding today makes it a guiding star.”
To see full results from the $25,000 Lövsta Future Challenge 1.35m Young Jumper Final, click HERE.
Pavarotti van de Schutskooi Two-For-Two in $15,000 North Star 1.25m Young Jumper Final
Ireland’s Cormac Hanley won the 2025 5-Year-Old Young Jumper Final with Pavarotti van de Schutskooi at WEF and returned a year later to do the same in the North Star 1.25m Young Jumper Final for 6-year-olds on Friday.
Cormac Hanley & Pavarotti van de Schutskooi. Photo ©Sportfot
He and the stallion (Amadeo van’t Vossenhof Z x SIEC Vigaro) owned by Heathman Farm posted a jump-off time of 35.307 seconds over Canada’s Sabrina Lefebvre riding her own Selle Français Untouchable mare Karmeliet The One (37.023 seconds). Diego Perez Bilbao (ESP) rounded out the top three in 37.128 seconds with the Balou du Reventon sired mare Urania JW van de Moerhoeve, owned by Chansonette Farm.
“He’s just unbelievable,” said Hanley of Pavarotti van de Schutskooi, an approved Zangersheide stallion, which was purchased off a video from breeder Luc Tilleman in Belgium as a three-year-old with talent abounding. “He won the qualifier on Wednesday and then came back again on Friday and did it again.”
Hanley recalls the day he viewed that sale video and said, “He was such a great type, had a great canter, and even as a three-year-old, he was super balanced with great technique and quick reflexes. Even if he wasn’t going to be an amazing show jumper, there were going to be a lot of different routes that he could have taken to develop—hunter, equitation horse, anything. So, there wasn’t much risk in buying him, but thankfully, he has turned into a top-class jumper and keeps getting better and better.”
Cormac Hanley & Pavarotti van de Schutskooi are joined by owner Thea Stinnett to be presented as winners of the North Star 1.25m Young Jumper Final by Joan Jacobs. Photo ©Sportfot
After the second year in a row winning during young jumper finals week at WEF, Hanley said, “This gives my sponsors, owners and team something to look forward to and work back from as a goal. Without that, you’re a bit lost developing young horses. With the prize money available, it makes it even more worthwhile to bring a younger horse over a bit earlier.”
To see full results from the $15,000 North Star 1.25m Young Jumper Final, click HERE.
Filip de Wandel Finds a Star in $10,000 1.15m Young Jumper Final Victory
Filip De Wandel (BEL) piloted Troubadour van het Bellehof Z to the only double-clear to win the $10,000 1.15m Young Jumper Final for 5-year-olds on Friday of WEF 10. The Zangersheide gelding’s jump-off time of 37.006 seconds guaranteed the win for owners Five Way Farm.
Ireland’s Senan Hayes was second with four jump-off faults riding Gotham Enterprizes homebred mare Swing Street (Tulara Colmine), and Alex Granato (USA) finished on a tally of eight with U.S.-bred gelding Diadem (Diarado) for owner Bridge Brook Arms.
Filip de Wandel & Troubadour van het Bellehof Z. Photo ©Sportfot
“My brother-in-law bred the horse [at Het Bellehof BV],” said De Wandel of the Tangelo vd Zuuthoeve gelding. “I always ride a few young horses when I go over, and when I sat on this one, I had to have him. “He does a lead change like a 10-year-old with unbelievable balance. You always have a distance on the horse.
“For me, riding a horse like this in the 5-year-olds is just like riding a grand prix,” continued De Wandel. “ Every grand prix horse starts somewhere, and it’s important that we put the time into the young horses. Good horses do their job well on the important days, and today he felt that we needed to do well.”
Troubadour van het Bellehof Z’s winning style was enough to land him the Champion Equine Insurance Jumper Style Award for WEF 10, presented by Laura Fetterman.
Filip de Wandel & Troubadour van het Bellehof Z are presented as winners of the 1.15m Young Jumper Final. Laura Fetterman also presented Troubadour van het Bellehof Z with the Champion Equine Insurance Jumper Style Award. Photo ©Sportfot
To see full results from the $10,000 1.15m Young Jumper Final, click HERE.
