Wellington, Florida, USA – February 16, 2025 – Hallie Grimes (USA) was inching closer to a big goal during the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season. She—like many under-25 grand prix riders—is focused on winning the BrainJuice U25 Grand Prix Series Final, and found herself one step closer with a win in the $31,020 BrainJuice Grand Prix CSI U-25 aboard Karoline of Ballmore on the final day of WEF 6. 

A competitive field of 59 up-and-coming talents took to Catzy Cruz’s (MEX) two-round course on the grass derby field at Wellington International. 

“Karoline of Ballmore “Korra” loves a big field,” Grimes said about the 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Diarado x Convento van de Helle) owned by Can We Keep It?. “She’s hot as a pistol and loves to have that space to use herself. Today, the jumps were all spread far apart and I felt like I could give her the ride I wanted everywhere. That was definitely an advantage.”

Korra’s fondness of the field traces back to her win in the Rolex Grand Prix in 2022, with Ashlee Bond (ISR) aboard. Grimes knew she could build on the confidence they have as a pair and produce a top result.

“Daniel Bluman and I discussed the jump-off before I went in,” she said of the last-minute advice to take things slower. “He watched everyone before me and we thought a slow clear would be good because my goal is to win the overall. But, we jumped fence one and she felt incredible. I felt like I had control of the momentum and I ran home. I didn’t go all out, but to the last jump I pressed the gas.”

It ended up being enough by a decent margin. Grimes stopped the clock at 44.77 seconds with only one to return behind her.

The top three was a trio of U.S. riders with Sterling Malnik (USA) taking second with Cap du Marais in 45.98 seconds.

Clara Propp (USA) claimed third place riding Highway, owned by Aquitaine Equine, in a final time of 46.28 seconds.

Though Grimes is already extremely experienced at the age of 22, she admits she had a lot of learning to do once taking over the ride on Korra. 

“She’s taught me more than most horses,” Grimes continued. “It took a lot of getting to know her and a willingness to try things a different way. I do a lot of things with her that might be considered unconventional; I always start with a trot jump in the schooling area because it relaxes her. I’ve adapted to her and she seems to be really happy and healthy, which I take a lot of pride in.

“Everything is about slowing her down,” continued Grimes. “She’s the scopiest horse I’ve ever ridden, so it’s about controlling the momentum. If you get that figured out, she’s a weapon.”

Grimes, who hails from Houston, TX, had a group of friends visiting her and cheering her on from the sidelines on Sunday morning, which proved to be a good luck charm. As a steady competitor in the U25 over the years, she now feels very comfortable at this level and hopes to make the most of the remainder of the season

“I’ve been doing the U25 series for five years now and there was definitely a point where a U25 grand prix was the biggest thing I’d ever jumped,” she said of how she’s progressed. “Now I’ve jumped a few five-stars consistently. This year I have 10 horses here but a lot of them are quite young, so I’ve been focusing on producing them. I don’t have the string to compete at the highest level this year at WEF but my goal is to win the U25 series this year.”

Final Results – $31,020 BrainJuice Grand Prix CSI U-25

1) Hallie Grimes (USA) & Karoline of Ballmore – 0 / 0 – 44.77

2) Sterling Malnik (USA) & Cap du Marais – 0 / 0 – 45.98

3) Clara Propp (USA) & Highway – 0 / 0 – 46.28

Source: Press Release (edited) from Wellington International

Photos: © Wellington International / Sportfot / Cassidy Klein

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