Brandon Howard Shows How It’s Done in the $10,000 1.40m Welcome Jumper Stake

April 1, 2026 – Katy, TX – Brandon Howard and S & L Cesam, owned by Elevare Equestrian, LLC, are a new pair but they have gotten to know each other very quickly, already galloping to the win at their third show together in the Smith Equine Performance $10,000 1.40m Welcome Stake. Howard crossed the timers in 34.767s, winning by a fraction of a second.

Howard is very excited about S & L Cesam, the ten-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Casall out of Dunja III. “He is very soft, very easy, and he has a big step. I felt very confident going into the first round that we were going to do well,” Howard commented. In the immediate jump off format, the twenty-five riders on course just kept getting faster and faster. The crowd was on the edge of their seats to see if Howard had done enough to hold onto the win. “It felt fast, but it doesn’t feel as fast as it actually is when the step is that big,” Howard spoke of his jump off performance.

The Welcome course was designed by Oscar Soberon, and there were twenty-five riders with fifteen of them qualifying for the immediate jump off. “In the jump off I was really efficient from one to seven on the inside track, flowed down in nine strides, and then I was really tidy back to the donuts, and I never touched the reins coming through the turn to the Pin Oak combination,” Howard spoke of his jump off.

Peter Petschenig and his good friend Hocus Pocus 111 Z, the ten-year-old Zangersheide gelding by Hermantico out of Elite De La Vie and owned by Petschenig Showjumping, LLC, put in two quick and tidy rounds but came in second, crossing the timers in 34.970s.

Trapp O’Neal and Whitney Wickes’ Quite Cute 3, the nine-year-old Hanoverian mare by Quality Time TN out of Calypso’s Girl, were quite fast, crossing the timers in 35.220s.

The $10,000 1.40m Welcome was sponsored by Smith Equine Performance, where advanced veterinary care and expert rehabilitation come together. Recover stronger, perform longer. Smith Equine Performance – Building Better Athletes.

Howard and his team have Pin Oak on their calendar every year, “You know, we come here every year. We like to support Texas and it’s the biggest show we have here in Texas. They make a great atmosphere out of it, and I can’t say anything better about it.”

Run concurrently with the $10,000 1.40m Welcome, exhibitors cheered for eight under twenty-five riders who were also competing in the 1.40m U25 Grand Prix. Eleanor Rudnicki couldn’t be stopped, taking home the top two honors with Cici-Top and Quartier Van De Begijnakker.

Results

Placing – Horse – Rider – Owner – Faults/Time
1 – S & L Cesam – Brandon Howard – Elevare Equestrian – 0/0/34.767
2 – Hocus Pocus 111 Z – Peter Petschenig – Petschenig Showjumping, LLC – 0/0/34.970
3 – Quite Cute 3 – Trapp O’Neal – Whitney Wickes – 0/0/35.220
4 – Contendro Star – Genevieve Munson – Genevieve Munson – 0/0/35.427
5 – HF Andiamo – Brandon Howard – Brandon Howard – 0/0/36.260
6 – Cici-Top – Eleanor Rudnicki – Brookside Pine Farms, LLC – 0/0/36.481
7 – W Specter – Alwaleed Alrasheed – W.A Farm – 0/0/37.057
8 – Sooper Trooper – Allison Kroff – Allison Kroff – 0/0/37.993
9 – Grand-Dessert – Hanley O’Neal – Riley Underwood – 0/0/38.301
10 – Mufasa – Nicolas Gamboa – October Hill Farm Inc. – 0/0/39.100
11 – King Snake – Carlysle Drosos – Pony Express LLC – 0/0/41.145
12 – Fetiche Du Lesme – Martien Van Der Hoeven – Stormy Sporthorses LLC – 0/4/36.451