Efren Zebello of Serenity Show Stables came prepared for the $10,000 YETI Grooms Class with his charge Zeven during week 10 of the Winter Equestrian Festival, and the attention to detail paid off when he won the jumper section of the contest that saw 35 grooms from the hunter/jumper world take the ring at Wellington International.
Zebello finished sixth in the first Grooms Class at WEF this year. This time he added something extra. “This time, the judges really took their time asking questions and looking into the backpacks,” he said of the judges, Canadian show jumper Erynn Ballard, American show jumper Michael Murphy, and Tiffany Letallec, groom to Belgium rider Nicola Philippaerts.
Francisco Hernandez with Artemis Equestrian’s Eclat Du Cerisier was chosen in second place, while Shelby Speer with the Why Worry Group’s Mazzy Star took home third for Henri Prudent and Plain Bay Farm.
Tears In The Crowd
Zebello was not expecting to win, but when he did, the viewing stand erupted as Caitlin Critchlow, the owner of Zeven, Ruth Nicodemus, owner of Serenity Show Stables, and Zebello’s wife, Rosemary, burst into applause.
“Everybody was really excited,” said Zebello. “And they had sunglasses on, but when they came to take the picture after the class, I could tell there were some tears.” Zebello had spent a good two hours preparing for the class, including one hour getting his braids to perfection. And the competition was tough. But his forethought of including feminine hygiene products in his backpack may have helped to give him the edge.
“[Michael] said that you are the only other person I see that carries this kind of stuff,” said Zebello, who has groomed for 19 years, three of them with Serenity.
First Time Judging for Tiffany Letallec
In her five years at WEF, Letallec had never even seen a Grooms Class, much less competed in one. “I never have time for that,” she said. This winter, she was asked to join the judging. “It was really great,” she said. “And it’s a good experience for me also to know.”
Letallec let her fellow judges Ballard and Murphy guide her in the process. They began with the horse – scrutinizing the quality of the coat and the cleanliness and presentation of the tack – then it came down to the contents of the backpack. “Actually, it was hard,” said Letallec. “The first three were really great, so it quickly became more difficult.”
Record Number of Wins for Abel Sanchez
Abel Sanchez took his ninth Grooms Class win, showing off his skillset in the hunter section with Louisa Attenborough’s Hoopla for Jennifer Hannan and Ocean Echo Farm. “I’ve done the Grooms Class 11 times,” Sanchez said. “Last time, I finished fourth, and this one is my ninth win.”
Ali Wolff and Torrey Hardison judged the class, and the standard was high. Asked what his secret was in winning so many times, Sanchez had nothing to hide. “I don’t really have any secrets,” he said. “I just spend time shining my horse’s coat, organizing my grooming bag, and checking everything.” Hoopla, he said, was clipped in November when they arrived in Florida. “Now the coat is looking really good,” he said.
Lester Aplicano, representing Amanda Mecca and Baxter Hill, claimed the runner’s up slot with Gochman Sport Horses LLC’s Charlie Be Good Z. Heritage Farm had largely monopolized the placings at the first WEF Grooms Class, and Edin Ventura with Cisy Zhou’s Fortnite was one of five grooms from Heritage to place in the top eight, in both sections, when he claimed third place in the hunter side of the ring.
Grooms Class Demonstrates Sport’s Appreciation
The Grooms Class at the Winter Equestrian Festival sees a very different atmosphere from other classes at the show. Owners, trainers, and supporters are many, the ambiance is warm and friendly, and the consensus is that the grooms deserve the recognition. Each section of the Grooms Class awards $5,000 in prize money, which is allocated between the top eight in both sections. YETI sponsors the class, and each winning groom receives a YETI bucket filled with YETI products, a YETI cooler, and a YETI backpack. The class is also supported by McLain Ward Inc., the Torano family, Evergates Stables, the Jacobs family, Pomponio Ranch, Peter Lutz, North Run, Chansonette Farm, Paddock Equine, Beacon Hill, and Southern Arches.
“I would like to say a big thank you to every single person that is involved in organizing this Grooms Class,” said Zebello. “There are no better words to say besides thank you. Thank you for taking the time to do that for us. That really means a lot to us.”
Read more stories about winning grooms of the 2025 season in Wellington:
* About Lisa Sorg
* About German Rodriguez
* About Denise Moriarty
* About the team behind Ondine d’Orleans
* About Tim Delovich
* About Marina Lemay
* About Luis Mandujano and Ladislao Lara
* About Remigio Padilla
* About Sofie Karlsson
* About Anna Halasz
* About Tamiles Pezzim
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Sarah Eakin has a long history of sports reporting and covering equestrian disciplines – particularly show jumping, polo, racing and dressage – for a range of international publications as writer and editor-in-chief. In 2024, Sarah launched Paper Horse – an online magazine with an eclectic mix of stories from the horse world at www.paperhorsemedia.com. Paper Horse is an official Media Partner of Wellington International. Sarah was born in England and came to the US in 1996 as Sidelines’ Polo Editor; at the time she was chief polo writer at the Horse and Hound and Polo Correspondent to The Daily Telegraph. She married US professional polo player Gary Eakin and stayed Stateside traveling throughout North America while covering equestrian events. She is also an author; Wed, White and Blue, her first novel is on Amazon.
