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The Fast and The Fabulous

The Festivals of Speed at the newly opened regal World Equestrian Center showcased the triple crown of luxurious living — fine dining, fast cars, and fabulous people.

BY JOHN SOTOMAYOR PHOTOGRAPHY CONAN AND YAISA SEGREST

Seemingly in an instant, life in sleepy smalltown Slocala revved into high octane Gocala. When the eagerly anticipated World Equestrian Center opened its opulent gates in December 2020, featuring the palatial The Equestrian 5-star hotel as the centerpiece for multiple state-of-the-art arenas suited for the finest equestrian events, luxury living in the Horse Capital of the World was elevated to an undeniable world-class level.

Among the first non-equestrian events held at the now-largest equestrian complex in the United States was the Festivals of Speed in May 2021. How to describe it? It was as if the Kentucky Derby and Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills along with Ocean Drive, Miami were dropped down onto 378 acres adorned with the finest accommodations and vintage and contemporary high-performance exotic automobiles. The combination of the event and venue formed a powerful magnet, attracting the most affluent of the glitterati.

The WEC grand plaza was transformed into a massive outdoor showroom lined with designer brands by Aston-Martin, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mc- Laren, Mercedes, Pagani, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, and Tesla, among many more. These thoroughbreds are built for speed. The Ferrari SF90 Stradale hypercar boasts 769 horsepower. The BMW M5 Competition hits 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds.

Guests wore their finest Derby Day fashion. Beautiful sun-kissed women with long flowing locks wore flattering Vineyard Vines spring dresses and Jenny Pfanenstiel or Christine Moore Derby hats accessorized with pearls and clutches to the delight of the men and women who admire them. Dapper strong men with copper-tone skin wore bold stripes or busy plaid with the classic navy or seersucker blazer topped with a fedora or bowler catching the eye of the men and women who admire them.

The entertainment went the extra mile. Alluring Brazilian samba dancers from Orlando, Fla. based Phoebe Samba Team beaconed male and female admirers with their rhythmic movements and fit sexy bodies in seductive Carnival costumes. Dressed in little more than bejeweled bikinis and feathered angel wings, these lovely ladies could distract any man or woman leading to awkward collisions by pedestrian onlookers and passersby.

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