September 2, 2010: First Indoor Class of the California Season
On Thursday evening of the Showpark All Seasons Summer Classic Blenheim EquiSports hosted the $30,000 Showpark Jumper Classic, presented by Royal Champion. With 42 entries, the event served as a warm-up for Saturday’s World Cup Qualifier as well as an opportunity to ride in the first indoor class of the California season. Scored as a speed class, eight pairs went clean, but fastest of the night were the new match of Jill Humphrey and Tao Tao 3 (Alicia Jonsson Foster, owner). Second place went to Richard Spooner and his partner Ace (S&B LLC, owner) with Keri Potter and Rockford I rounding out the top three.
September 4, 2010: First World Cup Qualifier of the California Season
Twenty-nine horse and rider combinations were all business as they competed under the lights in the Del Mar Horse Park covered arena on Saturday night. With riders representing eight different countries vying for the top prize as well as points on the World Cup leader board in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Showpark CSI-W, presented by EquiFit, inc., course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio had the task of building a course that tested both the scope of the horse and eye of the rider. Four jumped clean in the first round to earn a spot in the jump-off, but it was the talented couple of Percynality Mercedes Benz and Eduardo Menezes who clinched the win by delivering the only double clear performance of the evening.
D’Ambrosio presented the competitors with sixteen efforts. With some ‘delicate’ fences, D’Ambrosio wanted to test the accuracy of the entrants without too many demanding fences in a row. “I had one wide oxer in the triple combination and one in the double, but I didn’t have another difficult fence immediately follow either,” the American designer explained. Some riders lowered the height of the triple bar on course while others found trouble at various areas in the triple and double combinations, as well as fence 11, a daunting vertical jumped on a slight angle towards the grand stands.
As the ninth pair to make their entrance in the first round, Brazilian Menezes and his own Percynality Mercedes Benz jumped clean and forced a jump-off with second in the order and first to go clean, East Coast rider Michelle Spadone and her mount Melisimo (Morgan Hill Partners, owner). Later in the order, Susan Hutchison and the bay stallion Cantano (El Dorado 29, owner) delivered a fault-free performance to earn a spot in the second round as did 18-year-old Karl Cook aboard his second mount, Uno de Laubry (Signe Ostby, owner).
As the second rider to step up to the jump off challenge, Menezes knew he had to give it his all. “I had to be fast because Susie [Hutchison] and Karl [Cook] were behind me and they are quick,” the winner said. Jumping around clean in 36.87, Menezes clearly delivered as neither Hutchison nor Cook were fault-free. After having finished second in his share of grand prix events this season, Menezes was particularly happy. “When I felt him in the warm-up ring, I knew he was feeling great,” Menezes said of his 13-year-old partner.
Finishing second was the California hotshot Cook and Uno de Laubry. The young rider completed the jump-off track with four faults, lowering the height of an early fence on the track, in a final time of 37.65. First to return to the shortened track, Spadone and Melisimo also had four faults in 38.77 for a third place finish. Picking up fourth place, Hutchison and Cantano had a great time of 36.78 but dislodged two rails for eight faults.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010: $30,000 Blenheim Jumper Classic
As the sixth pair to take on the first round course, Spadone and her 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood, Melisimo, (Morgan Hill Partners, owner) were the second duo to cross the timers clean and advance to the jump-off, following the first to do so, Richard Spooner aboard Ace (S&B LLC, owner). Soon afterwards the young and talented firecracker, Ashlee Bond, rode her chestnut horse Cadett 7 to a clear round. Also fault free was the tried and true team of Australian Harley Brown and Cassiato (Oak Park Group, owner) who were sixteenth to go.
“I decided to come to California because of Joie Gatlin and Morley Abey; they are amazing people,” said Spadone. “I love Joie because she is so competitive and she really makes you want to win for her.”
Palacios left no room for error, keeping riders on their toes from the first turn to the last line. Although the rollback turn from one to two seemed straight forward, it was the initial spot where time was wasted and often could not be made up later in the course. The last line paralleled the in-gate in a steady seven strides to a triple that rode long in one to a sizeable gate oxer to another long two stride followed by a turn away from the in-gate to a big square oxer. The first rider to negotiate the course without a rail went fifth in the line-up, Gretchen Lof aboard Zambezi (Kings Wood Farm, LLC). However she stopped the clock at 79.41 resulting in three time faults, and a fifth place finish. Following her round, one or more rails dropped and time faults accrued until the twenty-second pair, Will Simpson aboard Nadia (Gotham Enterprises, LLC), galloped through the timers completely clean. Shortly after, Jill Humphrey and Kaskaya (Leone Equestrians Inc.) did the same. Twenty-ninth in the ring, Guy Thomas and Urian (Vicki Juelsgaard), joined the jump-off participants and not until the thirty-ninth horse, Veronica Tracy on her mount Muscadet De La Saveniere, did we have the fourth clean ride.
Four-faulters placed sixth through twelfth; the top of that pack was Susie Hutchison on Cantano (El Dorado 29) who went lightning fast with just one rail. Third time in the ring was a charm for Guy Thomas when clean aboard Urian, having his share of ups and downs with four entries including a fall off Midnight Dance (Alec Lawler), one rail on Carino (Willow Tree Farm, Inc.), and just one rail on Peterbilt (Peterbilt, LLC). Although possibly a touch sore on Sunday, Saturday was still worth celebrating for Thomas and Willow Tree, finishing with three in the top twelve (see results below).