Highlights From The Sept 2,3 2010 Blenheim EquiSports Show

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.

Highlights From The 2009 Blenhiem June Classic

June Classic II Grand Prix

With long galloping distances, no water jump and the last line set towards home, Jack Robson designed what appeared to be a very inviting course for the $30,000 June Classic Grand Prix, presented by EquiFit, inc.  However, after seventeen horses entered the ring, only two went clean, three had just one time fault, four had just one rail and many others had time faults along with rails.

Jill Humphrey, who was first on course with Kaskaya (Leone Equestrians Inc., owner) rode beautifully but accrued a single time fault, exceeding the allotted time of 90 seconds by .46. Second to attempt the course and first pair to go clean were Janet Hischer and Kenitra (Twisted Tree Farm Inc., owners). Eighth to go was Humprhey aboard Corralino (Katie Harris, owner) whom, having learned her lesson from the first ride, jumped the course fault free.

Clearly not as inviting of a course as it appeared, those nasty time faults proved to be a problem for half of the class.  Refusals and rails occurred at fence one, two and at each of the three elements of the triple combination.

Hischer and Kenitra were first pair to gallop around the shortened course for the jump-off where they laid down their second clean round of the day in a time of 42.12.  Humphrey attempted a tricky approach to fence three, resulting in a rail.  She then retired, handing the win to Hischer.

The three horse and rider combinaitons that ran into trouble with the clock, leaving them fractions away from the jump-off, were awarded third through fifth.  Alicia Jonsson Foster and her mount Don Francisco were just over the time allowed with 90.23, Humphrey finished fourth with Kaskaya, and Missy Froley aboard Bay Rose’s Oberon 48 took home fifth as the last of the one-faulters with a time of 90.78.  Joie Gatlin and her young mount Twindoline took down a rail at fence seven but proved to be the best of the four fault rides finishing sixth, Harley Brown and Cassiatio (Oak Park Group LLC, owners) clipped the fourth jump on course for seventh, taking home another portion of the prize money was Gatlin aboard her dependable SunCal’s King for eighth, and Erin Duffy rode Kir Royal to a ninth place finish, rounding out the four-fault trips.

Weather was perfect on this glorious SoCal Sunday.  After dining on delicious Argentinean fare atop the hill, many of the VIP guests stayed long after the event.  From pony rides to bounce houses, Kids’ Day was also a popular place for the younger crowd (and their parents).

Stay tuned for upcoming newsletters – from the Zone 10 Pony Finals to Spruce, Young Rider and Euro reports, Grand Prix action and more. The next newsletter will be in your inbox in less than two weeks and a special online edition coming in July.

June Classic I Grand Prix

The course for the $30,000 Blenheim Classic Grand Prix, designed by Linda Allen, was clearly a challenging 16- obstacle track. Out of the 23 horses that galloped onto the grass field, only three left all the rails up. Fourth in, Guy Thomas and Peterbilt (Peterbilt, LLC owners) were the first pair to go clean followed by Susan Hutchison and Muscadet de la Saveniere (Veronica Tracy, owner) riding eighth. Not until the seventeenth in the order did we see another fault free ride, New Zealander Anna Trent aboard Muskateer NZPH (Warwick Hansen, owner).

Trouble spots were seen throughout the course, including the second fence, an oxer on a bend, which lost its top rail a number of times, as did the next fence, a skinny vertical. The second element of the triple, 10B, also caught a few toes for four faults. Another course culprit was the water jump, set as a vertical, which proved spooky and resulted in a few run outs.

Thomas was the first to take a shot at the jump-off course finishing with a rail at 5B and a time of 38.97. Hutchison and Muscadet de la Saveniere were up next. They laid down their second clean, smooth trip with a hard to beat time of 38.33. Last to go, Trent tried to answer Hutchison’s call. Over the first three obstacles with ease, she then dropped two rails – one at fence four as well as one jumping out of the combination – solidifying the win for Hutchison.

Six horses were one rail away from a clean round, including Thomas on his second mount, Carino, fastest of the four-faulters for a fourth place finish, Gaby Salick and her young, talented mount Centuria Z had only 10B down for fifth, Joie Gatlin aboard the consistent SunCal’s King barely clipped the skinny to take home sixth, Lane Clarke and the crafty Kiss the Sky finished seventh, Hutchison on her second mount, Cantano had a heartbreak rail at the second to last jump, and Harley Brown on Cassiato rounded out the four-fault rides for ninth.

Team Send-off Celebration

Sunday was also selection day, as the Young Riders from Zone 10 competed in a challenging final two-round trial. After their multi-medal success at NAJYRC in 2007 and 2008, Zone 10 is certainly the team to beat in Kentucky July 22-26. Read more about it in this week’s Conversations with Young Riders below.

The Young Rider ‘A’ and ‘B’ Teams and the WCAR Spruce Teams, who will be competing at the Skyliner Tournament June 16-21, gathered in the hilltop VIP Tent for a well-deserved celebration during the Grand Prix.

Congratulations and good luck to all!

EquestriSol News: September 28, 2007

SHOW MOM is pleased to announce a new feature article, “Being a Horse Show Mom.” Plus, don’t miss the blog – read & participate – the hot topic this month is Indoors. If you are there, jump online and share stories! See more at www.showmom.com.

IPPOS International is jumping into the spotlight. After sponsoring the WCAR Spruce Teams and making the trip to the Pan Am Games with Jill Humphrey, the show duffle bag will also be seen at Indoors this fall. More on the fabulous On The Circuit Collection at www.ippos.com.