Chenoa McElvain and Wallstreet RC fly to their second Grand Prix win at HIPICO Santa Fe. Of the 21 riders in Sunday’s $25,000 Welcome Week Variable Grand Prix, three navigated Oscar Soberon’s course with clear rounds. Chenoa McElvain, Karen Banister, and Allison Kroff proceeded to the jump-off. After impressive performances, McElvain prevailed due a tight inside turn from jump 1 to 14, “Nobody else took the inside turn, so that was my game plan!” said the head trainer and professional at Rancho Corazon in Santa Fe, NM.
After winning the 2018 Grand Prix de Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Summer Series, Chenoa returns to HIPICO Santa Fe’s 2019 circuit stronger than ever, sealing her second Grand Prix victory at a Santa Fe Summer Series competition. Earlier in the week, the duo kicked off the week in the $5,000 Santa Fe Welcome Stake with a double clear round, but were slower than the other clear jump-offs. “Walle is always better when the jumps are bigger. Today he was more manageable [than Friday]; we always have an advantage when the jumps go up!” said McElvain.
McElvain rode two horses in the class, her first round on Voila, which gave her a helpful preview of the course. “The course designer set a perfect course for the field today. It was more technical than the rest of the week for sure,” said McElvain. As the last rider in the jump-off, McElvain knew exactly what was needed to take the blue. “As soon as I went to jump one, ‘Walle’ was in jump-off mode and I knew what I had to do to win! I went with the flow and had a great time,” said the professional, hair still wind-blown after her second celebratory victory lap around the Grand Prix Field in a vintage race car!
The Grand Prix festivities offered a perfect afternoon to wrap up the Welcome Week of the Santa Fe Summer Series, with a performance by the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Hoop Dancers, a Leadliner, and presentations of the weekly Santa Fe Summer Series awards. A special thanks to CWD Sellier, who sponsored the award for this class.
$25,000 Welcome Week Grand Prix
| Placing | Entry Name | Rider | Owner | J/O Time |
| 1 | WALLSTREET RC | CHENOA MCELVAIN | GUY MCELVAIN | 44.037 |
| 2 | CRESPO VDL | KAREN BANISTER | SKYLARK EQUESTRIAN LLC | 45.362 |
| 3 | CHARMING’S SPEZIAL | ALLISON KROFF | BETH BUCHANAN | 46.356 |
| 4 | SANITA PJ | JENNI MCALLISTER | VIKSVERG SATERI AB | n/a |
| 5 | EKYRA FORTUNA | MACKENZIE HUDSON | MACKENZIE HUDSON | n/a |
| 6 | BISKIT SDD | MEGHAN HURST | MEGHAN HURST | n/a |
| 7 | ZOOLANDER | CAITLIN BURNS | CAITLIN BURNS | n/a |
| 8 | E-STAR ETC | CHARLIE CARREL | EQUINE TRADING COMPANY | n/a |
