The $10,000 Welcome Jumper Stake 1.35 kicked off the jumper action in the Dee Dee Arena Thursday at the Lexington Spring Encore, over a course designed by FEI Course Designer Ken Krome of Westminster, Maryland.
A majority of the class advanced to a second round opportunity where the time was set at 47 seconds.
Brooke Kemper of Keswick, Virginia aboard Caroline Blum’s Arpeggi was the first horse and rider team to turn in a clear second round and with their fault-free time of 35.313 seconds, set the new time to beat. Kemper held that lead until seven horses later, when Manuel Torres of Leesburg, Virginia aboard Fox View Farm’s Caillou VL, turned in their own fault-free second round in a time of 34.381, setting the new time to beat.
Christina Webb of Bahama, North Carolina followed Torres with Fox View Farm’s FVF Sailor Man. Even though the pair turned in a clear second round, their time of 34.648 seconds couldn’t catch Torres and the pair would settle into seventh place.
Three trips later, Sloane Coles of The Plains, Virginia in the irons of Blue Ridge Syndicate, LLC’s Hotspot took to the Dee Dee arena. The pair turned in double clear rounds with a second round time of 31.493 seconds and set the new time to beat.
Coles has only been riding Hotspot since February. “He [Hotspot] is a fast horse and I think I was a lot faster from fence one to two. My goal was to win and so I went for it,” she said.
“It was really nice to have Kenny [Krome] design the course. He did a good job and made it nicely technical without trapping the horses, but the rider had to ride the lines and correct track in order to make the course flow. It was really the perfect course to get everyone ready for the Saturday Grand Prix,” Coles added.
The horse race continued as Ashley Foster of Brookeville, Maryland aboard Rolling Acres’ Stardust followed Coles and Hotspot in the order. Despite double clear rounds, their time of 34.679 seconds would see them finish in eighth overall.
Kemper returned to the arena, this time in the irons of Shadow Pond Group’s Rocket J Squirrel. Their fault-free second round in a time of 32.362 seconds was so close, but not fast enough to take the lead and they would sit in second place behind Coles and Hotspot.
Grace Long of Middleburg, Virginia and G & T Equestrian’s Happiness VD Hazel Hof turned in double clear rounds and their time of 36.800 would award them a tenth place finish.
Samantha Tuerk of Wellington, Florida and Stony Ridge Management’s Camryn were the next horse and rider team to post double-clear rounds and their second round time in 34.389 seconds would see them finish in sixth overall.
Ann Berg of Bahama, North Carolina riding her own Gomarus, turned in a fault-free second round in a time of 37.230 seconds finishing in eleventh overall.
Addison Reed of Mechanicsville, Virginia and Reed Training & Sales, LLC’s Goliath, second place finishers in Saturday’s $25,000 Rockridge Grand Prix, followed in the order. Their fault-free second round 33.097 seconds moved them into third place.
Mo Baptiste of The Plains, Virginia and Frank Ferguson’s Capito Z followed Reed and Goliath. Although the pair turned in double fault-free rounds, their second round time in 40.365 seconds would earn them a twelfth place finish.
Torres returned in the last to go position, this time in the irons of Rolet Equestrian Corp’s Levito 12. The pair turned in double clear rounds in a time of of 33.715 seconds, earning them a fourth place finish and had Torres taking home the fifth place ribbon with Caillou VL.
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