PARKER, Colo.— LEG Shows & Events celebrated the end of its five-week Summer in the Rockies Series with a bang! Summer in the Rockies (SIR) VI featured the $50,000 LEG Grand Prix of Colorado (National Standard), a $15,000 1.40m Open Welcome, a $10,000 Futures Prix, and a USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Littleton Equine Medical Center.
In Saturday’s $50,000 Grand Prix of Colorado, 35 horse and rider pairs navigated a technical first round track designed by Mauricio Garcia of Puerto Rico in the LEG International Ring as a full crowd of spectators looked on with excitement. It was young professional rider Hunter Holloway who posted the victory aboard Hays Investment Corporation’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding, Eastern Jam.
Six riders returned for the jump-off, all jumping clear within the 49 seconds time allowed. Hunter and Eastern Jam stopped the clock in 38.079 seconds, securing the win. Over one second behind Hunter, Hannah Loly and her 15-year-old Holsteiner mare Quitana 11 jumped to a second place finish with a time of 39.663 seconds. Hunter rounded out the top three aboard Hays Investment Corporation’s 10-year-old Westphalian mare, Pepita Con Spita with a jump-off time of 40.396 seconds.
“It was a great class with super competition,” Hunter said. “The course was technical but appropriate for the riders in the class. Luckily, I had a few horses in the class, so I got a few tries at it.”
“You work hard at it, and eventually you get results,” she added. “I have a super special bond with Eastern Jam. I’ve had him since he was eight. That horse will literally do anything for me, and he’s got a heart of gold.”
With this victory under her belt, Hunter is now in contention for a LEGIS Rider Bonus. If Hunter and Eastern Jam win another grand prix during the 2021 LEG Colorado Shows, they will earn a LEGIS Jumper Rider Bonus.
The LEGIS Rider Bonus Program, sponsored by LEGISequine.com, rewards riders who win multiple grand prix or hunter derby classes on the same horse. Visit the “programs” tab on langershows.com to view the standings and learn more about the LEGIS Rider Bonus Program.
Grand Prix Results
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Hannah Loly and her own Quitana 11 took the victory in the $15,000 1.40m Open Welcome Classic at Summer in the Rockies VI. Stephanie Gershon finished second on Everardo Hegewisch’s C’est Roberto and Laura Hite rounded out the top three on HF Farms LLC’s Calypso Vd Zuuthoeve.
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Angel Karolyi and his 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, Testigo LS, topped the Futures Prix. In second place was Sarah Invicta Williams on Invicta Farms’ Foxxy, and taking home the third place ribbon was Stephanie Gershon on Lisa Piasecki’s Midnight Hour.
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Jordyn Clarke piloted Christen Tuxworth’s Capistrano Z to the win in the USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Littleton Equine Medical Center. The second place award went to Andrea Van Meenen on Nancy Pfeifer-Fox’s MTM Caruso S and Hunter Holloway rode to a third place finish on Hays Investment Corporation’s Ruby Tuesday.
“I thought the class was really great,” Clarke noted. “The course was fun and had a lot of options. I liked how the handy round allowed us to turn inside and gallop down to the last jump.”
Clarke is now in contention to earn a LEGIS Equine Hunter Rider Bonus if she seals another derby win during the 2021 LEG Colorado Shows aboard Capistrano Z. “It’s really cool that LEGIS does that for riders and gives us that opportunity,” she added. “We’ll see what comes in the future.”
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Merin Lynch and Stacie Lynch’s Sagill were winners of the Plaid Horse Carousel Hunter Derby. Rory Breglio on Aleyna Garcia’s Audition took second place and Debbie Bird on her own Donavan finished in third place.
