Edited Press Release
Progression has been the name of the game for Mandy Porter and Cadeau Z. During the National Sunshine Series, the pair secured top-five finishes in each of the national grand prix events, and during week two of Desert Holiday, they jumped up to the winner’s circle in the $50,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix.
“We’re just really getting to know each other better and better each time out,” Porter said of her relationship with the 9-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Risen EQ Holdings LLC. “Today we were able to go a little faster and a little bit more in unison.”
Porter was one of five to jump clear over Alan Wade’s track in the first round. She was the final clear effort, putting her in pole position as the jump-off arrived. Karrie Rufer held the lead at the time with Stern Dei Folletti, owned by Morning Star Sporthorses, but Porter did what she had to do, shaving only one-tenth of a second off the leading time.
“After watching Karrie I didn’t really think I was going to be faster than she was but this horse has a heart of gold,” Porter continued. “He’s such a trier; he was better in the jump-off than in the first round even. I’m super lucky right now to have really great people that are backing me. It’s a lot of fun. Big thank-you to the owners.”
The horse was paired with Porter from the same team that paired her with her mount Milano, with whom she won the $1 Million Grand Prix right here in Thermal in 2017. “It’s a little ironic,” she said of the match-making. “I called Enda Carroll who we got him from at Ashford Farm because that was where I got Milano, a really good horse I had a few years ago. He said, ‘I think I have the perfect horse,’ and he put it all together.”
“It’s exciting,” Porter reflected on her win. “I haven’t been back in the grand prixs here in a little bit. It feels like ages, and after watching [the CSI5* Grand Prix] last night it gets your blood going and gets you excited. The atmosphere here is really special now, so it’s a lot of fun to ride in this ring and feel special.”
Rufer took home second place honors, while Jamie Taylor and JT Equine LLC’s Quatar took third.
Final Results: $50,000 Go Rentals National Grand Prix
1. Cadeau Z / Mandy Porter / Risen EQ Holdings LLC / 0/0/36.306
2. Stern Dei Folletti / Karrie Rufer / Morning Star Sporthorses, LLC / 0/0/36.418
3. Quatar / Jamie Taylor / JT Equine LLC / 0/0/36.916
4. Howard Du Seigneur / James Chawke / Ramsay Equestrian Inc / 0/0/38.690
5. Testigo LS / Angel Karolyi / Angel Karolyi / 0.4.39.798
6. Flinton M / Kendall Bourgeois / Cameron Brown / 1/76.879
7. Escapado S / Ian McFarlane / Mountain View West Farm LLC / 2/77.398
8. Havana / Kassidy Keith / Cheryl Keith / 4/70.173
9. Sexy Beast / Paul O’Shea / Eye Candy LLC / 4/72.485
10. Mr. Europe / Karrie Rufer / Morning Star Sporthorses, LLC / 4/72.485
11. Spy / Paul O’Shea / Eye Candy LLC / 4/73.496
12. Chacolou / Jamie Gornall / Jamie Gornall / 4/73.507
This Post Brought to You by:
The Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association (PCHA)
The Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association (PCHA), a non-profit corporation, has as its main purpose the promotion and development of the sport of horse showing, primarily in the Hunter/Jumper, Western and Reining disciplines. These objectives are accomplished by setting the standards for showing on the West Coast and approving shows that meet these criteria.
Founded in 1946, the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association promotes the interests of owners and exhibitors, cooperates with exhibitors, officials, and management of competition, publicizes and advertises PCHA sanctioned shows, encourages and assists owners, exhibitors, and breeders of horses to maintain, develop and improve the quality of horses of the Hunter, Jumper, Western and Reining divisions.
