Edited Press Release
Sunny skies over the Virginia Horse Center set the stage for top competition today in the $35,000 Rockbridge Grand Prix. The Stave Mill Pavilion was packed with spectators and the hill had additional spectators watching and cheering on the competitors.
Course designer Paul Jewell of Lambertville, New Jersey designed the course and set the first-round time allowed at 81 seconds.
Only four of the fifteen horse and rider teams advanced to a second-round opportunity with a time allowed of 48 seconds.
First to go in the jump off order of go was Abby Grabowski aboard her own Quantum Trost 3. The pair had a rail earning them four jump faults in a time of 40.577. Next up was Marylisa Leffler and Rolling Acres’ ZaZa Z. The pair had finished second in the $15,000 Welcome on Thursday and all eyes were on the pair as they entered the Dee Dee arena.
“After I saw Abby and her horse get a rail, I knew I just wanted to go ‘medium fast’ and keep the jumps up. I knew that the two after me could be fast and so I was just trying to go fast enough, but not be stupid,” commented Leffler. Leffler and Zaza Z turned in a clear jump off round in a time of 36.994 seconds and set the new time to beat.
Kama Godek and her own Chelsy 25 followed in the order. Despite their time of 36.753 seconds, four jump faults moved them into second place behind Leffler and Zaza Z.
Lindsay Simmons Beale and her own 007 D’O sat in the last to go position. Eight jump faults in a time of 40.780 seconds earned them a fourth place finish behind Grabowski and Quantum Trost 3.
Brooke Kemper and Bayra, LLC’s Bayra earned a fifth place finish as the fastest four fault first round with their time of 70.713 seconds and sixth was awarded to Laura Gaither and Savannah Welch’s Carnlea Premiere for their four fault first round in a time of 73.409 seconds.
Tiffany Cambria in the irons of Sabrina Hellman’s Independence placed seventh with their four fault first round in a time of 74.667 seconds and Addison Reed rode Reed Training & Sales’ Doc Di Villignana to an eighth placing for their four fault first round in a time of 75.686 seconds. Reed also picked up a tenth place with Reed Training & Sales’ Goliath.
Ninth place was awarded to Juliana Thorbeke and her own Andromeda Z for their four fault first round in at time of 77.670 seconds. Sulu Rose-Reed placed eleventh with Reed Training & Sales’ Rich Girl and David Matisz aboard David Matisz, LLC’s Nero Uno wrapped up the class with a twelfth place finish.
Leffler commented, “I think Paul [Jewell] built enough of a course for what he had in this class. He [Paul] likes to design with a lot of bending lines but I think it was a good course. Considering I took a bit of a stumble the first day in the hunter ring, this was a nice way to end my week here in Lexington,” she said. Leffler will be back for the Encore.
For more information, please visit horseshowsonline.com.
Original press release from Virginia Horse Center Foundation.
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