Allison Toffolon Excels in Junior Jumpers at Brandywine Valley Summer Series

  • Save
Allison Toffolon and Furalissa, Junior Jumpers at Brandywine Valley Summer Series. Photo By: Robyn Keyster/PMG.

Devon, PA – July 2, 2011 – Timing was everything this afternoon at Brandywine Valley Summer Series presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services, with a speedy Low Junior Amateur-Owner Jumper class taking place today in the Dixon Oval of the scenic Devon Show Grounds. A slew of swift riders took on Jose Gamarra’s latest jumper course, giving onlookers an exciting display of genuine horsepower.

Taking first in the speed class was Allison Toffolon on her own gray mare, Furalissa. She cleared today’s colorful course in just 57.001 seconds, after quickly correcting an imprecise distance to the first jump. She and the enthusiastic Furalissa quickly recouped their time, finishing with the fastest fault-free round of the afternoon.

“All in all it was a good round,” commented Toffolon. “We went a little too deep to the first jump, which kind of slowed us down. After that we had to regroup and make some tighter turns. If we would have had a better distance to that first jump, we probably would have been able to go even faster.”

Toffolon added, “Furalissa is a really fast horse who loves to gallop around. She really wants to win, so it’s easy to have a good round with her. On Furalissa, I like the speed class better because there are more opportunities to go faster than someone else, or turn tighter than someone else. We are a good match because she has the heart to win and so do I. She will take risks that I will take, too. That’s why we got her, she really wants to win.”

The talented junior rider will be here at Brandywine for the second week of competion as well. She resides in Bronxville, NY and is trained by Andre Dignelli of nearby Katonah, NY.

Also turning in rapid rounds was Alex Matz, who rode Jolly Mome to a second place ribbon with a time of 58.983 seconds. Matz also foiled any riders hoping to secure third place, this time aboard Counterfoil, as the duo cleared all 13 obstacles in just 60.298 seconds. Madeline Turner on Calgary also achieved a clear round, passing the end timer at 62.685 seconds.

“My ride out there today was pretty good, except on Counterfoil one jump was pretty ugly,” said Matz. “I’m glad I survived. Both of my horses tried really hard this afternoon, though. I was probably a little better yesterday, but hopefully I can regroup for tomorrow’s Classic. These horses are good enough that they can do it.”

Ira Brown, Regional President of M&T Bank, was on site for today’s exciting competition to help present awards. M&T Bank is the generous sponsor of tomorrow’s $3,500 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and $2,500 Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. “M&T is committed to the local community, and Devon is a big part of our market, so we are pleased to support the Brandywine Valley Summer Series during its inaugural year,” he commented. “It is very exciting and it is very nice to see kids compete in their different events. We will continue to support this event as it goes forward.”

The Brandywine Valley Summer Series will offer a variety of hunter/jumper events over the next two weeks. Tomorrow, a $3,500 High Junior Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic will be held in the Dixon Oval, as well as a $2,500 Low Junior Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic to follow. The ‘AA’-rated competition will continue for next week through July 10, with a local day on July 11.

For more information about the Brandywine Valley Summer Series, please visit http://brandywinevalleysummerseries.com.

Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389  fax 561.753.3386
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com

Leave a Reply