Emanuel Andrade and Carboni 3.
Lexington, KY – May 16, 2014 – Rising talent took center stage in the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Spring Classic, with Emanuel Andrade and Carboni 3 taking home a victory in the High Junior Jumpers. Victoria Colvin took home the second place award with Chanel B2, but earlier in the day she bested some of the best professionals in the business during a 1.45m Open Jumpers aboard Ruby.
For the High Junior Jumper class, course designer Michel Vaillancourt tested riders with a course similar to Thursday night’s Hagyard Lexington Classic. Only seven riders advanced to the tiebreaker, and only three riders produced a second clear effort.
The first to do so were Colvin and Chanel B2, owned by Karen Long Dwight of New Vernon, NJ. The pair jumped all the fences with ease and set the time to beat at 32.415 seconds. Sophie Simpson of Royal Palm Beach, FL, tried to catch her aboard Why Not, but a slower time of 34.175 seconds would only be good enough for third place.
The only rider that was able to best Colvin was Andrade with Carboni 3, owned by Hollow Creek Farm of Aiken, SC. The pair was quick and careful through the rollbacks and the double combination, taking over the lead with a time of 31.575 seconds. Andrade and Carboni 3 took home the blue ribbon, while Colvin settled for second.
Before he went in the ring, fellow Venezuelan rider Pablo Barrios bet Andrade $100 that he could not go clear, and it proved to be the perfect motivation. “It’s not that easy to jump clear with him,” admitted Andrade. “Sometimes he’s not very careful, but when he is he can really win. Today he was perfect, super careful and scopey.”
Andrade continued, “During the jump-off, I did a really short turn in the first rollback, and then to the combination I was very quick. The course was the same as the grand prix last night, so the lines were very technical. Carboni 3 jumped great, and I am really happy with him.”
Earlier in the day it was Colvin’s time to shine. Eight competitors had double clear efforts, creating a race for the win. Aaron Vale set the time to beat at a speedy 34.534 seconds aboard Spirit of Alena, owned by Campos and Miranda Investments of Ocala, FL. He would not hold on to the lead for long though. Colvin and Ruby, owned by Rose Hill Farm of Bridgehampton, NY, picked up a quick gallop to the first fence and never held back, crossing the finish line in 33.761 seconds, almost a full second ahead of Vale.
Towards the end of the class, Hayley Barnhill attempted to catch the leaders with Zephire, owned by Cara Cheska of Waukesha, WI, but the young rider fell just short of the top times with a clear round in 34.838 seconds. Barnhill took home the third place award, while Vale picked up second, and Colvin topped the leader board.
“I didn’t really watch any. I wasn’t planning on going very fast, but from one to two I was really tight,” explained Colvin. “It was just neat. We weren’t running, but we had some tight turns.”
Colvin added, “Ruby might be the one I show at [the North American Junior & Young Rider Championships], so we had to get the certificate in the 1.45m. She’s really easy. This is only my third time riding her. She’s very big, so she covers the ground really well and doesn’t make you feel like you are jumping high. It’s nice to be able to compete in the bigger classes.”
The High Amateur-Owner Jumpers wrapped up the day in the Rolex Stadium. Hayley Gassel of Lenoir City, TN, had all the answers with Quite Dark 2, taking a three second lead during the eight-horse jump-off with a clear time of 33.146 seconds for the victory. Jennifer O’Neil of Quebec, Canada, scored the second and third place ribbons with Zoltaire and Unex Valente, respectively, posting double clear efforts with both mounts.
Tomorrow morning, riders will return for the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic, and in the evening they will compete under the lights during $75,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. The jumper action at the Kentucky Spring Classic concludes on Sunday with the $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior and Amateur-Owner Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classics sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch & Audi of Lexington in the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park.
For more information about the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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