Emanuel Andrade and Wilkina Lithya.
Lexington, KY – May 17, 2013 – The young talent was shining brightly today during the Kentucky Spring Classic as Emanuel Andrade led the team from Hollow Creek Farm to multiple victories in the jumper ring. His highlight of the day was during the High Junior/Amateur-Owner jumpers, where he piloted Wilkina Lithya to the win, followed by Tiny Tim in third, while Kate Morrison and Four Roses DL Vie Z placed second. Andrade also scored all three of the top ribbons in the Low Junior Jumpers. Earlier in the day, Katie Prudent and V took home honors in the 1.45m Open Jumpers with their quick and clean jump-off round.
All of today’s courses in the Rolex Stadium were designed by Conrad Homfeld, and were similar to last night’s grand prix with a triple combination and double combination. The jump-offs featured technical lines, as well as areas to showcase tight rollbacks and long gallops. The final class was the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers where ten returned for the short course.
Andrade was the pathfinder with his first mount, Tiny Tim, owned by Hollow Creek Farm of Aiken, SC. They set the target in the jump-off by leaving all the fences intact and breaking the beam at 36.481 seconds, which would be good enough for third. He eventually bested his own time with his winning mount Wilkina Lithya, also owned by Hollow Creek Farm, later in the class. They shaved the turn in the first rollback and flew down to the final oxer to dash through the finish in 35.823 seconds. The clear effort would prove uncatchable and they would claim their winning stake.
“In the jump-off, I was super quick from the second fence to the third fence, and made a very tight turn,” stated Andrade. “I was also very fast to the last oxer. Wilkina Lithya is 10-year-old mare that we just bought in France. She was doing some 1.40m and 1.45m grand prixs there. I started riding her at WEF and she jumped between the Mediums and Highs, but now she is just doing the Highs.”
Andrade added, “She is very hot and, in the schooling area she can give me a hard time. I focus on keeping her calm, and by time we go in the ring she is fine. I’ve gotten to know her a lot better the last few months.”
The win came shortly after Andrade’s top three placings in the Low Junior Jumpers. The Kentucky Spring Shows have been very successful for the young rider, who jumped double clear rounds with all three mounts. Carboni, Casanova Junior, and Lucky Des Rocquelines finished first, second, and third respectively.
Andrade represents Venezuela internationally, but is currently riding for Hollow Creek Farm, and will be returning for the Kentucky Summer Series later this year. “I am super happy and grateful to have this opportunity with Hollow Creek,” he expressed. “I am trying to stay focused so I can continue winning. This is one of my favorite shows here in the United States. We were originally planning to go to New York this summer, but we have decided to stay here and show here over the summer because the whole team likes it here, and the horses love it.”
In the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, the only rider to best Andrade’s time with his first mount Tiny Tim was Kate Morrison with Four Roses DL Vie Z, owned by Craig Morrison of Dublin, OH. Their speedy jump-off effort claimed the second place award, and she also picked up fifth with her first mount, Windoctro. Leah DeMartini of Bronxville, NY slipped into the fourth place position with Elm Rock LLC’s True Love, while Daniela Stransky and Twister, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farms of Miami, FL, rounded out the top six and the double clear rounds.
Earlier in the day riders had the opportunity to showcase their mounts during the 1.45m Open Jumpers. Four riders advanced to the tiebreaker and all four posted double clear rounds. The first came clear came from the first duo on course: Richie Moloney with Freestyle De Muze for Equinimity LLC of Wellington, FL. They set the standard at 40.367 seconds, which placed fourth.
Katie Prudent was the next to tackle the jump-off aboard V, owned by Michael Smith of Winchester, VA. They had the most successful round, clocking in at 36.091 seconds with all the fences in place to eventually claim the win.
Fernando Cardenas and Quincy Car gave catching Prudent their best shot, but finished just 8/10ths a second behind the leading time for third. The last to show over the short course was Kent Farrington with Panama Tame, owned by Salamander Farms of The Plains, VA. They came even closer to Prudent’s time, but were still 7/10ths of a second shy to earn the second place award.
Although Prudent had been struggling with the strong mount last week, today played out perfectly. “V is very strong and I’ve been trying different bits,” she explained. “Each bit that I tried that was stronger just made him more mad, so today I just went back to my good old hackabit. He jumped beautifully and he likes when I let him go, so in the jump-off I just picked up a good gallop and let him do the whole course without interrupting him. He galloped around beautifully and everything came up nicely out of the turns. I felt like it was very smooth.”
Prudent continued, “He’s a strong horse and I’ve tried different bits on him, but like I said, if I try something strong on him he just gets mad. I just went back to the bit that he likes, the hackabit, and he’s still strong, but I can control him and he jumps really nicely in it. I think my experiments with different bits are over. I am just going to let him jump in the bit that he likes because he jumps well in it. I feel very good going into Spruce Meadows because he loves it there. The rings are big and I can let him gallop on, so he really likes that.”
Tomorrow, Andrade and Prudent will both be competing in the Kentucky Spring Classic’s highlight event. The $75,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington will get underway at 6:30p.m. at the Rolex Stadium in the Kentucky Horse Park. The show concludes with Sunday’s $20,000 Bluegrass Classic, where top riders will vie for the winning honors.
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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