Aaron Vale and Palm Sunday – Photo By: Rebecca Walton.
Lexington, KY – May 10, 2013 – Rain and wind proved to be the lucky charm for Kalvin Dobbs’ Winde in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers. The talented young rider took home top honors in the competitive class at the Rolex Stadium during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Earlier in the day, Aaron Vale also claimed a blue ribbon, piloting Palm Sunday to the fastest double clear effort in the 1.45m Open Jumpers.
A steady rain and chilly wind made for a challenging day at the Kentucky Horse Park. For the 1.45m Open Jumpers and the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, Richard Jefferys produced a technical track that included an open water, a triple bar, an oxer-vertical double combination, and a vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination. The riders that were able to advance to the tiebreaker had to show over four new fences, as well as the open water option, making sharp turns and using long gallops to beat the clock.
During the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, ten riders managed to advance to the short course. Emanuel Andrade set the time to beat at a clear 33.036 seconds with La Fe Forli, owned by Hollow Creek Farm of Aiken, SC, which would eventually place fourth. Frances Land of Alpharetta, GA slipped in behind him early in the class riding Vieanne to a time of 34.565 seconds that would earn sixth at the end of the day.
The next fault-free round came from Sophie Simpson, but she would be slowest of the double clears in 37.199 seconds aboard Chico’s Girl, owned by Katherine Gallagher of Medfield, MA. Andrade managed to best his own time aboard his second mount for Hollow Creek Farm, Tiny Tim, clocking in at 32.332 seconds for a speedy second place finish. Chloe Reid of Washington, DC, and Damascus claimed the fourth place honors in 34.246, while her second mount Victor E, owned by Candy Tribble of East Windsor, CT, place third in 33.036 seconds. Leah DeMartini and True Love, owned by Elm Rock LLC of Bronxville, NY, went just before Reid and were also double clear for seventh place in 36.268 seconds.
The fastest of the double clear rounds went to Kalvin Dobbs and Winde, owned by Treesdale Farm of Carmel, IN. The pair picked up a quick gallop and never held back, making sharp turns and easily soaring over all the fences. They dashed through the timers in 31.516 seconds, almost a full second faster than Andrade and Tiny Tim, to earn the winning prize.
“It was a really good jump-off,” smiled Dobbs. “I was able to gallop the turns and think about numbers a little bit. It was a really smooth trip and I was able to find all the fences. Winde is a very high-strung horse and my trainer [Abigail Blankenship] and I work together with her. The hardest thing to do is the flatting. I have to be very calm around her. Over the past year and a half we have really been able to figure each other out. When we go in the ring we are able to make something good out of it. I hope we continue to grow together, and she has been a blast to work with.”
The high school junior just arrived last night after finishing his ACT exams, but is thrilled to be back in Kentucky. “I love Kentucky; it is so pretty here,” expressed Dobbs. “It is very competitive; you see a lot of great riders and horses. It’s just a great place to show and it’s close to home, so it’s great to come here and show each year.”
The 1.45m Open Jumpers competed earlier in the day, with four double clear efforts posted. Schuyler Riley was the trailblazer aboard Andretti, owned by Southbeach Stables of Wellington, FL, but in an effort to leave all the rails in place she posted a conservative time of 38.112 seconds that would place fourth. Ian Millar and Baranns, owned by The Baranns Group of Perth, Ontario, were the next to leave all the fences intact, and they took home the third place honors for a time of 36.735.
Aaron Vale and Palm Sunday, owned by Amen Corner Farm of Folsom, LA, were the next to show over the short course and they blew by Millar’s time. They easily maneuvered all the turns and had a nice, open gallop to dash across the finish line in a quick 33.611 seconds. Ireland’s Andrew Bourns and Carmina attempted to best Vale’s time. They were just a touch short of the winning time in 34.478 seconds to claim second place and seal Vale’s victory.
“Palm Sunday felt super,” noted Vale. “I didn’t show last night; I wanted to space his classes out a little bit to aim for Sunday’s grand prix. I was just trying to get home to go smooth and canter around nicely. He rode really well for me, stayed relax, and he’s a pretty quick horse, so it wasn’t a lot of work to get around in the pace. Hopefully I’ve got him set up well for Sunday.”
Vale added, “I just let him gallop a little and the turns were pretty good. I didn’t do anything crazy. If I have to I can whip and drive a little harder on him, so that wasn’t crazy for him, but I was really happy with the way he rode around the first round.”
The Kentucky Spring Horse Shows have been on Vale’s schedule for many years and he is happy to be back at the prestigious event. “The footing is great no matter the condition, wet or dry,” he commented. “They put a great course of jumps out there; we have super footing and a good course designer. It’s great showing and good mileage for the young horses.”
The final event of the day was the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, where Leah DeMartini was the dominating rider for Elm Rock Partners LLC of Bronxville, NY. DeMartini showed Eurocommerce Tampa to the win with a blazing time of 29.687 seconds in the jump-off. She also picked up the third place award with Zubantos, and the fifth place honors with Pauly Du Breuil. Gabrielle Stern of Chicago, IL, piloted Anjelica to the second place honors in a double clear time of 29.963 seconds, while Sarah Bagworth of King City, Ontario, and Untouchable slipped into the fourth place position.
The weekend concludes with the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix on Sunday at 4p.m., but the riders will return to the Kentucky Horse Park for the Kentucky Spring Classic, scheduled for May 15-19, 2013.
For more information about Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com