The final phase at The Event at Rebecca Farm proved to be a test for many riders, but in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* it did not change the overnight standings one bit. After the final horse crossed the finish line of Richard Jeffery’s show jumping course it was Kristi Nunnink who came out on top with her 11-year-old Holsteiner mare R-Star (Riverman x Marisol).
“It has just been kind of magical actually,” said Kristi. “She has been really good in all three phases – I couldn’t be happier. It’s been great and my little Prelim horse won also, so it has been an awesome weekend.”
“I felt really comfortable coming into today,” continued Kristi. “The jumps didn’t seem that big to me. I had seen some rough goes, but I wasn’t really too concerned as she really is a good show jumper.”
“The weather turned great – everything was wonderful, we had beautiful arenas, beautiful footing, it was a great event.”
For her win in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Division, Kristi took home an Adequan USEA Gold Cup Trophy, $500 in prize money, 7-dose box of Adequan, $200 Point Two Gift Certificate, and $500 worth of Nunn Finer Products.
Katherine Groesbeck and Oz the Tin Man dropped two rails but still managed to hold onto second position.
“I am excited; I rode forward which I was happy with, but I wasn’t too happy with the two rails,” said Katherine. “For our first time at the level I am pretty satisfied with completing and getting a qualifying score.”
For her second place finish in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup division, Sinead took home a 7-dose box of Adequan and a $100 Point Two Gift Certificate.
The only pair in the CIC3* to leave all of the rails up in the cups and finish inside the time allowed was Jolie Wentworth and Tracy Bowman’s GoodKnight.
“I thought [the course] was plenty a big,” said Jolie. “I walked the course and wondered if there was anything that wasn’t maxed out. As I said yesterday my horse is a really great show jumper. I took a little extra time to walk the course so was late to warm-up, so I think I jumped about five fences. They weren’t ideal, but he is just a spectacular show jumper and just goes in there and gives it his all. I was really thrilled.”
About The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series
Now in its ninth year, the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is an exciting format of competition and entertainment for U.S. Eventing, encompassing seven of the top eventing competitions from around the U.S. where the best of the best vie for prize money, trophies, and the title of Gold Cup Champion.
Winners of each of the seven Gold Cup events across the country take home a trailer-load of prizes for their achievements. Winners receive an Adequan USEA Gold Cup Trophy, $500 in prize money, 7-dose box of Adequan, $200 Point Two Gift Certificate, and $500 worth of Nunn Finer Products. Second place finishers also take home a 7-dose box of Adequan and a $100 Point Two Gift Certificate.
The overall Adequan USEA Gold Cup winner will receive a hefty check for $20,000, an official Gold Cup Champion Jacket, and a huge trophy at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention. The Reserve Champion receives $1,500 worth of Nunn Finer Products and a Gold Cup Reserve Champion Jacket.
The Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series is made possible through the support of its sponsors: Title: Adequan; Legacy: Nunn Finer; Nutrena; Broadstone Equine Insurance Agency; SmartPak; Point Two.
While the FEI divisions were running in the main arena, two other arenas were going non-stop with horse trial and SmartPak Equine USEA Classic Series divisions tackling their own show jump courses.
In the Training Three-Day A division, overnight leader Pam Fisher dropped a rail with Rigby to open the door for Sarah Haff and Defensive Player to take home the blue ribbon. Sarah started the weekend in fifth but made a steady climb up the leaderboard. In division B, Erin Kellerhouse left all of the rails in the cups to maintain her lead with Laurel Ritter and Mary Jo Bennett’s Raffaella.
Sarah and Erin took home prizes sponsored by Five Star Tack Bridle, SmartPak, FITS Breeches, and Point Two. They were also entered in a drawing to win a Stackhouse Saddle, a year’s supply of SmartPaks, and a Fleeceworks Saddle Pad Set.
Both the Advanced and CCI2* divisions wrapped up with only two competitors left to show jump. Geriann Henderson took home the win in the Advanced with Kingslee while Florence Miller rode Tuscan Sun to the win in the CCI2*.
Emilee Libby and Nonsensical won the CIC2*, Jennifer McFall and High Times led the victory gallop in the CCI1*, and Tiffany Lunney rounded out the winners in the FEI division aboard Patent Pending.
Complete Results are available here: http://eventingscores.com/eventsr/rebecca/ht0712/.