Lexington KY – August 4, 2012 – The applause and excitement could be heard resounding throughout the Kentucky Horse Park tonight as the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix got underway in the Rolex Stadium. It was the fifth day of the Kentucky Summer Classic, and the nation’s top riders gathered to show under the bright lights of the stadium for a share in the prize money, and the desired $8,000 SSG ‘Go Clean for the Green’ Digital Riding Glove promotion bonus. Out of 33 entries only five were able to ride the first course clear, and progress into the arduous jump-off. It was Blythe Marano and Urban who wowed the crowd tonight, taking the top earnings and the bonus money. Aaron Vale piloted Palm Sunday to the second place finish as the only other rider to go double clear.
Anthony D’Ambrosio designed tonight’s track, using bending lines, tight turns, a vertical-oxer double combination, an open water jump, and a triple bar-oxer-vertical triple combination. The jump-off course began over a standalone vertical near the in gate and moved them with a left turn over an oxer. From there, they then had to use their mount’s pace to their advantage to clear a large space and ride to a vertical and make a hard right rollback to a skinny vertical. Upon landing, they then navigated toward the triple bar-oxer combination, shortened from the previous round, and with a right turn take an oxer along the outside and race to the final vertical to break the beam.