Lexington, KY – May 15, 2011 – The rain continued to come down at the Kentucky Horse Park today, but 30 riders still turned out to compete during the $55,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Eight horse and rider combinations were able to advance to the jump-off in the Rolex Stadium, and five of those entries left the ring without fault the second time, making speed the deciding factor during today’s main event. Once again, Kent Farrington had all the luck, this time with his winning mount from the 2011 American Invitational, Uceko. The Millar Family rounded out the top three, with Amy Millar and Costa Rica Z placing second, and Ian Millar taking home third aboard Instyle.
Anthony D’Ambrosio of the United States designed today’s masterful first round, as well as the short course. The opening test included 17 jumping efforts, which featured a triple combination, an open water with pole, and three double combinations. Early in the class, a tight time eliminated a total of six riders from the jump-off, despite the fact they left all the rails untouched.
“I thought the time was very short,” admitted Farrington. “I think it was sort of a mixed bag of horses and riders in the class. I think Anthony tried to make the time more of a factor than size, so I think in the beginning it caught a lot of people off guard. You had to really motor around to make the time.”