Sanchez rode to victory aboard Cassano Z against a highly competitive field of thirty-one competitors.
"Cassano Z is 9-years-old. I recently got him this spring," stated Sanchez. "He's pretty new for me but he's been great so far. He's a younger horse so I'm really looking forward to seeing what he's going to be when he's older."
Nine riders out of the field of thirty-one made it to the jump-off, producing six clean jump-off rounds. Sanchez won with a clean round in 36.623 seconds, just 1/100th of a second faster than second place winner and barn mate, Giavana Rinaldi and Carben Farm's Always Me who completed the course in a time of 36.631.
"Gia and I both ride at Our Day Farm with Maggie and Alex Jayne and Haylie Rolfe," said Sanchez. "She's a great rider and I always look up to her. She had an amazing jump-off. I saw it on the screen and I thought, 'Wow, I really have to go for it!' He's been turning really well lately - we've been working on that with him since he's younger. He was just on it; he was amazing today. I'm just so grateful for him."
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame conducts the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, held under Grand Prix rules and specifications. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series is designed to give amateur-owner and junior riders an opportunity to compete at higher levels and serves as a proving ground for many riders who aspire to someday represent the United States in international competition.
Any horse show offering a class that meets all the criteria set forth in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series specifications and has prize money of at least $1,000 is eligible to be part of the Series.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame was organized to promote the sport of show jumping and to immortalize the legends of the men, women and horses who have made great contributions to the sport. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame is located at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Plaques honoring those who have been honored with induction into the Hall of Fame can be seen at the Horse Park's Rolex Stadium. Mementos and artifacts from the sport's history are on display as part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame collection at the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Wheeler Museum at the Horse Park.