It was a sweet victory for Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Volage du Val Henry in the $137,000 Grand Prix CSI3* at “Friday Night Stars” in the Global Ring at Equestrian Village (home to the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival) during week six of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) on Friday, February 14.
North American ladies dominated the podium in the pinnacle jumper event of week six with Canadian rider Rachel Cornacchia finishing the runner-up aboard Valkyrie de Talma and U.S. rider Ali Wolff rounding out the top three riding longtime mount Casall.
From a starting field of 37, nine horses advanced to the tie-breaker over tracks set by course designer Ana Catalina “Catsy” Cruz Harris (MEX). With only one to follow behind her, Springsteen wowed the crowd by taking over the lead by less than one-hundredth of a second in 36.04 seconds.
“I thought I would still try to go fast in case I knocked one down because she’s such a fast mare,” said Springsteen of her plan for Volage du Val Henry, an 11-year-old Selle Français mare (Quidam de Revel x Cassini I), owned by Stone Hill Farm. “I thought I had fence one down and got really distracted, but she jumped amazing. I’m really lucky to have her; she’s such a talented mare, and she really tried her heart out tonight.”
Springsteen has had the ride on Volage du Val Henry since the mare was eight years old and knows her inside and out. “In the beginning, she was a little bit difficult; she had a tricky mouth, and it took me some time to get to know her,” said Springsteen. “Things really clicked this fall, and she’s just been jumping unbelievable – clear round after clear round. She’s so consistent, and I can really rely on her. She’s careful, but she has a lot of heart and always tries so hard to win.”
Springsteen is in the middle of a WEF season marked with consistent top finishes, a highpoint on her road to the short list for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “My dream is always to represent the United States in championships, so I am definitely always working toward that. I feel like I have a really good group of horses jumping great right now, so I am hoping to make that short list. I will just keep doing my best.”
Springsteen’s performance bumped Cornacchia to a close second in her debut season at WEF. She and Valkyrie de Talma, an 11-year-old Selle Français mare owned by Eventyre Farms, stopped the clock at 36.13 seconds.
“This is actually my very first time in Florida,” said Cornacchia, who hails from Calgary, AB. “So far I am loving it, and this was a great start! We felt like we had the horses and wanted to step it up a little bit this winter, so we decided to make the trip here. It’s just an amazing venue, the whole concept of this horse village is incredible.”
Posting the fastest four-fault jump-off round of the evening, Wolff and Casall rounded out the podium. Their eight-year partnership has produced many top finishes with more to come. “I know him pretty well; we try to use him sparingly, but he still has a lot left in the tank,” she said of the 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “I always have to go in riding my own ride, and he’s gotten quicker and quicker through the years.
Both finishing on four faults over the short course, Todd Minikus (USA) placed fourth riding Amex Z, owned by Bit By Bit Group, in 33.95 seconds, while Jim Ifko (CAN) rounded out the top five on Un Diamant des Forets in 33.98 seconds.
source: Press
North American ladies dominated the podium in the pinnacle jumper event of week six with Canadian rider Rachel Cornacchia finishing the runner-up aboard Valkyrie de Talma and U.S. rider Ali Wolff rounding out the top three riding longtime mount Casall.
From a starting field of 37, nine horses advanced to the tie-breaker over tracks set by course designer Ana Catalina “Catsy” Cruz Harris (MEX). With only one to follow behind her, Springsteen wowed the crowd by taking over the lead by less than one-hundredth of a second in 36.04 seconds.
“I thought I would still try to go fast in case I knocked one down because she’s such a fast mare,” said Springsteen of her plan for Volage du Val Henry, an 11-year-old Selle Français mare (Quidam de Revel x Cassini I), owned by Stone Hill Farm. “I thought I had fence one down and got really distracted, but she jumped amazing. I’m really lucky to have her; she’s such a talented mare, and she really tried her heart out tonight.”
Springsteen has had the ride on Volage du Val Henry since the mare was eight years old and knows her inside and out. “In the beginning, she was a little bit difficult; she had a tricky mouth, and it took me some time to get to know her,” said Springsteen. “Things really clicked this fall, and she’s just been jumping unbelievable – clear round after clear round. She’s so consistent, and I can really rely on her. She’s careful, but she has a lot of heart and always tries so hard to win.”
Springsteen is in the middle of a WEF season marked with consistent top finishes, a highpoint on her road to the short list for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. “My dream is always to represent the United States in championships, so I am definitely always working toward that. I feel like I have a really good group of horses jumping great right now, so I am hoping to make that short list. I will just keep doing my best.”
Springsteen’s performance bumped Cornacchia to a close second in her debut season at WEF. She and Valkyrie de Talma, an 11-year-old Selle Français mare owned by Eventyre Farms, stopped the clock at 36.13 seconds.
“This is actually my very first time in Florida,” said Cornacchia, who hails from Calgary, AB. “So far I am loving it, and this was a great start! We felt like we had the horses and wanted to step it up a little bit this winter, so we decided to make the trip here. It’s just an amazing venue, the whole concept of this horse village is incredible.”
Posting the fastest four-fault jump-off round of the evening, Wolff and Casall rounded out the podium. Their eight-year partnership has produced many top finishes with more to come. “I know him pretty well; we try to use him sparingly, but he still has a lot left in the tank,” she said of the 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “I always have to go in riding my own ride, and he’s gotten quicker and quicker through the years.
Both finishing on four faults over the short course, Todd Minikus (USA) placed fourth riding Amex Z, owned by Bit By Bit Group, in 33.95 seconds, while Jim Ifko (CAN) rounded out the top five on Un Diamant des Forets in 33.98 seconds.
source: Press