[PETALUMA, CA] - John Manning built a difficult course tonight at Sonoma Horse Park for the $25,000 1.40m Ariat Grand Prix. After the first few rounds, all riders received either time or jumping faults, Manning expressed his concern over the evening. Yet the riders stepped up to the challenge, with six pairs returning for the jump off. According to Manning, “A course designer wants to ask the horses to bend left, bend right, lengthen, and shorten. You want to test their power and their heart, so you put spooky things out there. I tend to do courses that I feel will ride smoothly and use the material to try to distract the horse or rider rather than make things that will require abrupt adjustments. I think this is very smooth course, fair in height and width, with a lot of different materials. I think we’re going to get a good result.” Winner Bjorn Ikast aboard his own Chestina Z certainly fulfilled those goals with two double clear rounds. Featuring a triple bar, two combinations, a water jump, and several tricky lines, the first course asked both horse and rider numerous questions. The third fence, an oxer along the outside line, brought rails down for multiple riders. Those who escaped the first line clean had to address a difficult combination next. A four stride leading to a one stride to another four stride, the combination was the downfall of countless riders with either rails or refusals. Asked if he is happy with the results of the evening, Manning replied, “Yes, I am. There were few rider errors, just a few rails here or there.” Macella O’Neill, fastest four-faulter, agrees with Manning. “John built us a great course. We’re really lucky to be riding it out here on this great footing.” The jump off brought another clear round for four more riders. Jill Humphry and Zubliem (who also won the $2,500 Ascenta Omega3 Open Jumper Classic on Thursday this week) went first in the jump off and made quick time, only to be beaten by Ikast as the last rider. Aimee Hanson and Coya came in third, and Matias Fernandez aboard Alegria rounded out the four riders who were double clear. Fernandez was the only rider in the jump off to choose the Wells Fargo oxer rather than the open water jump. The water was what Ikast believes put him ahead. “I saw Jill’s time and thought ‘I know I have a good water jump,’ so I could take a really short turn to it. There was only one stride with my turn, so I took a big gamble there,” he said after the round. With a glass in his hand, he finished the evening by saying, “When you win, open the champagne immediately! Don’t wait—the next day is always a new day in the horse world.”
