Colorado Horse Park's (CHP) Mid-Summer Show concluded this past weekend in Parker, CO. It was an exciting week of competition, which included the $75,000 Holiday Inn of Parker Grand Prix and a $20,000 Open Welcome Stake sponsored by Ariat. The $75,000 Holiday Inn of Parker Grand Prix had 20 participants, eight of which laid down clear rounds, which made for an exciting jump-off for spectators and riders alike. Taking home the victory was Andrew Kocher aboard his co-owned mount, Casino Royal, with an impressive double clear in the winning time of 37.86 seconds. Bjorn Ikast finished second, guiding Bovee Limited Liabily Partnership's Colorado through the timers in 40.48 seconds. Kocher also took third place honors aboard Ora Del Te Di La San Giorgio with a clear jump-off round in 40.75 seconds. Kocher, originally from Pennsylvania, spoke about his winning mount, stating, "[Casino Royal] is an eight-year-old Dutch mare and is only 15.2 hands, and I am six feet tall. It was her first grand prix win." "I really liked the course because you saw a lot of [competitors] have clear rounds and advance to the jump-off," he said of Jason Shelley's track. "I really had to go for it, and it ultimately came down to who was going to go the fastest. I had four horses in the class, and all of them went clear in the first round, so I felt I could take some chances. There was one inside turn [that was possible] but very tough, and I ended up taking it and won by almost 2.5 seconds." Kocher plans to take more horses on the road and head to Kentucky in the hopes of chasing more Grand Prix wins. He owns the majority of the horses he rides, and took second place in last week's $50,000 Griffis Residential Grand Prix at Summer in the Rockies III aboard his own Le Conte. "I like competing [at Colorado Horse Park] because the weather is a lot cooler than most places, the footing and the jumps are nice, and the prize money is also good," he noted. "I would like to thank all the owners and partners that I have, in particular, Paul Mcteer, who is part-owner of Casino Royal. I would also like to thank Aaron Vale, who is a good friend, and of course, Dennis Murphy, for teaching me how to go fast!" Kocher added candidly. As part of the brand new grooms initiative, which has been put into effect at shows operated at Tryon International Equestrian Center (N.C), Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (F.L.), Colorado Horse Park, and The Trump Invitational at Mar-a-Lago (F.L.), Andrew Kocher's Groom, Hannah Patterman, will receive a $500 reward in order to better recognize the hard work of the grooms behind the scenes.
