A $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class was held on Thursday with a win for Ireland's Darragh Kenny and Postage Stamp Farm LLC's Prof de la Roque. Seventy-six entries showed in the one round competition with 14 clear rounds. Kenny and the eleven-year-old Selle Francais gelding (Kannan x Damiro B) completed the fastest round in 59.54 seconds for the win.
They were over a full second faster than second place finishers, McLain Ward (USA) and Zander, who stopped the clock in 60.57 seconds. Ronan McGuigan (IRL) and Capall Zidane finished third in 61.49 seconds, and Daniel Dessuer (GER) and Stephex Stables' Domingo placed fourth in 61.54 seconds.
Prof de la Roque has had several top placings throughout the FTI WEF circuit, but Kenny noted that this was actually his first win. "It only took 12 weeks to do it," he joked. "He is a super competitive horse. He was second in a 1.50m and he was second, third, and fourth in some of the other world ranking speed classes. He has been a really good horse for me, and today he was fantastic."
"He is a little bit odd, but he wants to leave the jumps up," Kenny detailed. "You can go as fast as you can go with him. You can go so fast, it is unbelievable, and he just wants to miss the jumps. He is actually really easy to ride and he is really fun. He is just better when he is going a lot."
"I couldn't believe I was faster than McLain, actually, because McLain was flying," Kenny said of his round. "I think after the double of liverpools, there was seven strides to the vertical, and then I turned really, really, really tight after that vertical to the next vertical. He is really great because he lands really soft at the back of the jump, so you can turn very tight."
Speaking about his history with the horse, Kenny explained, "I have had him for a little bit. I jumped him in a couple of world cups during indoors, and now in Old Salem he will jump the grand prix classes and in Spruce Meadows he will jump some of the bigger classes. He jumped one or two grand prix down here good with one down, really unlucky, but he is also great because he can do those classes too and win in the speed classes also. That was his last class of the circuit today, so we went out with a bang."
Also showing in the International Arena on Thursday, the $10,000 Gut Einhaus 5-Year-Old Young Jumper Classic was held, awarding top honors to every entry with a clear round. There was an eight-way tie for the championship between Carracci Blue and Christina Kelly, Gotham Enterprizes LLC's Nolita and Vasco Flores, Haylee Jerkins' El Corda and Sarah Sturges, North Star's Char Grey and Rodrigo Pessoa, Gustavo Mirabal's G&C Clemenza and Luis Miguel Martinez, Eldato and Shaine Brooks, Jocky Club DB and Maggie Mcalary, and Windosr Farm Sales' Forget Me Not Windsor Z and Renato Troiani.
Final Results: $34,000 Spy G&C Farm 1.45m
1. PROF DE LA ROQUE: 2003 Selle Francais gelding by Kannan x Damiro B
DARRAGH KENNY (IRL), Postage Stamp Farm LLC: 0/59.54
2. ZANDER: 2004 KWPN gelding Cantos x Saygon
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Grant Road Partners: 0/60.57
3. CAPALL ZIDANE: 2004 KWPN gelding by Concorde x Baloubet du Rouet
RONAN MCGUIGAN (IRL), Ronan McGuigan: 0/61.49
4. DOMINGO: 2003 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Brownboy
DANIEL DEUSSER (GER), Stephex Stables: 0/61.54
5. UNEX OMEGA STAR: 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Quick Star x Quatoubet du Rouet
TIM GREDLEY (GBR), Unex Competition Yard: 0/62.27
6. BREITLING LS: 2006 Dutch Warmblood stallion by Quintero x Accord II
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/62.96
7. VESUVIUS: 2002 KWPN gelding by Numero Uno x Expert
MEAGAN NUSZ (USA), Amalaya Investments: 0/64.01
8. WEEZER: 2003 KWPN mare by Drossan x Furinos
EIKEN SATO (JPN), Stephex Stables: 0/64.03
9. BLACK JACK 163: 2004 Hanoverian gelding by Escudo I x Drosselklang II
DAVID WILL (GER), Eveline Kraus: 0/65.28
10. TEIRRA: 2000 KWPN mare by Tolano Van Het Riethof x Aldatus
ALISE OKEN (USA), Hi Hopes Farm, LLC: 0/65.54
11. CORD 11: 2003 Holsteiner gelding by Corrado I x Carpaccio
KEVIN BABINGTON (IRL), Meco Equestrian LLC: 0/66.09
12. HH WHISKY ROYALE: 2005 Zangersheide gelding by Wonderful van't Beugelhof x Kannan
QUENTIN JUDGE (USA), Double H Farm: 0/67.51
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