John Pearce left the others in the dust in the $25,000 Littleton Equine Medical Center/Platinum Performance Grand Prix, blazing through not one but two speedy jump-offs to capture the win with Chianto and second place with Johnny B Good. Karen Cudmore and Southern Pride finished third in the feature event of Summer in the Rockies II at the Colorado Horse Park. The event kicked off with a horseless jumper class for children, who raced around a course of beautifully designed small jumps. It set the festive mood for the afternoon, and spectators got into the competitive spirit, eagerly applauding clear rounds and cheering on each horse and rider who took center stage in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena. Representatives from sponsors Littleton Equine Medical Center, a well-respected large animal clinic in Littleton, CO, and Platinum Performance, producers of top-quality supplements, were on hand to watch the grand prix, and Colorado Horse Park founder and president Helen Krieble thanked them for their commitment over the years. Hector Loyola designed the course with the aim of creating a fair test for the grand prix veterans in the field as well as those less seasoned at the upper levels. There was no single bogey fence, and rails fell throughout the course. Six combinations from the 21-horse field advanced to the jump-off, which challenged riders to step on the gas and give their all. Rohrbach and Camerino led off with a four-fault round, dislodging a rail at the combination and finishing in 42.158 seconds. Pearce and Johnny B Good followed them and laid down the first clear with a speedy time of 39.426 seconds. Kelsey Van Ackeren and Vernon G were up next. The pair had a scary moment at fence 12, but Van Ackeren made a good save, recovering and completing the short course with jumping and time penalties. Armando Hassey and Eminem tried to challenge Pearce’s lead with neat, efficient turns, completing a double clear effort in 41.297 seconds. Karen Cudmore and Southern Pride bettered Hassey’s time but couldn’t quite catch Pearce despite a valiant effort. They finished in 40.867 seconds, leaving Pearce and Chianto to jump last and determine which of Pearce’s horses, both owned by Forest View Farm, would come out on top. Chianto, as he has done many times before in his long grand prix career, came through with a top-notch effort in the jump-off to seal the victory. He made the short course look easy with fluid turns and rapid adjustments, completing it in the winning time of 37.858 seconds. © press
