Sharn Wordley (NZL) continued his dominance at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), taking top honors in the $130,000 Adequan® Grand Prix aboard Casper, dashing through the jump-off course in 41.694 seconds to secure the only double clear effort of the evening. Matthew Williams (AUS) and Valinski S finished in second place, collecting a single time fault around the short course to earn a finishing time of 42.645 seconds. Peter Wylde (USA) and Aimee crossed through the timers in 41.103 seconds, adding four faults to their score for third place. Competition at TIEC continues tomorrow with the final day of Tryon Summer I featuring the $10,000 High/Junior Amateur Owner Jumper Classic and the $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix. Wordley and Casper, who have continued to display their combined talent throughout the duration of the season, notched yet another victory at the venue. On a beautiful North Carolina summer evening, the pair exhibited their newfound confidence and finesse around a difficult course set by Oscar Soberon (MEX), which saw 30 entries attempt to advance to the second round. A small contingent of four combinations advanced to the jump-off round.The evening also drew a massive crowd attendance of more than 12,000 spectators, who visited the venue to experience and appreciate the best of equestrian sport. “There were four in the jump-off and I knew going in that all four could go quite quick. Casper is very careful. I’ve just been teaching him to jump the big jumps and we haven’t really gone fast at all,” noted Wordley. “Slowly, every time we’ve gone out, I’ve been asking him for just a little bit more, a second or two here and there. We’ve finished well and had some top placings.” “I think he has another two seconds faster in him. We’re slowly teaching him to use that speed. I want to keep the confidence,” he added. Casper has quickly become a crowd favorite at TIEC, with Wordley piloting strongly from the irons. The duo drew second in the order-of-go and secured the first clear effort around the course, finishing just under the optimum time of 86 seconds. The opening track saw four technical combinations spread throughout the course, which created a sense difficulty in securing a completed round under the time allowed. “The time in the first round was really tight and because I was second to go, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. We got just inside the time,” explained Wordley. “I had a real decision to make in about fourteen seconds about what my plan was going to be. I thought if we went to the outside fence one and two and then hustled that would be better for my horse.” “It helped us start the course a little bit smoother than I think taking the inside turn would be. I had to hustle along and it just worked. I thought he jumped really well on Thursday. We had a rail down and he doesn’t like to have rails down, so he felt very sharp today,” he added. The victory tonight marked the pair’s fourth top five finish in FEI sanctioned competition in the past four months and their eighth top ten finish in the same time frame. Wordley has carefully educated Casper and has perfected the ride needed to be successful at the highest levels of the sport. Final Results $130,000 Adequan® Grand Prix CSI 3* 1. CASPER, 2006 Oldenburg gelding by Contender x Baloubet du Rouet SHARN WORDLEY (NZL), Sky Group: 0/0/41.694 2. VALINSKI S, 2002 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Nijinski x Julius MATTTHEW WILLIAMS (AUS), Matthew Williams, Michael Dorman, & Wyndmont: 0/0/42.645 3. AIMEE, 2005 Dutch Warmblood mare by Solitair x Silvio II PETER WYLDE (USA), Aram Ampagoumian LLC: 0/0/41.103 4. ZELDA, 2004 Dutch Warmblood mare by Concorde x Olisco SARAH SEGAL (USA), T.K. Farm: 0/0/42.068 5. QUABELLE, 2004 Selle Francais mare by Helios De La Cour II x Kannan BLYTHE MARANO (USA), Riverview Farm LLC: 1/87.450 6. CANTARA 59, 2006 Hanoverian mare by Cristo x Cassone SARAH SEGAL (USA), Robert Segal: 1/87.500 7. BINKIE, 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Larino x Hors La Loi II DAVID BLAKE (IRL), Pine Hollow Farm: 1/88.340 8. BON JOVI, 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Verdi x Corland EMANUEL ANDRADE (VEZ), Emanuel Andrade: 1/90.060 9. THRILLER P, 2004 Swedish Warmblood stallion by Cardento x Lucky Light MARK BLUMAN (COL), Stransky’s Mission Farm, Inc.: 4/83.380 10. VITA 24, 2005 Holsteiner mare by Carinjo x Contender TODD MINIKUS (USA), Two Swans Farm: 4/84.960 11. HAPPY WANDOR VAN’T ROOSAKKER, 2007 Belgian Warmblood stallion by Wandor Van De Mispelaere x V Cento CARLOS RAMIREZ (COL), Carlos Hernando Ramirez: 4/86.340 12. BARIANO, 2001 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Jetset-D x Skippy EUGENIO GARZA (MEX), El Milagro: 4/86.540
