The 1.50m track designed by FEI Level III course designer Catsy Cruz (USA) proved to be quite the test, with rails falling throughout the course. Ultimately, only seven combinations managed to find the path to a clear first round to advance to the jump-off.

The first two riders to return, Robert Blanchette (IRL) and Vaclav Stanek (CZE), gave the shortened track a valiant effort, but each fell victim to a pair of rails.

Spain’s Francisco Goyoga Mollet was next to challenge the clock aboard Sigma Stables LLC’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Pst de Muze (Vigo D’arsouilles Stx x Clinton). The pair crossed the timers in a speedy 41.86 seconds but had one unlucky rail along the way.

Sergio Alvarez Moya (ESP) also gave the track a strong effort but finished with four faults, leaving the door open for the final three riders in the order. Eight-time Olympian Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) rose to the challenge, guiding Rio Equestrian’s Prins van’t Eigenlo (Vigo D’arsouilles Stx x Zandor Z), an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, to a smooth clear round in 43.39 seconds to take over the lead.

Ocala’s own Aaron Vale entered the arena next aboard The Helios du Moulin Group’s small but mighty mount. Vale knew he still needed to give it just enough with Helios du Moulin, as one extremely fast combination remained to go.

“I didn’t feel super fast in the beginning,” Vale shared. “Toward the end, I caught a big angle to the vertical and made a really tight turn back to the second-to-last fence, so I got quicker as the course went on.”

The pair stopped the clock in 39.99 seconds to take over the top spot on the leaderboard, moving Pessoa into second and Goyoga Mollet into third.

Vale spoke about the coming nine-year-old Selle Français gelding: “I bought him in France the summer before last, so we’ve had him a little over a year now, almost a year and a half. Not all nine-year-olds are jumping classes like this. He’s a brave, game, little horse, and he’s doing it well.”

 
$120,000 Grand Prix CSI3* Results