FEI Level III course designer Ken Krome (USA) set a welcoming track for the day’s featured class, with 18 combinations delivering fault-free rounds to advance to the jump-off.  

Vale (USA) qualified both of his mounts for the short course and set a quick standard aboard Styles in 34.42 seconds. “Styles jumped super and I was thrilled with him, but then I was a little miffed when I got beat so quickly by Jad [Dana]. He took a fair bit off my time, so I was pretty motivated mentally at that moment to try to win.”  

“Gray’s Inn doesn’t have quite as big of a stride as Styles, and I felt like I got similar strides, except maybe to the last jump—I know I did one less there for sure—but with a little smaller stride, the same number of strides is faster because he’s working harder and stretching more. I felt like I was fast from one to two and up to the combination. I was really hoping to do one less back to the vertical, which unfortunately I didn’t get done. But after that, I just ran home and told myself I am not slowing down.”  

The pair soared over the final vertical, stopping the clock at an unbeatable 31.99 seconds.  

“He’s been a great partner. My wife did a lovely job with him, and it was her idea to let me ride him for a little. He’s been great in these classes and is always fun to ride,” shared Vale about the 11-year-old Warmblood gelding.   

Daniel Bluman (ISR) came closest to catching Vale aboard Over the Top Stables LLC’s Gemma W (Luidam x Unaniem). Bluman and the 14-year-old KWPN mare blazed around the course, clocking in at 32.45 seconds to finish second.  

Ireland’s Simon McCarthy rounded out the podium with another strong performance, guiding the 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding Gotcha (Stakkato x Cassini I) to third place with a quick jump-off time of 32.68 seconds.