Olympic gold medalist Will Simpson (USA) topped a field of 18 entries representing six countries in the $38,700 FEI 4* Speed Stake on Saturday at the 2024 Old Salem Farm September Horse Shows, riding Chacco P (Chacco-Blue) to a fault-free score of 53.76 seconds. Simpson tripped the timers two seconds faster than any other competitor.
Nine horse-and-rider combinations went clear over Ken Krome’s 14-effort, 1.45m course in Saturday’s $38,700 FEI 4* Speed Stake, where Simpson and Will Simpson Stables Inc.’s 15-year-old Mecklenburg gelding claimed top honors in 53.76 seconds. No one could catch Simpson’s blistering time, with fellow Olympic veteran Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) coming the closest in 55.82 seconds aboard Corrie 9 (Comme Il Faut).
“This horse is a very fast horse,” Simpson said. “He’s got unbelievable footspeed. He’s 18 hands tall, but he can turn on a dime. It’s a lot of fun to ride him. He’s not the most careful horse in the world – I have to really concentrate on holding him off the jumps – but we can still go extremely fast around a course.
“It feels incredible to be back at Old Salem after not showing here for a while,” he added. “I love the direction show jumping is going in with all the new facilities, all the phenomenal venues popping up that are great for horse showing, but there’s nothing quite like an old-time horse show on historic grounds like this. It really brings back the nostalgia and passion for the sport. I’ve had a great time here this week.”
Pessoa landed in second place for his own speedy time aboard Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s 9-year-old Westphalian mare, while Georgina Bloomberg (USA) finished third after stopping the clock in 56.04 seconds with Sempa Fidelis, Gotham Enterprizes LLC’s 15-year-old Hanoverian mare.
Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvalho winst CSI2* Grand Prix
The afternoon finished with the $40,000 Old Salem Farm 2* Grand Prix, where 39 entries representing nine nations challenged Krome’s 16-effort, 1.45m course. Of the six riders who returned for the jump-off, Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvalho (BRA) posted one of only two double-clear rounds aboard Quolonko Van Het Weidse Hof (Mosito van het Hellehof) and brought home the win in 34.23 seconds.
“I went second in the jump-off, and I focused on just going clear,” Ferreira De Carvalho said. “My plan was to go a bit fast in the beginning because the first two lines rode well for my horse. I took one stride off each line there, then did nice turns through the rest of the course.
“This horse is younger at eight years old, and I ride him a bit alongside his owner, Alison,” he added of the 8-year-old Anglo-European gelding owned by Alison Firestone LLC. “Right now, she wants to spend more time with her kids, so she gave me the opportunity to jump him. It’s an amazing opportunity and a really wonderful horse. It’s a pleasure to be paired with this horse.
Nine horse-and-rider combinations went clear over Ken Krome’s 14-effort, 1.45m course in Saturday’s $38,700 FEI 4* Speed Stake, where Simpson and Will Simpson Stables Inc.’s 15-year-old Mecklenburg gelding claimed top honors in 53.76 seconds. No one could catch Simpson’s blistering time, with fellow Olympic veteran Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) coming the closest in 55.82 seconds aboard Corrie 9 (Comme Il Faut).
“This horse is a very fast horse,” Simpson said. “He’s got unbelievable footspeed. He’s 18 hands tall, but he can turn on a dime. It’s a lot of fun to ride him. He’s not the most careful horse in the world – I have to really concentrate on holding him off the jumps – but we can still go extremely fast around a course.
“It feels incredible to be back at Old Salem after not showing here for a while,” he added. “I love the direction show jumping is going in with all the new facilities, all the phenomenal venues popping up that are great for horse showing, but there’s nothing quite like an old-time horse show on historic grounds like this. It really brings back the nostalgia and passion for the sport. I’ve had a great time here this week.”
Pessoa landed in second place for his own speedy time aboard Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s 9-year-old Westphalian mare, while Georgina Bloomberg (USA) finished third after stopping the clock in 56.04 seconds with Sempa Fidelis, Gotham Enterprizes LLC’s 15-year-old Hanoverian mare.
Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvalho winst CSI2* Grand Prix
The afternoon finished with the $40,000 Old Salem Farm 2* Grand Prix, where 39 entries representing nine nations challenged Krome’s 16-effort, 1.45m course. Of the six riders who returned for the jump-off, Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvalho (BRA) posted one of only two double-clear rounds aboard Quolonko Van Het Weidse Hof (Mosito van het Hellehof) and brought home the win in 34.23 seconds.
“I went second in the jump-off, and I focused on just going clear,” Ferreira De Carvalho said. “My plan was to go a bit fast in the beginning because the first two lines rode well for my horse. I took one stride off each line there, then did nice turns through the rest of the course.
“This horse is younger at eight years old, and I ride him a bit alongside his owner, Alison,” he added of the 8-year-old Anglo-European gelding owned by Alison Firestone LLC. “Right now, she wants to spend more time with her kids, so she gave me the opportunity to jump him. It’s an amazing opportunity and a really wonderful horse. It’s a pleasure to be paired with this horse.