Saturday afternoon was filled with awards and accolades for a range of recipients, beginning with the $10,000 CardFlex 1.35m Jumper Classic, the $500 Grooms' Class, sponsored by Shapley's, and culminating with the $50,000 Spring Classic III Grand Prix, presented by EquiFit, inc. Andrew Kocher took home the top prize in the 1.35m Jumper Classic, sponsored by CardFlex, on Ciana (owned by Eagle Valley Partners, LLC), going quick and clear in the jump-off in 43.16 seconds. Eduardo Menezes and his own Carushka narrowly missed the win, stopping the clock in 43.30 for a close second place. The winners of Thursday's Markel Insurance 1.40m Grand Prix, Nayel Nassar and Nakich Double Dutch (Madeleine Wilson, owner), sped through the timers in 44.66 seconds to take home third. As the riders took to the Grand Prix field to walk the course, the gleaming horses entered in the $500 Grooms' Class sauntered in. Standing in center field the grooms illustrated all the essentials used to keep riders and horses prepared to enter the ring beautifully. Adolfo Garcia of Revolution Farms took home the win, showing off Laura Hite's Chapot Z in pristine, sparkling condition. Sally Stith-Burdette, Director of Marketing for Shapley's premium line of equine grooming products is sponsoring several of these special classes throughout the show season. "We wanted to give back to the guys who use these products and make the horses look so good," Stith-Burdette explained. "This is our way of thanking them for all they do as the unsung heroes of the horse show circuit." The highlight event, the $50,000 Spring Classic III Grand Prix, presented by EquiFit, inc., tested twenty-seven entries over an impressive Leopoldo Palacios course, which featured sixteen efforts in a time allowed of 84 seconds. Wide, deceptively difficult oxers and prominent verticals, multiple double combinations and lines with tricky stride counts caused multiple rails throughout the class, several unfortunate eliminations and a few voluntary withdrawals. Known for his technical and challenging course design, Palacios kept the level of experience in mind for today's track. Undoubtedly a reflection on his lauded career as a globally recognized course designer, he accurately predicted the jump-off number at just three. Sixth to gallop in, Andrew Kocher, aboard his own Heliante, was the first to go clear, directly followed by Eduardo Menezes on Sara Hank's Quintol Mercedes Benz. Not until the twentieth to go, Simon Nizri on SN Stables, LLC's E Muze Yek, did one more go clean - none before and none after.
