In the end, no partnerships were able to match the galloping pace set by Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Prince of Peace, solidifying them as the winners and marking Vanderveen’s third major FEI triumph in less than two weeks. Bluman and Kim Douglas’ Colestina H maintained second position, a welcome addition to their third-place finish the day prior, and Wolff captured the third spot riding John Wolff’s Quirie 2 with a time of 74.33 seconds. A total of only seven duos finished with no faults to their name, with the majority finding the formula for success in the latter half of the class.
Leading since the very first week of Traverse City competition in June, Jonathan Corrigan (IRL) maintained his lead in the CaptiveOne Advisors $30,000 Leading Jumper Rider Bonus standings. Though he did not compete Friday, his series of top results that included multiple victories at the onset of the season have kept him as a tough performer to match. With Vanderveen’s performance Friday, she jumped from sixth place to second place, and is hot on Corrigan’s heels only six point off the lead. The bonus will be awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points in competitions $25,000 or more in prize money over the course of 11 weeks of riding in Traverse City, concluding with the $213,300 CaptiveOne American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4* on September 13.
The Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors LLC, will wrap its six-week series Sunday following the highlight event, the $137,000 CaptiveOne Advisors Grand Prix CSI3*. A short break will then lead into the Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships East Coast from Aug. 23 – 25, followed by the Traverse City Fall Horse Show, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, beginning Aug. 26.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Kristen Vanderveen (USA) – $36,600 Traverse City Speed Classic CSI3* winner
On her strong winning streak:
“Traverse City is becoming one of my favorite places! The horses have been jumping great here!”
On her win with Bull Run’s Prince Of Peace:
“I feel like [Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili] actually stole Prince’s first win when we were first and second because he should have had that class, but Frosty wanted to make sure he was still the boss in the barn. It was fun today for that horse to get to shine!”
On the course:
“The turns were really challenging. Today seemed kind of like an all-in course – either you were going to win or die trying! I like that. For both of those horses, it is a great experience and for Frosty, he knows the job and I think actually had three seconds on the one that I did win with, but he had an unfortunate rail at the end.”
On who she will compete in the grand prix:
“I actually have a third horse [that will do the grand prix this week]. I have a big bay horse named [Bull Run’s] Risen and I am going to end up using him for the grand prix, as tempting as it is to use Frosty or Prince.”
On competing at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival
“We have really had a great few weeks here and we are excited to come back for the fall. These horses will get a little vacation but they will stay up here in the cooler weather and we will hopefully be back on form.”
On the 2020 American Gold Cup:
“We are super excited for American Gold Cup. I haven’t decided yet which horse will get to jump the main course, but Frosty will be there for sure!”
Source: Press Release