Laura Chapot continued her winning ways, riding to victory in Thursday’s featured event, the $30,000 FarmVet Open Jumper Classic, at the I Love New York Horse Show, the second week of the 2022 Lake Placid Horse Shows, Sponsored by Bainbridge Farms, LLC, and Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC. One of the premier stops on the nation’s hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the Lake Placid Horse Shows run June 28-July 10, offering a full schedule of world-class competition with more than $600,000 in prize money.
Chapot was one of only three entries to reach the jump-off with a fault-free ride over the first-round course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral, course designer for next year’s FEI World Cup™ Finals in Omaha. Paige Jardine was first to return for the tiebreaking jump-off and she had one rail down for four faults in 33.214 seconds on Chaccara Blue. Jimmy Torano followed with a clean ride in 35.838 seconds on Chewbacca HCC before Chapot clinched the win with a clean ride in 35.448 seconds on Diarado’s Flying Dutchman. Chapot also finished fourth with the fastest four-fault ride in the first round on Chandon Blue, winner of last Sunday’s $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix Presented by Alliant Private Client.
“Both my horses that went today have a certain way of going, so I always try to stick to my plan no matter what is happening in the class,” Chapot said. “I was actually kind of happy someone finally went clear because otherwise it was going to be a very big jump-off with so many having four faults. I never watch what the others do in the jump-off. I prefer to stick to my plan and not be influenced by what the others are doing. Today it worked out.”