The $25,000 Gold Coast Feed Summer Grand Prix served as the grand finale of the ESP Summer III horse show at Equestrian Village on Sunday. The four-day competition produced winners at all levels, but the premiere victors of the week were Tanimara Macari (MEX) and Feminka thanks to their quick double-clear efforts over course designer Héctor Loyola’s (PUR) tracks that earned them the top spot on the leaderboard in Sunday grand prix class.
“I have had Feminka since she was seven years old and now she is eleven, so she is my one and only. We know each other so well, and she is amazing. She has a big heart. This is our first class after our summer break, and she was great. I can’t complain!” remarked Macari after her win. “We know each other inside and out. I know her strengths and weaknesses, so I used that knowledge in the course. She also knows me, so she helped me out.”
Following the first round of riding, six pairs representing five countries had earned a spot in the jump-off, with Gabriel de Matos Machado (BRA) possessing the greatest odds of victory with two horses still in contention. The time-allowed proved to be a factor, keeping six more duos out of the jump-off after they left all the rails up but incurred time faults. Trimmed down to nine fences, Machado and Clearwater, owned by Karen O’Connor, set the standard as the first to go in a fault-free time of 46.25 seconds.
“The time was really short, so it played a big role today. My trainer, Diego Vivero, went early and actually had two faults for time, so he told me I’d need to speed it up,” reflected Macari. “In the jump-off, we were fifth, so almost last, and that worked in our favor. We just went as fast as we could and it panned out for us today.”
source: Press Release.- ESP