Just two riders later, it was Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and his own Laurier to produce the first double-clear of the day. Philippaerts and the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Zirocco Blue x Chin Chin jumped into the lead in a time of 40.48 seconds. The next pair to contend would prove to be the best once again as Vanderveen and the 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Berlin x Darco flew across the turf track, leaving all the jumps in their cups along the way to post the winning time of 38.68 seconds. That would settle the score as Philippaerts ended the day in second place and Kenny rounded out the podium to finish third.
With a winning margin of nearly two seconds, Vanderveen says there was still some gas left in the tank.“It was nice that there were only five of us in the jump-off,” she said. “I went near the end of the order, and normally he is super-fast, and I would risk a lot in a jump-off. But, knowing that there was only one clear, and it wasn’t super-fast, I did try and find the middle ground in terms of how much risk we took, which for me can be challenging.”
“I’ve jumped him in so many speed classes during the season that I was excited to get to do him in an actual grand prix class,” Vanderveen continued. “I thought that was maybe the best he’s jumped all season. The first round felt phenomenal, and I think he really enjoys the grass. It was a lot of fun to feel him jump like that.”The win marks their second of the week after capturing the $37,000 CCTV Agent 1.45m Jumpers CSI3* on Thursday afternoon. Vanderveen said she thinks the key to her success is “Frosty’s” big stride as it gives her lots of different options in the ring, but went on to describe how special he is as a horse.“He really is amazing,” she gushed. “He’s such a pet in the barn and so nice to have around the stable. To still be a top performer in the ring is really special. He’s been my soundest horse and he’s never had a problem. I think he’ll go forever.”
“We’re starting to have some of his babies,” Vanderveen continued. “I just got some pictures yesterday of his foals that have started to hit the ground, so that’s very exciting.”Vanderveen remains undecided regarding her plans for next week’s three-star competition as she wants to make sure all of her horses get the chance to jump, but her success this week has her considering putting Frosty at the top of the list for Spring III.Wrapping up a busy Saturday afternoon, a pair of winners were crowned in Section A and Section B of the $5,000 Omega Alpha 1.35m Jumper Stake. Darragh Kenny (IRL) picked up his second podium finish of the day with a first-place finish in Section A aboard Carla, owned Heathman Farm, LLC. Kenny and the nine-year-old German Sport Horse mare by Conthargos x Larino completed the jump-off course with a fault-free effort, stopping the clock in 37.25 seconds.