Field and Tess Du Jalness, a chestnut mare by Baloubet Du Rouet and owned by Hidden Brook Farm, were last to go in the jump-off, where riders were given the option of staying in the ring to immediately jump-off or waiting until the end of the first round. Field opted to wait, with a very good result, a clear round in the winning time of 39.173 seconds.
"I didn't have a choice," Field said jokingly of the decision to wait to jump-off. "I ride with Norman [Dello Joio] and you do what Norman says. But seriously, it was a long course and it is hot today so to let them relax and have a drink was a wise choice. It worked out well for me."
Olympic and World Cup veteran Mario Deslauriers aboard his Jamaica Van Paemel had opted to stay in the ring and complete the second round. They jumped penalty free in a time of 39.196 to lead the class until the very last when Field bested his tie by 2/100 of a second to take the win.
"Philip Richter was very helpful," continued Field. "He watched Mario go and said that to the last fence Mario was a little wide. I know that Mario is usually totally unbeatable, so I had no thought that I would beat him. Philip said just land and go. Fortunately, she likes to run away, so my thought was to just let her run away to the last fence and the distance should be there, and it was. She was great.
"It is hard not to have a great trip on this mare, and it is hard not to have a great time at this venue, especially after 11 weeks in Florida. When this show came up a few weeks ago it was an immediate choice for us to be here. We love it. It is a real treat for the horses to be here."
The $2,000 Classic Champions 6-Year-Old Jumper Time First Jump-Off class was won by Schuyler Riley with Louise Graves' VDL Glitter Van De Kalevalei. None of the horse and rider combinations managed to post fault-free performances in the first round, and so there was a jump-off among the three entries who posted four faults. Riley and VDL Glitter Van De Kalevalei turned in a clear round in the jump-off to claim victory.
"We had a fabulous time out there on the grass," said Riley. "I rode here on Friday with this mare and she was exceptional, she took second place. I was really looking forward to coming back today, and she jumped even better. I think that this is an incredibly valuable experience for a young horse, there is no better place to develop one than on this grass course.
"We actually just got Glitter about four weeks ago so we are just getting to know her. I have some training shows at my own facility on the grass, and she jumped well on the grass, so I decided that this was the perfect venue to try to bring a potential Grand Prix horse along. She really rose to the occasion. I am incredibly impressed with her brain, rideability and scope. I think there is a good future for this horse."
Second place in the class went to Charlotte Jacobs riding the North Star entry, Hi-Jack. The pair posted four faults in the jump-off in a time of 36.831.
Captain America and owner/rider Marlee Richter placed third with a score of four faults in a time of 38.198 seconds. Captain America was given the Award of Distinction for the 6-year-old division. The Award of Distinction is given to one horse in every age category based on their rideability, quality of canter and jumping style.
