Twenty-two participants jumped for a chance at the winner’s share of prize money over a course set at 1.50 meters by Mexico native course designer, Oscar Soberon. Six horses had fault-free first rounds, starting off with Goldman and Morocco, the winner of last Sunday’s $50,000 Tuffrider/Equine Couture Grand Prix.
Ten more tried, but failed to negotiate the track which criss-crossed the ring and featured a triple combination across the center. Next to go clear was Holloway and Lucky Strike. Last week’s SmartPak winner Catungee, owned and ridden by Christophe Schroder, from Andersonville, Tennessee, followed with another clear.
Goldman returned on her second mount, Rocs to Riches, to go clean and to make it four for the jump- off. Marilyn Little of Frederick, Maryland, team and individual Gold Medalist in Three Day Eventing at the 2015 Pan Am Games made it five, riding Raylyn Farms’ Corona 93, and Vale and Quidam’s Good Luck, last to go in the first round, made it six.
First to return to the jump-off was Goldman and Morocco. Goldman chose to do eight strides up the first line so she could turn a dime to fence 3, and took an extra pull on the reins at the last fence to garner a clean round in 37.085 seconds. The Great American Time to Beat held up as Holloway and Lucky Strike followed.
Choosing to leave out a stride in the first line, Holloway looked like she might get it done, but she lost time in the turn after the second fence and stopped the clock in a fault-free 39.327 seconds for third. Schroeder and Goldman both chose to do the seven strides up the first line and each had four faults at the following vertical with Rocs to Riches clocking in at 39.366 seconds to finish fifth, and Catungee in 41.506 seconds to finish sixth. Little and Corona 93 were clear just behind Holloway’s time to finish fourth in 39.551 seconds.
Returning last to the jump-off, Vale knew just what he needed to do.
“This course is really suited to my horse; I went down in seven strides to the first line, and caught a really short turn back to the vertical, which made the seven to the combination a little wide, but it really kept the momentum going,” said Vale. “Of course it was just a gallop to the last—I really liked the course. It had a couple of odd shaped lines in it which made it so that not everyone was clean. My other two horses didn’t make the jump-off but jumped really well. I thought when I walked the course that my horse would have a good chance to win and I stayed out of his way, so he won.”