The 2016 Ocala Winter Circuit is building steam to its grand finale with the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix on Sunday, March 27. A class full of this circuit’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix winners competed for another title, but it was Hunter Holloway from Topeka, Kansas, and VDL Bravo S, owned by Hays Investment Corporation, who claimed the blue after knocking on the door all season.
Holloway finished Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with a win with VDL Bravo S to head into the weekend’s $100,000 Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix on a high note. Winner of Last week’s $50,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix, Tracy Fenney, of Flower Mound, Texas, had a strong second-place performance with MTM Reve Du Paradis.
Course designer Marina Azevedo from Sao Paulo, Brazil, set a challenging track of 16 efforts that “tested the ride-ability and the scope of the horses,” according to Holloway.
Thirty-six starters took on the challenge with six jumping clear within the time allowed to move on to the jump-off.
The jump-off course started by heading toward the in-gate over an oxer, rolling back and away over a five stride line. The course continued with a bending line to a mid-course oxer, back around over the combination at 9A and B and finished with a right rollback over the final vertical.
First to go in the jump-off was Matt Hollberg of Middleburg, Virginia, and Viriato, owned by the Southern Cross Equestrian Center. They sailed around the course, setting the Great American Time to Beat as they crossed the timers in a fault-free 34.131.
Next to contest the shortened course was Mathew Williams of Wellington, Florida, aboard Valinski S, owned by Michael Dorman and Wyndmont Farm. They finished just a tick slower in 34.403.
Amanda Flint from Long Valley, New Jersey, jumped next on her VDL Wittinger, a winner in this class just three weeks ago. An unfortunate rail at the mid-course oxer would eventually earn them sixth-place as they crossed the markers in 37.420 with four faults.
Fenney and MTM Reve du Paradis followed Flint, opting to leave out a stride in the bending line to the mid-course oxer, they clocked in at 32.778 to claim the lead from Hollberg.
Devin Ryan, also from Long Valley, New Jersey, jumped a clean trip on his mount Liratus and also opted to leave out a stride in the bending line to the oxer, his time of 33.884 was not enough to steal the lead from Fenney.
The final rider to contest the jump off was Holloway on Hayes Investment Corporation’s VDL Bravo S.
Holloway also followed Fenney’s lead, opting to leave out a stride to the oxer. They squeaked past Fenney to top the leaderboard with a time of 32.471, dropping Fenney to second and Ryan to third.
$2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome
David Beisel of Goshen, Ohio, gave a lesson in turning and burning on his way to victory in the $1,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome to kick off the penultimate week at HITS Ocala. Beisel and Cumana, owned by Kara Cooke, blasted the competition by a full second over his nearest competitor.
