The event was a social one, with delicious food compliments of Blenheim EquiSports. Sol Agave and The Bakery Truck were on hand to serve competitors and spectators, as they collectively watched the fences raise with each round. All seven competitors aced the first height, but the second round resulted in a rail for Mavis Spencer and Caroline Suarez's Chenoa. The remaining six riders were faced with a 1.55m vertical to finish third round, and several were knocked out of the running either over the large final fence or over another element of the combination. Finally, just Simon McCarthy, Morgan Dickerson, and Jill Humphrey remained. When Humphrey was the only one to leave all the jumps up, including the 1.65m vertical, she scored the win.
"He's very scopey and that's key for this class," Humphrey explained. "I've done six bar classes a couple times so I knew that even though the two strides walk the same, they feel shorter and shorter as the jumps get bigger, so I felt good about being prepared for that - no surprises - and just stayed tall and to kept supporting him off the ground."
The action in the jumper ring will continue next week at the Blenheim Red, White & Blue Classic with a $5,000 1.35m Jumper Classic, Fairbanks Valley Farm Young Jumper Championship Qualifiers, and a $30,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix.