Kristin Hardin & Firestone S Win $7,500 Professional's Choice Welcome Prix At HMI Equestrian Challenge

Course designer, Florencio Hernandez of Mexico City, Mexico, set an inviting course of 13 jumping efforts with double combinations at 4 and 6 and a water option at 7. Hardin took an early lead with the first double clear ride of the evening on Bert in a time of 46.671. The pair held the top spot for sixteen rounds until Chilean Matias Fernandez on Zandor, laid down a fault-free jump-off ride in 45.956 seconds and moved into the top spot...

Game on. Kristin Hardin immediately followed Fernandez this time on Firestone S, an 11 year old Belgian warmblood gelding (Querlybet Hero x Goodtimes) owned by Nicole Teague. Hardin reclaimed her lead shaving more than a second off the clock. Last to go was Hugh Mutch on Let's Dance who posted a clean round just shy of Hardin's time for the second place finish. Mattias Ekeroth and Dacarlos finished fifth, and the top placing amateur rider, Uma O’Neill with an impressive ride on Clockwise of Greenhill Z took home sixth place.

Professional’s Choice, a family-run business that has specialized in equine products for 30 years presented Thursday's $7,500 Welcome Prix. Tomorrow at 5:15pm, these riders will face-off again for the $25,000 Classic Equine Grand Prix & North American Junior and Young Rider Championship Trial.

$7,500 PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE WELCOME PRIX RESULTS

1.    Firestone Z  |  Kristin Hardin

2.    Let's Dance  |  Hugh Mutch

3.    Zandor  |  Matias Fernandez

4.    Bert  |  Kristin Hardin

5.    Dacarlos  |  Mattias Ekeroth

6.    Clockwise of Greenhill Z  |  Uma O'Neill

7.    Calorie  |  Patrick Seaton

8.    Apex  |  Harley Brown

9.    Walibi VDL  |  Taylor Siebel

10.  Windoctro  |  Mackenzie Drazan

11.  Alegria  |  Matias Fernandez

12.  Carl Casim  |  Jill Humphrey