Only eight of the 23 competitors were able to master Anderson Lima's Welcome Stake track. It was a course that asked questions and demanded answers, showing its technical nuisances through a vertical-vertical combination, an oxer-vertical combination, rollbacks and long runs between fences. The jump-off proved no easier for those who qualified.
Tracy Fenney was the first to take on the shortened track, setting a four-fault trend as she pulled a rail at one of two problematic verticals with MTM Reve du Paradis. Dorothy Douglas and S&L Elite followed in her footsteps, while Paul Yanke and Chill Haze found fault at the same spot but raced through the timers to take the fourth place finish as the fastest of the four faulters with the astounding time of 39.996 seconds.
Lina Rojas was the first to clear the course, racing through the timer with Ramdam de Dry in 42.269 seconds. Megan Moshontz-Bash followed closely after with the second of the clean jump-off rides; however, she rode it more conservatively, falling shy of Rojas' pace with Pourkoipa Fontaine in 43.416 seconds. Lisa Goldman was the last of the eight to take on the track, but today the best came last. Goldman rode Morocco through the course in 42.015 seconds, focusing on going double clear versus running the speedster off his feet.
