Twenty-seven horses stepped in to conquer the 16-effort course built by course designer Kenny Krome. With six clean, it was Mandy Porter aboard Abigail Weese's Milano who laid down a clean and fast jump-off round that could not be touched for the win. Two of the six in the grand prix jump-off competed in the U25 Qualifier jump-off, with Delaney Flynn riding Taxo de la Nutria to the top of the class, as well as taking third in the Markel Insurance Qualifier.
As he intended, Krome's track challenged the field with almost every element falling more than once, and was a fair test for the variety of levels in the class. "The challenges are evenly spaced throughout the course. I like to make it a specific level of difficulty so you have to keep your attention throughout the entire round," he explained before the class. "We have a mix of some pretty experienced horses and some pretty green ones. Also juniors, amateurs, and lots of pros. Hopefully it will be a good course for all levels of horses and they come out with a positive attitude ready to move up."
Heading into the jump-off, Marc Grock and Moonlite Beach, LLC's Little Gancho started off with a smooth, clear ride in 44.71. Porter competed next on Milano, known in the barn as 'Cookie'. Naturally fast, the pair took all inside tracks and galloped through the timers in a speedy 40.86. Nicole Haunert rode NJK No Regret to a very similar time as Grock, stopping the clock in 44.75, but with four faults. Porter is keeping 'Cookie' in shape while owner Weese is out of the saddle. "Abigail, who is one of my clients, is taking time off from riding and was nice enough to let me keep him going until August when she comes back. So we will go to a few Showpark shows to keep him going and have a little bit of fun."
RESULTS
$30,000 Markel Insurance 1.40M Grand Prix
Place - Entry - Name - Rider - Owner - Faults/Time
1. 595 - Milano - Mandy Porter - Abigail Weese - 0/0/40.867
2. 365 - Colin - Michelle Kerivan - Michelle Kerivan -0/0/43.095
3. 716 - Taxo de la Nutria - Delaney Flynn - Irish Rose Stables - 0/0/44.682
4. 244 - Little Gancho - Marc Grock - Moonlite Beach, LLC - 0/0/44.714
5. 231 - NJK No Regret - Nicole Haunert - NJK Show Jumpers, Inc. - 0/4/44.756
6. 558 - Chappie - Andrew Chang - Andrew Chang - 8/46.837
7. 132 - Jonkheer Z - Guy Thomas - Emily Livermore - 4/83.025
8. 224 - Topaze Blue - Amy Hess - Blue Tree Farms, LLC - 4/84.464
9. 196 - Colour Your Life - Peter Petschenig - Pam Bilek and Peter Petschenig - 4/86.428
10. 605 - Carre - Sophia Mossman - Sophia Mossman - 4/86.946
11. 387 - Classe VDL - Peter Petschenig - World Class Show Jumpers, LLC - 4/89.466
12. 277 - VDL Groep Cyrano Z - Rachel Fields - SHF Group - 8/82.416