Hoffman opened the second round with a careful ride. Good pace and an open stride had her looking strong, but a late rail cost her four faults, finishing with a time of 47.90. Hutchison rode hard, taking a quick track and going clear to put the pressure on the rest of the field, but was quickly unseated from the top spot by Fellers. Aboard Colgan Cruise, his turns were slightly wider, but the pace was quick, clipping more than a second off Hutchison’s time.
Hardin Towell and New York took every opportunity to shave down their track. It was looking good with a fast gallop home, but a rail on the final fence would drop him to fourth. With Fellers still to come on Flexible, Texel needed to leave it all on the field. And he did. Starting out with an efficient track, Texel opted for a very tight turn towards the last line and it paid off.
“I didn’t get to see anyone before me. I had my own idea in mind of the plan I wanted and I was hoping that that plan would be a very fast one. I knew when I walked in and looked at the Asmar fence that it had been slightly narrowed because of that very short turn we’d make,” noted Texel. “I knew that I would actually be able to make a tighter turn. I did the eight from the first two fences and then I did another eight to the brown vertical and I just tried to stay with that momentum as much as I could.”
Fellers decided not to return for the jump off, taking seventh place and saving Flexible for Sunday’s $126k CSI3* Reliance Equipment Rentals Grand Prix. Andres Rodriguez and Caliber 9 were the last to go, putting in a great round, but catching a rail on the final fence to finish with four faults at 43.06.
For Texel, it was the perfect ride for new mount, 10-year-old Baldira.
“I think the fastest riders are the ones who are disrupting the balance of the horse the least. They’re trying to make it efficient and easy for the horse to cover ground. So my goal with this mare, who’s very hot, is always to try and help her learn to be as smooth and as simple as possible, and she really responded today.”
But clear rounds weren’t the only order of the day. The class raised money and awareness for Uryadi’s Village, an organization founded by Irish show jumper, Jennifer Crooks. Few families are as large and diverse as the Crooks family. In 2003, all seven of them traveled to China and learned first hand the plight of orphans in developing countries around the world. Over the next ten years, they would add seven more children, three from Ethiopia and four from China, before founding Uryadi’s Village to help children and families struggling to survive and, in many cases, to stay together.
“Having spent months on the ground in Ethiopia arranging for the adoption of my three Ethiopian children, learning about many of the problems, and being with the people, it became very clear that Ethiopia was the place to start.”
Uryadi’s Village seeks to uplift and transform communities with orphanages that lack the resources to provide their children with the basic necessities of life. The team works to integrate effective systems for clean water, sanitation, sustainable agriculture, basic medical care, education opportunities and practical livelihood training, thereby reducing the community’s reliance on foreign aid.
Uryadi’s Village was named after Jennifer's longtime partner in the sport of Equestrian Show Jumping, a beautiful white mare with the heart of a lion. Together, the pair rode to great heights and as SF Uryadi changed Jennifer’s world, she sought to honour her through this organization. The mare was among the contenders challenging today’s course, ridden by Crooks daughter, Lauren.