Elite Show Jumping Continues During Ocala Week VII with the $2,500 Brook Ledge Welcome and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix

Ocala, FL (March 5, 2016): Week VII of the Ocala Winter Circuit kicked off with the $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. 

$2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome
Williston’s own Aaron Vale, riding Carlo, owned by Amatoville Enterprises, topped the leaderboard in Wednesday’s $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome with a double clear round in a blazing-fast 33.220 seconds. Course designer Bernardo Cabral from Lisbon, Portugal, challenged the thirty-three competitors with a technical course set at 1.40 meters.

Only six were able to jump clean in the first round to advance to the jump-off. A broken line from the mid-course vertical to back to back oxers in the combination at 10A-B, proved difficult for many and caused the majority of rails in the first round. The six that mastered the first-round all proved their skill when all jumped double-clear to contend for the victory.

First to jump clean was Allen Nabors of Ocala, Florida, riding Caesar 322 owned by Christi Israel. They galloped the first line in six strides, did a tight rollback to the tall vertical and made to the inside turn to the combination, crossing the timers in 35.184, which held the lead through most of the class.

“He’s an amazing horse,” said Nabors. “He is just so scopey and jumps so hard, it takes all the leg I have just to hang on to him. I’d really like to thank the Israels for letting me ride him.”

Immediately following Nabors was Cara Raether Carey of North Palm Beach, Florida, aboard Cedric, owned by Trelawny Farm. The bay jumped double clear in 36.647 to slip in behind Nabors.

Nine trips passed before another pair advanced to the jump off, until Lincoln Russell of Columbus, North Carolina, jumped clear on Unex Timo IV, owned by Thinkslikeahorse of Williston, Florida. He clocked in at 37.446 for sixth-place.

Sulu Rose Reed from Mechanicsville, Virginia, riding Denali for Paula Pell, piloted the big chestnut to a double clear in 37.251 for fifth. Nabors anxiously watched from the sidelines, still holding the Great American Time to Beat.

Going twenty-sixth in the order, David Beisel of Goshen, Ohio, jumped a double clear on Call me Hannes, owned by the Harlow Investment Enterprises. The big grey covered so much ground with every stride and stopped the clock in 34.448 to steal the lead from Nabors.

After several top-five finishes in the Brookledge open this circuit, Vale and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Carlo, would not be denied the blue today. They made all the inside turns and kept up the pace throughout, whipping through the timers in 33.220 for the win, which dropped Beisel to second and Nabors to third.  

Hot off a trifecta in Ocala Week VI, winning the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, the $7,500 U-Dump Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and the $5,000 NAL Junior/Amateur-Owner, Haley Waters of Sparr, Florida, garnered the victory in the Ocala Week VII $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. Waters has only shown newly-acquired Galous in three classes of the Ocala Winter Circuit, but her plan to move up to the Grand Prix level this week was a smashing success as she garnered the win by a two-second margin.

Chuck and Dana Waters purchased the 14-year-old Galous for Hayley to show in the Grand Prix, and after winning last Sunday’s $7,500 U Dump Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper 1.40m Classic, she felt ready to move up.

The competition was fierce as thirty-three competitors attacked the 1.50-meter course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal. Thirteen jumped clean to advance to the jump-off where the shortened course included a gallop from the first fence to the second in either 8 or 9 strides, a choice of routes to a vertical to vertical combination, a rollback mid-course, and a gallop to finish over two oxers in either 8 or 9 strides as well.  

Six horses jumped clear in the jump-off to take the top six placings. First was Lauren Hester of Lexington, Kentucky, on Arly, owned by Hester Equestrian LLC. They jumped the first line in nine strides, executed neat turns and did eight strides to the final oxer to finish in 43.419.

Next up was Blue Moon 22, owned by Full Circle Farm, with David Jennings of Franklin, Tennessee, in the irons. They opted for eight strides in the opening line, leaving out a stride to the final oxer to cross the timers in 41.905 to take over the lead. The round would eventually earn them third-place.

Following Jennings was Manuel Torres of Waterford, Virginia, riding Christofolini H, owned by Andrea Torres Guerreiro. Winners of the Brook Ledge Open Welcome in Week II, Torres and Christofolini H  threw caution to the wind, taking to the course at an all-out gallop. They raced through the timers in 39.192, stealing the short-lived lead from Jenkins to set a new Great American Time to Beat.

Tracy Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas, riding MTM Reve Du Paradis found a way to better that time, finishing in 38.310, but an unfortunate rail led to the eventual seventh-place.  Amanda Flint of Long Valley, New Jersey, riding Coverboy, owned by The Coverboy Group, They crossed the timers fault-free in 46.179 to finish sixth.

Hayley Waters had a plan to take lead from Torres, and that called for a slicing inside turn on the approach to the final two oxers.

When Waters stepped into the ring, she made sure her horse knew her plan too.  “Galous really focuses on the jumps and looks to see where he is going next, so I sort of walked through the turn as I went in for the jump-off.” The plan worked and Waters’ time of 37.342 edged out Torres to second-place. The round caught the attention of several riders and trainers who tipped their hats to show their respect for a terrific ride.

Waters gushed about her horse after the class. “He also let me gallop right up to the base of the combination and balanced himself to jump it clean—he’s a very experienced horse.”

Seven more riders tackled the shortened course, but only one jumped without faults; Billie De Rouet of Bromont, Quebec, riding her own Bonaparte VP Wisbec added a clean round in 42.699 to take fourth-place.