Mary Lisa Leffler and Zaza Z Zip to $40,000 Purina Grand Prix Victory at Vermont Summer Festival

East Dorset, VT – July 24, 2022 – It came down to fractions during Sunday’s $40,000 Purina Grand Prix Victory at the Vermont Summer Festival, where three combinations advanced to the jump-off, and all three were double clear in 42 seconds. Mary Lisa Leffler and Zaza Z were the best of the best, leading the victory gallop ahead of Willie Tynan, who placed second and third with Ballinteskin Joe and Fenise, respectively.

“Zaza Z has the biggest heart – she always wants to go in and win,” smiled Leffler after taking the blue. “Literally every time, she brings it and tries to win. I just have to stay out of her way. I got her a year ago in June and have been doing the Grand Prixs ever since.”


Mary Lisa Leffler and Zaza Z. Photo by Jess Windhurst

The course designed by Florencio Hernandez featured a vertical-oxer double combination as one of the first technical questions, and also included a vertical-vertical double and a vertical-oxer double before riders cantered home over the final line. Leffler and Tynan were able to master the track and advance to the tiebreaker, where they had to begin over a bending line by the gate and finish with the last combination on a bending line to a final large oxer.

 
Willie Tynan and Ballinteskin Joe. Photo by: Jess Windhurst

Each of the horses’ perfect records continued in the jump-off. Tynan and Ballinteskin Joe were the first to return, setting the Great American time to beat at 42.857 seconds with all the rails intact. Leffler was next with Zaza Z, and they also produced a faultless effort, tripping the timers in a faster 42.045 seconds. Tynan had one more chance to earn the winning title, but his time of 42.991 seconds would only be good enough for third after being just one-tenth of a second slower than Ballinteskin Joe.

 Willie Tynan and Fenise. Photo by: Jess Windhurst

“In the jump-off, I didn’t really have a set plan,” explained Leffler. “I knew Willie was fast on his chestnut horse, and I was just going to try and keep it moving. After fence one, I lost momentum, but then I tried to get going again to do the four strides right after. I know she’s fast, but while I was going, I wasn’t sure if I was fast enough. Luckily we were today!”

Leffler has been attending the Vermont Summer Festival for as long as she can remember, making it a staple on their horse show calendar. “I love this horse show,” she concluded. “We have been coming here for a very long time – probably about 30 years we have been coming here, so I’d definitely say it’s one of our favorites.”

 
Mary Lisa Leffler and Zaza Z winning the Everleigh Collection Style Award. Photo by Jess Windhurst

Competition at the Vermont Summer Festival will continue for another three weeks, with highlight jumping events starting on Wednesday, July 27, with the $5,000 Manchester Designer Outlet Open Welcome class. More feature events each week will range from the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix Hunter Prix to the $1,000 Puddle Jumper Classic. Riders throughout the rest of the series will vie for valuable year-end points and qualifications for the 2022 Marshall & Sterling Insurance League Finals.

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