Wayne, Il. – Aug. 5, 2017 – The $50,000 Grand Prix at the Lamplight Equestrian Center saw 27 horse-and-rider combinations tackle Leopoldo Palacias’ technical course on Saturday. Only eight pairs managed to complete clean rounds to advance to the jump-off, and only one pair completed a double-clear round to bring home the win – Bryn Sadler and Bon Giorno.
Sadler and Bon Giorno, owned by Showcase 81 LLC, went early on in the jump-off after seeing three pairs suffer faults from knocking rails. Sadler had one goal in mind – ride a more conservative jump-off to finish double-clear. Sadler was successful, setting the pace to beat for the class at 39.073 seconds.
Competitors who followed Sadler managed to complete faster rounds, but couldn’t keep the rails up to take the lead. Charlie Jayne, Thursday’s $25,000 Welcome Grand Prix winner, entered the ring aboard Alex Jayne’s Tou La Moon to attempt a clear round, but knocked a rail towards the end of the jump-off. Todd Minikus and Giavanna Rinaldi followed, but Sadler maintained the lead as the only double-clear for the class.
Rinaldi and Always Me, owned by Carben Farms LLC, took home second place, finishing the jump-off with 4 faults in 35.784 seconds. Jayne and Tou La Moon rounded out the top three, receiving 4 faults and a jump-off time of 36.436 seconds.
Jumper competition at Equifest II closes out on Sunday, Aug. 6, with the $20,000 Jumper Derby set to begin at 3 p.m. in the SmartPak Grand Prix Arena.
RESULTS
$50,000 Grand Prix
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults / Time / R2 Faults / Time
1. Bon Giorno / Bryn Sadler / Showcase 81 LLC. / 0 / 75.308 / 39.073
2. Always Me / Giavanna Rinaldi / Carben Farms LLC. / 0 / 69.541 / 4 / 35.784
3. Tou La Moon / Charlie Jayne / Alex Jane / 0 / 70.206 / 4 / 36.436
4. Juju VDM / Todd Minikus / Todd Minikus LTD. / 0 / 71.792 / 4 / 36.504
5. Quite Dark 2 / Haley Gassel / Westwind Equine Training Center / 0 / 76.962 / 4 / 37.286
6. Auckland De L’Enclos / Ashley Fleischhacker / Ashland Show Stables LLC / 0 / 75.930 / 4 / 43.110
7. Bugatti VDL / Charlie Jayne / Bellissimo LLC. / 0 / 71.440 / 8 / 37.251
8. Alonso Du Monselet / Richard Cheska / Richard Cheska / 0 / 75.730 / 8 / 40.426
9. Happyboy Van De Doornakkers / Jordan Gilchrist / Jordan Gilchrist / 1 / 77.128 /
10. Emir D / Shannon Hicks / Helen Gilbert / 4 / 69.240
11. Ever Blue / Charlie Jayne / Alex Jayne / 4 / 71.876
12. Winchester / Emma Sargent / Emma Sargent / 4 / 72.153
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Bryn Sadler – $50,000 Grand Prix winner
On her win:
“I wasn’t expecting it at all actually, especially with Charlie Jayne having two horses in it and Todd Minikus having one horse. We went early in the jump-off and Bon Giorno felt great. The first and second horses both ended up having rails, so I thought I would have a nice, conservative jump-off. It paid off! It worked out great.”
On Bon Giorno:
“I’ve had him for six or seven years now and we’ve done a ton of grand prix classes together. He’s eighteen years old and still chugging right along! This is kind of his status quo – double-clear. We hardly ever race for the win. We try to always have a nice jump-off and every once in awhile it pays off! He’s the best. Every time you go in you know you’re going to have a good round. We know each other so well by this point.”
On the courses:
“The course I thought was built better for a smaller, scopey horse. The lines were pretty tight and I was a little bit worried about the time-allowed. I thought the course was quite nice. I didn’t think it was too difficult for the group of riders we had here, but I think it was tough enough to get quite a few people out in the first round without any serious problems. [Leopoldo Palacias] builds tough, but he makes more interesting courses – things you don’t normally see. It’s trickier to ride because you really have to decide what you want to do, and you maybe don’t know what you want to do until you go in the ring!”
On Lamplight:
“This is our first year here! We love the show. There are so many flowers. It’s a beautiful venue and just such a nice place to be. We’re here for all three weeks. I love the trails around the arena, they’re very horse friendly. We stay on the road for most of the summer and it’s really enjoyable to be here. I really like the showgrounds and the weather has been fantastic!”
Pony Lane Farm Clinches Champion and Reserve Titles in Amateur-Owner 3’6″ Hunter Division
To finish up the Amateur-Owner 3’6″ Hunter division on Friday morning in the WEC Hunter Arena, Madeline Thatcher rode two Pony Lane Farm performance horses into the winner’s circle. Aboard Like I Said, Thatcher claimed the championship title and took the reserve championship with Summer Place.
Thatcher and Like I Said received a score of 80 to finish in second place in the first round of over fences, and earned a score of 87 in the handy round to clinch first place. They received third place in the undersaddle portion on Friday. The pair’s combined scores from both days of competition in the division secured them the championship title.
Summer Place, also owned by Pony Lane Farm, was named reserve champion in the division with Thatcher. On Saturday, the horse-and-rider combination earned a score of 88 in their first round of over fences to take first place, a score of 85 in the handy round to take second and finished first in the undersaddle.
To finish out Equifest II, the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby and the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby will take place in the SmartPak Grand Prix Arena on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 4 p.m.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Madeline Thatcher – Amateur-Owner 3’6” Hunter division champion
On Like I Said:
“Sally is a 9-year-old Mecklenburg mare. She’s such a handy little mare. She’s small and compact, and she can really turn. She still has a ton of scope but can turn into a big oxer and ride right up. She has no problem doing any of it. I’ve really learned to ride her this past year. When I first got her last year, she was really green and new to the hunters. If I made a mistake, she would tend to hold it against me. I’ve learned to not make as many mistakes, and if I do, I really try to help her out and she is much better about it. She has definitely matured into the hunter persona.”
On her winning rounds:
“Sally was great today. I made a tiny mistake in the first round, but the handy round was excellent. It felt great [to win champion]. I wasn’t expecting anything less out of her. She always goes out there and gives it her all.”