Lexington, KY – June 21, 2020 – Jessica Mendoza of Great Britain rode Dublin to victory in the $75,000 FEI Grand Prix Presented by the Kentucky Invitational to culminate the Split Rock Jumping Tour’s (SRJT) Lexington International CSI2*. Mendoza’s win comes two days after placing second and third in Friday’s $37,000 Restylane® 1.45m FEI Welcome class.
The Grand Prix closed a successful week for one of the first events operating under COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. Strong cooperation by the event’s participants, officials and staff made for an outstanding week at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Split Rock Jumping Tour Founder and CEO Derek Braun was thrilled with everyone’s cooperation in helping the event to proceed successfully. “I want to thank and congratulate everyone for making an effort to ensure that our horse show ran in a way that was completely safe for all,” Braun said. “This was one of the first events to be held since the outbreak of the pandemic and I think we succeeded in showing that working together, our sport can run in a way that is safe for all!”
Of the field of 58 horses in the Grand Prix, 19, representing nine countries, qualified for the jump-off by riding without penalty over the 16-effort, first-round course designed by 2016 Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge. Each of the first four who returned for the 8-jump, tiebreaker course rode clean and each went faster than the previous rider. Holding the lead after those four was 18-year-old Brian Moggre of the United States who finished clean in 36.340 seconds on Nikita Jolie.
Moggre’s lead held for six rides till Mendoza entered the ring on Dublin. She moved into the lead with another clean ride and a time of 36.240 seconds. None of the remaining entries could catch her with the closest being Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam who finished clean in 37.670 seconds on Alejandro which was good for fifth place. Moggre’s time proved good enough for second with third going to Christian Heineking who finished clean in 37.380 seconds on NKH Darco Son and fourth going to Friday’s Restylane® 1.45m FEI Welcome class winner, Nicole Shahinian-Simpson and Akuna Mattata who were clean in 37.600 seconds.
RESULTS
$36,600 Welcome Stake CSI2*:
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R1 Time / R2 Faults / R2 Time
1. Dublin / Jessica Mendoza / GBR / Windsor Farms / 0 / 75.13 / 0 / 36.24
2. Nikita Jolie / Brian Moggre / USA / Ashland Farms / 0 / 76.51 / 0 / 36.34
3. NKH Darco Son / Christian Heineking / GER / NKH LLC / 0 / 75.83 / 0 / 37.38
4. Akuna Mattata / Nicole Shahinian-Simpson / USA / Carol Rosenstein & Silver Raven Farms / 0 / 77.67 / 4 / 37.60
5. Alejandro / Shane Sweetnam / IRL / Seabrook LLC, Spy Coast Farm LLC and Shane Sweetnam / 0 / 76.61 / 0 / 37.67
6. Gemma W / Daniel Bluman / ISR / Blue Star Investments / 0 / 78.08 / 4 / 38.12
7. NKH Caruso / Mathis Schwentker / GER / NKH LLC / 0 / 78.83 / 0 / 38.16
8. Viti De Longa / Lacey Gilbertson / USA / Seabrook LLC / 0 / 77.20 / 0 / 38.58
9. Darquito / Andrew Bourns / IRL / Christoph Hassenburger / 0/ 77.44 / 0 / 38.66
10. Sea Topblue / Andrew Bourns / IRL / Deirdre Bourns / 0 / 76.34 / 0 / 39.49
11. With Wings / Karen Polle / JPN / Karen Polle / 0/ 78.58 / 0 / 39.89
12. HH Callas / Megan McDermott / USA / Counter Balance LLC / 0 / 78.84 / 0 / 39.89