JULY 2020 THE RIDER /45


Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider


JULY 2020 Vol. 1, Issue No. 8 Spencer Smith Flys Ayade Hero Z to


Victory in $50,000 Meijer Grand Prix CSI2* in Traverse City


Traverse City, Mich. – July 12, 2020 – A hefty field of 48 entries from five nations took to the limelight Sunday afternoon for the $50,000 Meijer Grand Prix CSI2*, the highlight jumper event of Week Two of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors LLC. Battling a hefty jump-off field of 15 qualifiers, Spencer Smith (USA) and Ayade Hero Z, owned by Ransome Rom- bauer, showed off their pre- cision and swiftness as one of the final combinations to battle over the track, emerg- ing victorious as the quick- est of only four double-clear pairs.


For the first round of


riding, course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral (PRT) crafted a 16-effort track that was contested by exhibitors from the United States, Canada, Israel, Ire- land and Great Britain. One of the first in the order, So- phie Gochman (USA) jock- eyed Andretti BH to the initial clear round to kick- start the class, followed soon after by Amanda Der- byshire (GBR) on Luibanta BH to force a jump-off. By the halfway point in the first round, seven more riders had added their names to the jump-off list with the reins on their respective mounts, including Hunter Holloway


Spencer Smith and Ayade Hero Z. Photo: Andrew Ryback Photography


(USA), Charlie Jayne (USA), Andrew Bourns (IRL), Tanner Korotkin (USA), Brian Moggre (USA), Nicholas Dello Joio (USA) and Teddy Vlock (ISR). The latter portion of the phase procured six addi- tional fault-free perform- ances from athletes such as Austin Krawitt (CAN),


Smith, Stephen Moore (USA) and Rich Fellers (USA), as well as second mounts for both Holloway and Korotkin. All told, the list of re-


turners encompassed 15 eli- gible


horse-and-rider


partnerships that qualified for the tie-breaker thanks to clear first performances. As


the second to tackle the track, Derbyshire and Luibanta BH set a speedy precedent for the class, stop- ping the clock in 40.450 seconds with all the rails still in their cups. Improving upon the leading pair’s time by mere milliseconds as the twelfth duo to ride the abridged pattern, Smith and Ayade Hero Z sliced across the course with efficient footspeed, tripping the timers in 40.360 seconds to eclipse Derbyshire and claim their stake at the top with only a few remaining. Galloping on an equal clip, Moore piloted Team De Co- querie to a nail-biting round that looked like it would su- persede the leaders, but downed the final fence and finished one-hundredth of a second too slow in 40.370 seconds. The remaining pairs


Spencer Smith and Ayade Hero Z. Photo: Andrew Ryback Photography


continued to try to chase down Smith and Ayade Hero Z, but none would catch them, solidifying the partnership as the winners of Sunday’s $50,000 Meijer Grand Prix CSI2*. Thanks to their quick time near the head of the class, Der- byshire and Luibanta BH, owned by Gochman Sport


Horse LLC, claims the run- ner-up position, followed by Holloway and Hays Invest- ment Corp.’s Lucky Strike in third place with a final time of 43.050 seconds. Over 11 weeks of rid-


ing in Traverse City, FEI competitors are vying for the top spot in the Cap- tiveOne Advisors $30,000 Leading Jumper Rider Bonus standings. The bonus prize will be awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points in competitions $25,000 or more in prize money following the con- clusion of the $213,300 CaptiveOne American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4* on September 13. Out of the 15 jump-off contenders, only Fellers had enough points to sit within the top five prior to the class, and his sixth- place finish pushed him a few points closer to the top, but not enough to overthrow leader Jonathan Corrigan (IRL).


Throughout three days


of the week, the Team Welles Medium Junior/Am- ateur-Owner Jumpers fea- tured three classes, with the


Continued on Page 46.


NAL Moves National Finals - Page 48


Fueling


Wellness - Page 46


NATDA Trailer Show Moves Dates


See Page 47


Equilume Announces Partnership - See Pg 48


Calgary Stampede Parade Marshal makes history - Page 47


Check out these stories inside!


Capital Horse Show - See Pg 46


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