It was a packed field at Thunderbird Show Park for the $42k George & Dianne Tidball Legacy Grand Prix on Friday night. Seven advanced to the jump off, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats until the final ride. Pan American silver medalist, Andres Rodriguez aboard Verdi, was last into the ring, leaving out a stride to shave a tenth of a second off Will Simpson’s time and take top spot.
“I was very upset with my first ride,” Rodriguez noted regarding his single time fault on SF Ariantha. “I made a mistake, so I had to wrap my head around what I would do with my second horse and make it happen.”
Competitors battled the clock throughout the opening round, with Jill Blunt posting the first clear on her 14 year-old grey, Udam. Blunt was a scratch in the second round, leaving Alec Lawler to lead a pack of six into the jump off. A solid ride ended in sighs from the crowd as Agamemnon tipped a rail at the final fence to finish with four faults and a time of 42.69.