Ashlee Bond (ISR) won her fourth international class in two weeks Saturday at Thunderbird Show Park, racing to the top of the $15,000 Maui Jim Winning Round 1.45m CSI4*-W.
She claimed the top prize aboard Little Valley Farms’ Belo Horizonte, who also jumped Bond to victory in the CSI3* tbird Challenge and the CSI3* Kubota Canada Winning Round 1.45m at last week’s Summer Fort Classic. The Maui Jim Winning Round was the day’s feature at the CSI4*-W Summer Fort Festival, featuring the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver, presented by Celebrity Cruises—the first leg of the 2019/2020 North American League season.
“It’s really been an amazing journey with him, so it’s cool to have this happening now,” Bond said.
The two-round competition saw 44 combinations take on Peter Holmes’ (CAN) 1.45m course, with the top 11—25 percent of the class—advancing to a second round over a shortened course in reverse order of merit. Last to go after putting forth a leading first round time of 66.90 seconds, Bond continued piling on the speed, crossing the second-round timers in 36.82 seconds. Rowan Willis (AUS), who squeaked into the second round as the fastest 4-faulter with Everse W, put forth a sharp second-round clear in 37.86 seconds to finish second, while Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Legacy finished third. Their second-round time was 38.31 seconds.
“[In the jump-off], my goal is to pick up my rhythm from the first jump and try not to change that rhythm through the whole course and just work from that really good gallop,” Bond said. “With him it works so nicely, because he’s just so quick, and he loves that gallop and I don’t have to worry about the rails, which is a really nice feeling.”
Bond partnered with the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding in the spring of 2018, but the pair didn’t immediately gel.
“It’s been a rocky road,” Bond explained. “[Germany’s] Philipp Weishaupt was riding him, and he’s a very different rider than I am. Then I got him, and [Belo Horizonte] was not used to my ride. He was so, so careful and a bit greener than we had thought. I felt like I couldn’t get him to where Philipp was already at, so I sent him back to Philipp, and he did some amazing things with him.”
Bond and “Belo” reunited this summer in Europe. Since returning to North America, the pair has simply been on fire.
“We just found this really good rhythm and have finally come together as team. I think having to go back and get more experience, now coming back to me has made all the difference,” she said.
Bond, whose fourth win of the past two weeks came aboard Donatello 141 in the Summer Fort Classic’s CSI3* Steel Craft Doors Cup, plans to ride that mount in Sunday’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver, presented by Celebrity Cruises—it will be the 8-year-old gelding’s World Cup debut. Donatello was also the runner-up in Friday’s $75,000 Volvo Cup CSI4*-W.
“Honestly, I was so elated with [Donatello’s] round [yesterday], the award was a bonus—it didn’t matter, first, second, third,” Bond said. “I was just so proud of how far we’ve come as a team, and my speed round felt like one of the best that we’ve ever had.”
Stevens Tops $15,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m; Prather Claims Series Championship
The MarBill Hill U25 League’s 2019 circuit came to an exciting conclusion Saturday, as series leaders Justin Prather (CAN) and Carly Stevens (CAN) each saddled up, hoping to end their circuit on a high.
Prather, commanding leader in the overall standings heading into the class, pulled away with yet another clear round aboard longtime partner Bolero HX. However, it was Stevens who got the win on the day, topping a three-horse jump-off aboard Grant and Susie Stevens’ Dento and comfortably securing herself runner-up honors in the series standings.
“Last year wasn’t our best year, but we’re making a good comeback so far,” Stevens said. “[Dento] is a little weird at times. He’s scared of a lot of things but as soon as he focuses on jumping, he’ll try his hardest and do whatever you ask him to do.”
Just three combinations were able to navigate Peter Holmes’ (CAN) course without fault and earn themselves a place the jump-off. Jumping first, Stevens put just enough pressure on with a second clear round in 38.11 seconds. Prather got a close as could be to catching her but was just two hundredths of a second slower, finishing with a 38.13-seconds time. With a podium finish guaranteed, Jenna Whitehead went for a slow and steady clear to finish third; her time aboard Casino de Vincy was 42.28 seconds.
“Whenever I go in the jump-off, he just knows,” Stevens said. “I gave the [first fence] a little slice to get down the line easier so I could make a sharper turn. He was kind of looking at the [next] oxer, because we hadn’t jumped it yet, but he was good over that, and to the combinations, he kept rolling right through. He’s pretty good turning to the right—not so good to the left, but we’re working on it! So, the last line was pretty easy, and he just galloped right down there.”
Prather, who is also competing in CSI4*-W competition this week at tbird, has used the MarBill Hill U25 League as a stepping stone to success in international competition for both himself and up-and-coming horses. He finished the circuit with 22 points. Stevens’ point total was 12, and there was a four-way tie for third honors (5 points) between Kassidy Keith (CAN), Sarah Lottis (CAN), Emily Fitzgerald (CAN) and Jonas Vervoort (BEL). Points were accumulated through results in League events at the Odlum Brown BC Open, West Coast Classic and Summer Fort Festival.
“I wanted a hat-trick, but Carly is a good rider and deserved it. We were [so] close!” Prather said.
John French Rides Bastille to $3,000 Ashby Group CND Derby 3’6” Win
Perennial hunter rider John French piloted Natalie Hewson’s Bastille to the top of the $3,000 Ashby Group CND Derby 3’6”, the final event in the 2019 Ashby Group Canadian Hunter Derby Series.
French, based in Snohomish, WA, received a base score of 83, plus 10 high performance points for jumping all of the high option fences on course, and 9 handy bonus points for a class-best 102-point total. Morgan Thomas was a point behind in second with Penumbra (101 points), while Brent Balisky and Class Act finished another point back in third (100 points). Megan Cole and Feng Shui were named the overall Champions of the Ashby Group Hunter Series, accumulating the most points over the course of the April Season Opener, BC Open, Western Family and Summer Fort Festival competitions, finishing with 355 total points.
“It’s exciting to have these kind of classes up here,” French said. “Some sort of derby at every show is great, and this is different, just going straight in and being handy—we’re not used to that in the states. I’m just really excited to be up here and to have moved up to the northwest, and I can keep coming to these horse shows.”
The Summer Fort Festival CSI4*-W concludes on a high note Sunday, Aug. 25 with the feature event, the $145,000 CSI4*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver, presented by Celebrity Cruises. A field of 40 of the week’s best performing combinations will vie for both lucrative prize money and coveted qualifying points for the 2020 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, which will take place in Las Vegas, NV, in April. The event is the first of 14 legs on the 2019/2020 North American League calendar.
Sunday’s competition gets underway at 2:00p.m. PT.
$15,000 Maui Jim Winning Round CSI4*-W
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time
1. Belo Horizonte / Ashlee Bond / ISR / Little Valley Farms / 0/0/36.82
2. Everse W / Rowan Willis / AUS / D. & St. Posford & R. Willis / 4/0/37.86
3. Legacy / Daniel Coyle / IRL / Ariel Grange / 0/0/38.15
4. Dublin / Patricio Pasquel / MEX / Patricio Pasquel / 0/0/38.31
5. Billy Mexico / Vani Khosla / USA / Vani Khosla / 0/0/38.78
6. Kalina / Katelyn Denby Edwards / USA / Mountain View West Farm, LLC / 0/4/40.91
7. Goodwill VB / Katie Kraft / CAN / Caledonia Stables / 0/4/43.40
8. Blueberry / Nicholas Dello Joio / USA / Jose Pablo Salgado / 0/8/42.34
9. Aimee / Justin Prather / CAN / Bradon Equestrian Ltd / 0/8/43.97
10. Capital Colnardo / Jennifer Gates / USA / Evergate Stables / 0/WD
10. Limbridge / Eve Jobs / USA / Eve Jobs / 0/WD
$15,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time
1. Dento / Carly Stevens / CAN / 0/38.11
2. Bolero HX / Justin Prather / CAN / 0/38.13
3. Casino De Vincy / Jenna Whitehead / CAN / 0/42.28
4. Ocean Z / Mary Jones / CAN / 1/84.30
5. Daisy Lyn / Lexi Burdon / USA / 4/79.99
6. High Five / Chandler Meadows / USA / 5/80.08
7. Worthwhile / Kassidy Keith / CAN / 4/80.32
8. Kazou Van De Kwakkelhoek / Jessie Prpich / CAN / 4/80.41
9. Lissino / Eve Jobs / USA / 4/80.58
10. Evita P / Jenna Lee Gottschlich / CAN / 4/80.98
$3,000 Ashby Group CND Derby 3’6”
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time
1. Bastille / John French / USA / 102
2. Penumbra / Morgan Thomas / USA / 101
3. Class Act / Brent Balisky / CAN / 100
4. Colmantino / Tara Niculescu / USA / 99
5. Esprit / Jenna Whitehead / CAN / 94
6. Papillon / Shelly Kerron / USA / 93
7. Chaplin / Sara Petersen / USA / 89
8. Easystreet / Taylor McManus / CAN /88
9. Agano/ Katie Kehring / USA / 85
10. Cheers / Natalie Popham / CAN / 78
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