From Young Riders to Grand Prix, Sunday was a superb showcase of talent on the grass. The $30,000 Blenheim June Classic I Grand Prix, presented by SmartPak, challenged twenty horse and rider pairs, with only two jumping clean. Double clear and impressively fast, John Pearce and Karen Ball’s Chantico claimed their first grand prix win.

From a tight time allowed to a challenging outside line at 5, 6ab, to a ‘stout’ SmartPak vertical at fence 7, and a triple combination leading to a light vertical at the end of the course, Anderson Lima of Brazil asked plenty of questions within his track of 16 obstacles. Half of the riders in the class ended their rounds with time faults, with a heartbreaking score of one time fault for Kristin Hardin and Nicole Teague’s Firestone S, who ultimately finished third.

Two riders finished the challenging course fault free. Peter Petschenig aboard one of his three entries, the talented gray Colour Your Life, was first up for the jump-off. Wanting to set the pace yet jump clean, he was efficient and stopped the clock without a fault in 47.14.

Advertisement