Charlotte, NC – Laura Kraut of Wellington, FL, and Anthem stayed clear through three rounds to win the $500,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte, CSI 5* for the Charlotte Bobcats Cup. Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus finished second, while Chris Kappler of New Jersey was third on VDL Oranta. Ben Maher of Great Britain with Rolette rounded out the group that competed in the jump-off and finished in fourth place.
It took 15 trips in the first round before the crowd at the Tim Warner Cable Arena saw a clear performance over the course set by Steve Stephems of Palmetto, FL. Earlier, Eric Lamaze and Hickstead were clear, but they accrued one time fault. Pessoa and Rufus, owned by Double H Farm, were the first completely clear round. Nine other riders would join Pessoa to come back for the second round. In the first round, there were nine riders with just four faults.
Afterward, Kraut pointed out, “I’m just lucky because he’s fast. He has so much experience that he’s helpful in the jump-off.â€
