Luis Larrazabal of Venezuela captured his second win this season at The Ridge at Wellington Groves in Loxahatchee Groves, FL, this time aboard Billy Spiral, a bay mare owned by Canadian Sabrina Lefebvre. The pair made quick work of the $5,000 1.30m Rising Star Classic course, with a swift and meticulous jump-off to best the class.
The challenging course was designed to give riders options: use it as a warm-up for bigger classes, fine-tune strategies, and train over unique jumps like the bicycle skinny, gray stone wall, and the International Institute for Brain Enhancement oxer. Building skills like these in a relaxed environment gives riders and horses the preparation they need to succeed at the higher levels.
The class began with Stephanie Gallucci (CAN) and Broken Heart posting the first double-clear effort, jumping off in 40.592 seconds. Ilan Bluman (COL) and Cashgirl 7 were the next to go double clear, besting Gallucci and Broken Heart with a time of 39.309. David Blake (IRL) rode the well-named In a Hurry through the jump-off timers in 38.907, taking the lead and putting pressure on Larrazabal to go fast and clear. Billy Spiral rose to the challenge magnificently, mastering multiple rollbacks and between jump gallops with ease and finishing on an impressive 36.607 seconds to win the class.