Eight-time Olympian Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) is no stranger to the winner’s circle in the Old Salem Farm International Arena, especially with his recent victory in August’s new $65,000 Old Salem Farm 2* Grand Prix. On Sunday, he returned to take the crown in the inaugural $200,000 Blue Diamond Cup presented by Old Salem Farm, riding Starman to a blistering, faultless time of 34.03 seconds.
The Old Salem Farm September Horse Shows host competitions for riders of all levels and ages, ranging from young children on ponies to top Grand Prix stars aboard their elite mounts. Week 1 (September 10-15) was designated CSI4*/2* while Week 2 (September 17-22) is designated CSI3*. Old Salem’s September schedule also includes a National/Level 2 event (September 25-27).
Course designer Ken Krome challenged 27 entries representing seven countries with a 16-effort, 1.50m course in Sunday’s $200,000 Blue Diamond Cup, where only four advanced to the jump-off. Pathfinder Brian Moggre (USA) posted an immediate double-clear round, setting the time to beat at 37.07 seconds aboard MTM Vivre Le Reve. His lead did not last long as Pessoa entered the ring with Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC’s 9-year-old Selle Français gelding and sliced his way around the tiebreaker course for a 34.03-second score.
“The first round was pretty technical,” Pessoa said. “Some of the lines and turns came up quick, and the time was a bit short, so you had to maneuver your way around without losing too much time. Starman jumped really well, and I was very pleased with him before we returned for the jump-off. He has a lot of scope, so in the two rollbacks there (Fence #3 to #4, then to a double combination), we were able to make it tighter while staying really powerful. The second-to-last jump also ended up being quite tight because there wasn’t much else we could do; there was nowhere I could use his bigger stride to leave a stride out.
“Overall, I’m really happy with him,” he added. “We started in the spring with this horse, and he’s moving up very quickly. I’m very pleased. It’s also fantastic to show here at home. I live right up the road from Old Salem, and the shows are always great. The facilities are fantastic, and I’d like to thank all the sponsors for making these shows possible. I’m really happy with the outcome of the week.”
Results here.
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