Ali Ramsay (Victoria, BC) and Lutz flew to the top of the leaderboard in the $100,000 Horseflight Grand Prix at The Desert International Horse Park, halting the jump-off timers at 36.649 seconds. Keri Potter (Del Mar, CA) and Jiminy Cricket, owned by Melanie Brooks, took second place for their performance of 37.353 seconds, while Rich Fellers (Oregon City, OR) and his own Lux Lady, claimed third-place honors with a time of 37.507 seconds.
Photo by ESI
First to go in the jump-off, Keri Potter set a difficult Aon Time to Beat. Ramsay, who was second to last in the jump-off, had a plan, “ I just knew I had to go for it and I knew he was with me so I could take a bit of a risk and it paid off.”
Lutz has been a part of Ramsay’s string of horses since last April. “We’ve actually had a really solid partnership together since then and we have just been building on it,” Ramsay also shared that Lutz does have a personality of his own, “He is quite sassy and he’s got a lot of attitude, especially at the beginning of the tour here [Desert International Horse Park]. He’s nice and fresh and is letting me know it.”
Ramsay shared that she plans to stay for the duration of the circuit and is enjoying the improvements around the facility, “It’s really exciting to see the new horse park, it feels different, and it’s really nice to be here.“
Photo by ESI
The Grand Prix win will put Lutz at the top of the Great American Insurance Group Leading Jumper Rider Board and in standings to qualify for the Week VIII Grand Prix Invitational that Ramsay aspires to qualify for, “That’s the goal!”