PC: ESI Photography
Saugerties, NY – September 9, 2017 – On Friday, September 8, Aaron Vale bested a field of 42 to earn top prize in the $10,000 KindredBio 1.40M Jumper Classic riding Elusive, an entry of Thinkslikeahorse, a full service training facility in Williston, Florida.
The first round course consisted of ten obstacles and twelve jumping efforts, which included two double combinations. The jump-off was simply a repeat of jumps one through six.
Twenty-two jumped clear to advance to the immediate jump-off over the course set by Martin Otto of Germany, and fourteen would go double-clear in a race for the win. Vale stopped the clock in 29.576. Second place finisher Hayley Waters crossed the timers in 29.703 atop Uppie de Lis. Vale and Waters were the only two competitors to negotiate the shortened track in under 30 seconds, though less than one and a half seconds separated the top six.
Laura Chapot’s tidy round in 30.025 on her fleet-footed Irish Sport Horse OUT OF IRELAND was good enough to claim third prize.
Vale has been partnered with his mount Elusive since he was a six-year-old. “Last year he won the seven-year-old finals,” noted Vale. “He is a fast horse, a little small, so he carries a lot of speed, and he wins a lot of classes. He just went out there and did his job as normal.”
AARON VALE tops a field of 42 to win $10,000 KindredBio 1.40 Jumper Classic this AM at HITS Saugerties riding Thinkslikeahorse ELUSIVE! #SaugertiesMillion
Posted by HITS Horse Shows on Friday, September 8, 2017
With over 200 Grand Prix wins, Vale is among the top Grand Prix riders in America. He said he is developing Elusive to be either a Grand Prix horse for himself, or for his wife to compete in the High Amateur Division in the future.
