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Bert Mutch and Dolliebanta Win $7,500 Interactive Mortgage Horses 10 & Under Futurity Qualifier
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July 23, 2017 – Del Mar, CA – After a high-energy class filled with heartbreak rails and time faults, just one horse and rider combination emerged clear to claim victory in the $30,000 Showpark Summer Festival Grand Prix: Ali Nilforushan and Clarinius. The pair mastered the challenging track built by Venezuelan course designer Leopaldo Palacios, fault free and just within the time allowed, for a sweet victory over nineteen other entries. Icing on the cake, Nilforushan and the ten-year-old Clarinius added this grand prix win to the other two blues they earned in the 1.35m and 1.45m jumper classes earlier in the week. Nilforushan purchased the talented gelding in November of last year, and the duo rode in their first grand prix in May. Today’s Showpark Summer Festival Grand Prix marks their first big win together. “He’s probably one of the best horses I’ve ever had. His progress has been unbelievable, and he just gets better and better and better,” Nilforushan said.
He tipped his hat to Palacios’s genius, noting the difficulty yet brilliance of the track. “The time was a factor, scope was a factor, and carefulness was a factor,” Nilforushan explained. “My biggest concern was the time allowed. I made sure that every time I landed, my first movement was to think time.” Nilforushan joked that his short-term goal was to enjoy a nice, cold beer, but he also mentioned a long-term goal of returning to the Olympic Games. (The Iranian rider competed as an individual at the 2000 Games in Sydney aboard Campione M.) Marc Grock aboard Little Gancho and Tina Yates on Durango VDL were both clear over the course yet incurred one and two time faults to pick up second and third place, respectively. Ashlee Bond’s speed earned her fourth and fifth place finishes, after scoring four faults on both of her mounts. Bert Mutch and Dolliebanta Win $7,500 Interactive Mortgage Futurity Horses 10 & Under Qualifier Bert Mutch delivered the only double-clear trip in the $7,500 Interactive Mortgage Horses 10 & Under Futurity Qualifier riding Martin Kistler’s nine-year-old mare Dolliebanta. In a six horse jump-off, Mutch had the third-fastest time, but the only clean round for the win.
Though it was Mutch and Dolliebanta’s first Interactive Mortgage Futurity class and first time showing at 1.40m, they mastered the technical 1.40m track set by Palacios. Mutch showed the mare earlier this year at the HITS Coachella Desert Circuit and the Blenheim June Series in 1.30-1.35m classes and classics, though she stays in training with Arsia and Tara Ardalan. Noting that he focused more on finishing clear, he and his careful mount were fault-free. “She’s got all the technique in the world. She’s brave and she’s fast,” he said of Dolliebanta. “We’ve been taking our time stepping her up, but she jumped that quite easily.” He plans to progress the talented mare to some bigger classes next year. “She certainly hasn’t said no to anything. She’s super competitive and she’s naturally fast and careful, so she’s got all the right attributes. We just have to make sure we take our time with a careful horse,” he explained.
The show jumping highlight of next week’s Showpark Jumping Festival is the $40,000 Racing Festival Grand Prix, presented by EquiFit, at 3:30p.m. on Sunday, July 30, at the Del Mar Horse Park.
RESULTS $30,000 Summer Festival Grand Prix
Place – Entry Number – Horse – Rider – Owner – Faults/Time
1. 396 – Clarinius – Ali Nilforushan – Ali Nilforushan – 0/76.043
2. 181 – Little Gancho – Marc Grock – Moonlite Beach, LLC – 2/77.878 3. 445 – Durango VDL – Tina Yates – ACE Equestrian – 4/78.517 4. 102 – Ace of Hearts – Ashlee Bond – Little Valley Farms – 4/70.085 5. 103 – Cornancer – Ashlee Bond – Little Valley Farms – 4/71.991 6. 486 – Luebbo – Jamie Barge – Kylie Co. – 4/72.241 7. 677 – Ircos lV – Everardo Hegewisch – Everardo Hegewisch – 4/72.319 8. 756 – Insouci S – Mavis Spencer – Neil Jones Equestrian, Inc. – 4/75.041 9. 446 – Caesar – Tina Yates – ACE Equestrian – 4/75.072 10. 458 – Landlyst’s Leroy – Hanna Mauritzson – Swede Equine, LLC – 4/76.976 11. 262 – Rammstein – Joie Gatlin – Rocking Basilisk Farm, LLC – 6/77.038 12. 258 – Damian – Chandler Meadows – Chandler Meadows – 6/77.646 $7,500 Interactive Mortgage Horses 10&U Futurity
Place – Entry Number – Horse – Rider – Owner – Faults/Time
1. 721 – Dolliebanta – Hugh Mutch – Martin Kistler – 0/0/39.297
2. 215 – Elicole – Jason McArdle – Fairbanks Valley Farm, LLC – 0/4/38.553 3. 578 – Mr. Worldwide – Robert Blanchette – Shannon Stevens – 0/4/41.086 4. 195 – Notable – Susan Hutchison – Carolyn Mittler – 0/4/41.469 5. 482 – Calvara 13 – Jessica Odom – Jessica Odom – 0/4/41.691 6. 781 – Joviale Du Patriote – Jacobo Saaib – Jorge Valenzuela – 0/8/37.152 7. 267 – I-Buttons – Joie Gatlin – Augustus Pines Farm – 1/79.123 8. 266 – Enzo – Joie Gatlin – Seabright Investment Consultants – 4/77.304 |
