Friday, August 14th’s $15,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake resulted in a win for Kristen VanderVeen (Wellington, FL) and Bull Run’s Almighty, after their 34.889-second jump-off performance. Andrea Torres Guerreiro (Waterford, VA) and Fifty Shades, her own 2008 Westphalian gelding (Call Me Number One x Sion), took home second place on a time of 36.301 seconds, while John Angus (Fort Lauderdale, FL) rounded out the podium aboard Ecanto J, Barnhill and Cheska’s 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Canturano x Verdi), in 37.562 seconds.
Kristen VanderVeen on Bull Run’s Almighty. Photo by Bailey Beck Photography/TIEC.
“Almighty,” the 2008 Hanoverian gelding (Caspar x Quidam De Revel) owned by Bull Run Jumpers Six LLC, “has really come into himself the last year or two,” VanderVeen detailed. “We’ve really gotten on the same page about how to go fast and keep the jumps up. It’s been fun to have him in these national Grand Prix classes, as we get to really practice our speed. He’s really started to find the jumps, so he’s gotten much faster.”
Known for her speed and efficiency over jump-off tracks, VanderVeen noted that Tryon Stadium’s fully-engineered riding surface, installed this spring, allows for stability even in tight turns: “The new footing is great! I was really able to get out of the turns today. I did a pretty aggressive leave-out in the first line, and he was able to land and still have his feet under him, then push out of the corner to the next jump. It felt very secure.”
VanderVeen, a familiar face at TIEC, has been splitting her time – and her horses – between show venues this month, prioritizing national competition at TIEC for some of her string and competing at the international level with others at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. “I just flew in from Michigan [this week], and had two successful weeks there. With the limited show options, I left three horses here in Tryon and brought three to Michigan, so I’m splitting my team a little bit to try to get as much showing in as possible.”
Vanderveen and her string will be competing in the upcoming Tryon Fall Series, likely staying “through the FEI shows. Then, if things go well, we’ll head back to Florida!”
Additional Jumper Highlights:
The Adult-Amateur Jumper 1.10m Division congratulated Madison Orr (Canton, GA) and Kelly Sims’ Delta Work as champion on the week, with Megan Davis (Wellington, FL) riding her own Phineas to reserve.
In the MD BarnMasters Medium Junior/Amateur Jumper 1.30m Division, Alexandra Pielet (Highland Park, IL) rode David Raposa’s Elarina to top honors, with reserve going to Faith Davis (Gurley, AL) aboard her own Cardiff CR.
The Developing Jumper Series Six-Year-Old Young Jumper 1.20-1.25m Division saw a win for David O’Brien (Lexington, KY) and Octavius SCF, the Spy Coast Farm LLC entry, while Mario Gracia (Lake Worth, FL) guided his own Cyrus to reserve.
Additional Hunter Highlights:
In the Marshall & Sterling Insurance Adult-Amateur Hunter 36-49 Division, Paige Miller (New Bern, NC) piloted her own Shamrock to championship honors, with reserve named to Michelle Drum (Campobello, SC) aboard her own Drumfields Ellusion.
Tommi Clark (Tryon, NC) topped the Green Hunter 3’ Division aboard Amber Hill Farm’s Balou du Joule, and Michael Britt-Leon (Canton, GA) claimed reserve on the week with Protege for Kate Marie Davis.
Ruth Kilgo’s Hard to Be Humble with Ashley Conkle (Wellford, SC) in the irons dominated the Foothills Hunter 2’6” Division, while Colin Syquia (Wellington, FL) earned reserve riding Champion de Coeur for Eugenie Redman.
For full Welcome Stake class results, click here. For full division results, click here. The Tryon August Series continues through August 23, 2020, with one week remaining of Hunter A/Jumper 4 competition.