Kristen Vanderveen (USA) and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili jumped to the top of the leaderboard during the $35,000 1.50m Welcome Stake CSI 3* of Tryon Spring V at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). Vanderveen and the 2005 Belgian Warmblood stallion (Berlin x Udarco), owned by Bull Run Jumper’s Six LLC, blazed through fast-track timers in 33.662 seconds, claiming first place in the competitive class.
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili. Photo by Sportfot
Of her well-known mount, Vanderveen commented, “He’s been feeling really good for the past couple of weeks, but it just hasn’t really gone our way the last few times. Today, he felt great. I had a great warm-up and I thought that going in. The course was really well done. It was just enough that it was fun and competitive, but not entirely out of control.”
Second place honors were awarded to Carlos Ramirez (COL) and his own 2005 Belgian Warmblood stallion Happy Wandor Van’t Roosakker (Wandor Van de Mispelaere x V Cento), after riding to a jump-off time of 36.933 seconds around the Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA) designed course. Samuel Parot (CHI) and Dazzle White, a 2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Calvino Z x Narcos II), rounded out the top three, jumping the short-course in 38.788 seconds.
Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili have become fan favorites at TIEC as the pair have amassed an impressive record at the venue over the past few years. Vanderveen plans to continue her season in Tryon, competing in next week’s CSI 4*, before taking a small break.
Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili in their presentation ceremony. Photo by Sportfot
“I’ll be competing here in next week’s CSI 4*,” she explained, “and we’ll actually take a break for two weeks after that. It’s been a while since we’ve had that kind of break and then we’ll be back here for a few weeks. My fall season really picks up this year. I’m trying to develop some of my eight and nine-year-old horses, so that I have some coming up behind Frosty.”
The pair are coming off an intense spring campaign that included representing the United States at the FEI World Cup Finals™ in Paris, France at the end of April. Of her first European experience, Vanderveen said, “It was great and it was my first time going over to Europe, so that in and of itself was great to experience. I think you realize once you’re there that when you’re here in Tryon, you compete with just as good a quality of riders. It was helpful to have that to keep expectations realistic and to understand that it’s not necessarily a whole new sport over there. It’s the same.”