Todd Minikus (Lake Worth, FL) jumped into the Tryon Fall Series at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) with a win in the $25,000 Tryon Resort Grand Prix aboard JuJu VDM, the 2009 Belgian Warmblood mare (Toulon x For Pleasure) owned by Todd Minikus LTD, stopping the jump-off timers at 43.735 seconds. Miriam McClure Adam (New Hope, PA) cruised to second-place honors with a time of 46.1 seconds riding GQ, his own 2011 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Contago x Cinderella), securing the duo’s second top-three placing of the week. Samantha Rice (Wellington, FL) rounded out the top three with Ringwood Zebo, the 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (Califax x Ringwood Audacity) owned by NRG Farm LLC, clearing the short course in 45.692 seconds with four faults.
Todd Minikus on JuJu VDM. Photo by Sportfot.
Course Designer Nick Granat (Wellington, FL) saw thirty entries test the first round, with five pairs returning for the jump-off. Minikus and his own JuJu VDM were second to go in the jump-off, and “I didn’t really try to win, but I didn’t try to lose,” Minikus said. “I got to watch Ramiro go, and he just put in a nice round anticipating that everyone else would maybe make mistakes. It kinda happened that way.
“I underestimated the course with the first horse I rode,” Minikus admitted. “It was a little more difficult and the time allowed was a little tighter than I and a few people anticipated. There were only five clear out of 30 riders, which was a good number. There were a lot of four-fault rounds and some were clear with time faults.”
Miriam McClure Adam on GQ. Photo by Sportfot.
During the Tryon Summer Series, Minikus and JuJu VDM had an unfortunate fall that paused the mare’s competition season. After taking some time off, Minikus shared that he is excited to begin competing with her again: “This particular mare hadn’t shown in a while. She had a fall here about a month or two ago, and this is her first show back. She’s very comfortable and obedient, and all of that equaled a nice win for her. She’s back in action and we can’t wait for the bigger shows to start!”
Samantha Rice on Ringwood Zebo. Photo by Sportfot.
Following the Tryon Summer Series, Minikus took time off and then competed at a few shows in New York. He is excited to return to TIEC, “which feels like home,” he said, and will continue competing through the end of the Tryon Fall Series.
For full class results, click here. The Tryon Fall Series continues with six more weeks of Hunter/Jumper competition.