With electrifying speed, Adam Prudent and Baloutinue claimed their third consecutive FEI win this week, leaving the competition in their dust with jump-off time of 38.67 seconds in the $73,000 Tryon Resort Grand Prix CSI 2* at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). With a time of 39.76 seconds, Beat Mandli (SUI) and Vic Des Cerisiers, a 2009 Cheval de Selle gelding (D’anguerny x Niagara de May) owned by Grand Road Partners GMBH, landed closely behind in second place, while Abigail Mcardle (USA) and Victorio 5, the 2006 Hanoverian stallion (Uccello x Graefin) owned by Victorio Equine Group LLC, claimed third place on a fault-free time of 39.89 seconds.
Adam Prudent on Baloutinue. Photo by Sportfot.
With back-to-back FEI wins under his belt in Tryon Fall 3 – the $37,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake and the $10,000 EquiSafe Global Power & Speed – Prudent proved his horse’s prowess for speed after bringing the Plain Bay Farm 2010 Hanoverian gelding (Balou Du Rouet x Utika) down to the CSI 2* level to focus on the skill in particular. TIEC’s special guest live stream commentator Frank Madden praised Prudent’s impressive performance, saying, “He deserved to win; he did everything correct.”
Beat Mandli and Vic Des Cerisiers. Photo by Sportfot.
Designed by Catalina (Catsy) Cruz of Mexico, the first FEI class of the Tryon Fall Series at TIEC saw 52 entries, with the venue’s biggest jump-off class of the year to date featuring 17 horse and rider pairs. Prudent was chasing Mandli’s slick opening performance, and said that “I knew I could be faster from the double back to the middle vertical, because it was a long gallop. We just dug in and went for it!”
Abigail Mcardle and Victorio 5. Photo by Sportfot.
Though not the first pair to claim three FEI wins in a week at TIEC – Pablo Barrios and Le Vio earned their own hat trick July of 2019 – Prudent is the first in TIEC’s history to do so on a Grand Prix win. Prudent was elated with his ride, whom he knows very well after their two years together. “This week was taken as a trial week to see if he could really go fast. I’ve always babied him over the bigger courses, but he handled today perfectly. Three for three!
“Today was definitely bigger than the other days,” Prudent recapped. “It was a nice course, very technical but well-built. The jump-off was a speedy one, for sure. My horse handled it very well.” From here, Prudent shared, Baloutinue is ready to take on upper level FEI competition throughout October at TIEC. “I’m very confident going into the CSI 3* and CSI 4* here with him this month. We’re here for three more weeks: we’ll show next week, then take a week off, and then do the CSI 4*.”
Adam Prudent on Baloutinue in their presentation ceremony. Photo by Sportfot.
Tryon Fall 3 concludes Sunday, October 4, and features the $25,000 Tryon Resort Grand Prix at 1:30pm in Tryon Stadium. The Tryon Fall Series continues through Sunday, November 1 featuring three more weeks of FEI competition.