Lexington, KY – July 27, 2024 – It was all about speed and accuracy on Saturday night during the $50,000 Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix. A huge crowd gathered at the Rolex Stadium during the highlight event, which was also a part of the Kentucky Horse Park’s annual “Hats Off Day.” A talented field of athletes was narrowed down to six combinations for the jump-off, where only the fastest had shot at the podium. Ashley Vogel galloped home with the winning prize aboard Namaste Van Het Eyckeveld, notching her first grand prix victory with the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding. Lorcan Gallagher with Copycat and Loic Cannaert with Ultimately Cooley were hot on her heels, but finished a full second slower to place second and third, respectively.
“It’s amazing – this is my first win with Namaste Van Het Eyckeveld, so that makes it really special,” expressed Vogel after her victory. “I’ve been lucky enough to be able to jump some tough tracks with him in some bigger FEI Grand Prix, but it’s really nice to come here and have this win in Kentucky. We are based here in the summer, so that makes it extra special and I’m really excited.”
The Anderson Lima designed course tested riders from start to finish with an early rollback to a direct line followed by a technical vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination. The course ended with an oxer-vertical double combination followed by the final bending line by the gate. Six riders were able to complete the first round without error, and the tiebreaker asked new questions, beginning with a new vertical. Riders galloped over the expansive track and finished with a tight rollback to the double combination and the final delicate Rood and Riddle vertical towards the gate.
Lorcan Gallagher and Copycat
When the riders returned, Gallagher was the first to produce a double clear, leaving all the rails intact with Copycat as they crossed the finish line in 43.342 seconds. Cannaert watched closely and tried to follow Gallagher’s path with Ultimately Cooley. They came very close to catching Gallagher, but their time of 43.463 seconds would be just one tenth of a second too slow. Vogel was next in the ring and trusted that her horse could be faster. With a quick gallop across the middle of the ring and tight rollback to the double combination they were able to make time and while leaving the rails in their cups. The duo dashed through the timers in 42.529 seconds, a full second ahead of Gallagher to eventually lead the night’s lap of honor.
Loic Cannaert and Ultimately Cooley
“Lorcan and Loic have typically bigger horses, so I was focused on trying just to be nice and tidy,” explained Vogel. “I am working on jump offs with him – sometimes I go a bit too fast and I make mistakes that way, but I knew that he was a bit of a faster moving horse, so if I stuck to my plan that we would get a good result and today it worked out.”
Riding with Shane and Allison Sweetnam out of Sweet Oak Farm, Vogel took over the reins of Namaste Van Het Eyckeveld from Shane about a year ago. “He’s been an awesome partner for me,” she smiled. “He always tries his heart out for me, which makes him super special. He’s quite sensitive but he has a lot of jump. He can jump some huge jumps. He’s careful and he is scopey so I like to think that he likes me. I try to stay out of his way a bit and just let him do his job.”
Vogel has been competing at the Kentucky Horse Park since she was just 10 years old during her first Pony Finals, and she was thrilled to earn a win in front of the large crowd gathered for Hats Off Day. “It’s just so nice and it’s such a great community,” she concluded. “It’s so nice to jump in the Rolex ring here. They put on some great classes and it’s also a good experience to jump under the lights with some of these horses. I absolutely love this venue.”
Show jumping will continue next week during the Kentucky Summer Classic, which will feature Thursday’s $25,000 Kentucky Summer Classic and the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix on Saturday night. For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series presented by Rood and Riddle please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.