Lexington, Ky. – May 13, 2022 – Show jumping athletes took to the Rolex Stadium as the sun rose Friday morning to set the pace for the weekend at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Twenty-four horse-and-rider combinations tried their hand at the $5,000 Open Jumper 1.45m track to race against the clock for the win. In the end it was Roberto Teran Tafur and Gabrovo to top the leaderboard. Sloane Coles and Ninja JW Van De Moerhoeve took second, while Nicki Wilcox aboard Hannibal V rounded out the podium.
Roberto Teran Tafur and Gabrovo. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography.
Course designer Ocsar Soberon set an impressive track, thoughtfully offering riders opportunities to open up a gallop to shave precious time, while also presenting opportunities to balance for quick, technical rollback turns. Soberon added two tricky one-stride combinations that kept athletes from jumping clear efforts throughout the class. The Table II, Section 2 format consists of two phases. Scores are decided by adding together the faults in both phases and any penalties for exceeding the time allowed. The first round of competition, jumps one through seven, possessed a time allowed of 47 seconds, and the jump-off round, jumps eight through 13, had a time allowed of 44 seconds. The time of 44 seconds proved to be tight, with numerous horse-and-rider combinations exceeding the time allowed in the second phase of competition.
Teran Tafur and Gabrovo, owned by Susan Van Lammers, overwhelmed the competition early in the order posting a fault-free ride in both phases. The pair defeated the field of 24 in a blazing time of 36.62 seconds in the second phase. The 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding put his experience to good use on the track jumping in ideal form, quickly and carefully, to take the pair to the top of leaderboard.
Sloane Coles and Ninja JW Van De Moerhoeve. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography.
Following behind the winning time was Coles and The Ninja Group’s Ninja JW Van De Moerhoeve. Entering the Rolex at the end of the order the newly acquainted duo jumped a superb double clear effort with a second round time of 39.696 seconds. Coles and the 9-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare found success during their first winter season together at the Winter Equestrian Festival adding numerous clear rounds to their record. Just shy of the second place position with a time of 39.85 seconds was Wilcox aboard Majorie Martin’s Hannibal V.
Nicki Wilcox and Hannibal V. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography.
Jumper competition continues through the weekend with the $140,000 Hagyard LexingtonGrand Prix CSI3* on Saturday evening followed by the Under 25 Grand Prix & Commonwealth Grand Prix II on Sunday evening in the Rolex Stadium.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE:
Roberto Teran Tafur – $5,000 Open Jumper 1.45 winner
On returning to Kentucky Horse Shows:
“I love Kentucky and I love Lexington. The facility here is amazing and it is really great in horse country. Every time we come we have a great time.”
On his winning ride:
“My horse was really relaxed this morning and was on it the whole time. The course suited him really well with some long gallops. He likes it here. It is his second time here and he feels like he knows the place. Everything went the way I wanted and he went really well.”
On Gabrovo:
“He has done a few grand prixs with me and now I think he’s ready to move up to the next level. He is a very competitive horse and we are going to do some grand prixs in Michigan and I am hoping he will be very consistent this summer. He is very brave and very careful. I think he will make a fantastic high amateur horse and maybe even a great U25 horse in the future.”