Alexa Elle Lignelli and Billy Marionette Emerge Victorious in the 1.30m Medium JR/AM Jumper
A full slate of jumper competition brought the fans to their seats in the illustrious Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park Saturday. The action packed day was to be concluded with the feature event of the week with the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Classic Grand Prix, which was sure to be an exciting class. As the sun set on the bluegrass state, twenty of the top horse-and-rider combinations took to the ring to try their hand at the competitive track designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR) and take home the blue ribbon. Ultimately, Darragh Kerins and Intuitive put together a double clear effort and couldn’t be caught in the jump-off after crossing the wire at a speedy time of 45.092. Putting together impressive performances of their own were Michael Desiderio and Le Muguet, and Francisco Goyoaga Mollet and Carlson 135, but came up just short of the time to beat, falling into second and third place respectively.
The class was set to a 2(a) format where the pairs that bested the course in round one were invited to return to the jump off round. 6 of the 20 athletes earned their spot in the jump off aboard their respective mounts and put the pedal to the metal around the shortened track. Cabral, who has set the course in the Rolex Stadium all week, is known for setting a competitive track that uses the entirety of the expansive ring. For the first round, the 13-effort course challenged the competitors’ stamina and technique, including three double combinations, a triple bar oxer, and two rollback jumps. The jump-off track was cut to 7 obstacles and put the athletes on a race against the clock.
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