Julia Nagler and Sanvano Steal the Show in $30,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.40m Open Classic
Julia Nagler has been working her way up to a major win with her horse Sanvano. She’s always believed in him and they’ve always been competitive, but on Sunday of Desert Circuit 5, presented by Premier Equestrian, all the pieces fell into place and she won the $30,000 Marshall & Sterling 1.40m Open Classic.
“This is our biggest win,” she remarked of the occasion. “We’ve jumped 1.40m consistently. We do a lot of Northern California grand prixs. Lots of double clears but not always fast enough, so this is definitely our biggest win for sure.”
She was up against steep competition, too, with elite riders like James Chawke, Kaitlin Campbell, and more going head to head with her in the jump-off. Out of nine contenders, she proved to be the quickest of only three double clears, taking the win for herself.
“I thought about this before I went into the ring; sometimes you just really feel it in your bones,” she said of the feeling she had going in on Sanvano, one of two entries she had in the class. “I had one down on my first horse and I just felt it on this one. You have to just go in, stick to the plan, and just go for it. He was incredible.”
Just behind Nagler in second was Ransome Rombauer who piloted a seasoned winner Ayade Hero Z to another double-clear effort, only about a tenth of a second off the time. In third was Rachel Fields and Kimberly HX, owned by Sahana Ganesan, the only other fault-free effort.
“I’ve had him a few years now and we’ve been really consistent jumping these classes but usually have one or two down,” Nagler continued of her progression with Sanvano. The 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Sanvaro x Caretano Z) was a partner of Uma O’Neill’s up to the CSI4* level. “I got him from Uma, who is a good friend of mine, and I’ve always loved him. I watched him and kind of started stalking him. I said, ‘If you ever sell him let me know.’”
Of all the things that drew Nagler to the horse, it was ultimately his bravery that sealed the deal.
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