"I got him a little over a year ago, and it was a bit of a rough start with our partnership," shared Chambon. "I basically had to restart him at the 1.10m level and have slowly brought him up to the two-star level. He has been doing very well in the 1.35m and 1.40m classes, and this is actually his first Grand Prix, so we're certainly getting to where I want to be with him."
After winning today's Grand Prix, Chambon is excited to spend the rest of the summer competing with Jantien De Muze and hopes to continue moving up the levels with him. "There aren't many grass fields, so to compete here without having to be in FEI is an amazing opportunity to develop younger and greener horses. My ultimate goal with him is to compete in Saturday Night Lights [at WEF], so I want us to continue to have nice experiences jumping bigger classes, but he'll let me know when he's ready."
Earlier in the day, the USA's Kelsey Cruciotti galloped straight to the top of the leaderboard in the $2,500 NAL Medium Junior/Amateur Jumper Stake, presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic, with Vermont ODF for Pony Lane Farm. The winning combination placed two clear rounds with a jump-off time of 34.939 seconds. The only other combination to qualify for the jump-off, Lucía Charles (MEX) finished in second with her Cedro LS La Silla in a double-clear time of 37.806 seconds, while Sloan Hopson (USA) and her Cordelia GP Z clocked in over the first round at 70.656 seconds with four faults to finish in third.
Topping a field of 18 competitors, Lebanon's Jad Dana and Caro W, owned by Peter Howard and Laure Sudreau, were victorious in the $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Stake after clearing the jump-off in 34.897 seconds. Maria Costa (USA) and Ravello Farms' Presence finished in second place with a time of 39.197 seconds. Stopping the clock in 41.445 seconds, Elena Haas (USA) piloted her Onermie Van Het Weyenshof to a third-place finish.
The $5,000 1.35m Classic, presented by Advanced Veterinary Dermatology, awarded the USA's Andrew Welles top honors as the only rider to produce two clear rounds. Welles and his own Dorchester finished the class with a double-clear time of 44.841 seconds aboard his own Dorchester. Chambon and Jantien De Muze nabbed second place with a jump-off time of 44.766 seconds, while Nataly Leibovitz (ISR) and Kiss Me, a horse she co-owns with 3 Graces Dressage, stopped the clock at 47.574 to claim third place.
