Fellers Flex Time at Del Mar

By Paula Parisi May 6, 2012

The fact that Helen McNaught and Caballo topped the leaderboard with eight faults until the 12^th of 20 riders went says it all about Marina Azevedo’s course for the $100,000 Hermés Grand Prix of Del Mar, May 5 at the Del Mar National Horse Show.  But it was Rich Fellers and Flexible that carried the day, battling it out in a two-team jump-off against Lauren Hough and Blue Angel, and winning with four faults and a 39.76 second finish – just over two seconds faster than Hough’s time of 41.81.

It was Fellers and Flexible’s second grand prix victory at the two Olympic observation events showcased at the Del Mar National’s Hunter Jumper Week, May 1-6, and came just a week after the duo won the Rolex FEI Show Jumping World Cup in the Netherlands.

Six of the entries contesting the 13 obstacle course were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games and Azevedo’s second of two courses designed for Olympic observation at Del Mar was even more difficult than the first.

Six riders retired or were eliminated during round one. Only a handful of riders made it clear through the Hermés jump ―a one-stride vertical combination midway through the course. Saer Coulter and Springtime, also on the Olympic Long List, was the only other pair to leave all the rails up, although they had two time faults, putting them in third.

Lucy Davis of Los Angeles rode Nemo 119 to fourth, with two rails. New Zealand rider Duncan McFarlane, who rides out of Castro Valley, CA, came in fifth with Mr. Whoopy, with five faults.

In the jump-off, neither Fellers nor Hough were able to reproduce their clear efforts from round one with both collecting four faults. The 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup Champions looked well on their way to jumping another fault-free effort in the jump-off until they lowered the height of the penultimate fence. However, Fellers had ridden a well-executed, efficient round over a tough jump-off track to secure another win.

Fellers was very impressed with Azevedo’s course and believed it was a good test for the long listed combinations, calling it “a legitimate international course, right in there with the caliber of the (Selection) Trials courses.”

Fellers and Flexible was considering a stop at the Blenheim Equisports Showpark Ranch and Coast show, down the road at the Horsepark venue in Del Mar. “He might jump in the grand prix next Sunday on the grass. That’s the first time he will have jumped on the grass.” Said Fellers. “He’ll then go home and get some turn-out and get ready to go to Spruce Meadows next month.”

Later in the summer they head to Spruce Meadows to compete in the final 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event, and the 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion owned by Harry and Mollie Chapman will spend the next month preparing for the classes at the prestigious Canadian competition.

Hough (Wellington, FL) and Robyn Parsky’s Blue Angel, a 10-year-old Anglo-European mare, were the 17th combination to attempt the first round and produced the first fault-free round of the night. They collected their four faults at the back rail of the third to last oxer in the jump-off.

Third-placed Coulter, of San Francisco, rode her go-to mount, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Copernicus Stables. Fellow Californian Lucy Davis, of Los Angeles,  and Old Oak Farm’s Nemo, ranked 15th on the long list, put in a determined effort, which was marred by rails at the first and final jumps on course.

Karl Cook (Woodside, CA) brought Signe Ostby’s two horses from the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games to the feature class. JonKheer Z jumped to an eight fault total after dislodging rails at fences 10 and 12. With ASB Conquistador, Cook was the first long listed rider of the night to compete; they faulted at fences three, 5A and 10 and had one time fault for a 13 fault total.

The two Del Mar grand prix constituted the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. Long listed riders head to Lexington, KY next week for the second of 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, May 9-13.

 

$100,000 Hermés Grand Prix of Del Mar Presented by Intuit (May 5, 2012)

1. Richard Fellers, Flexible  (Harry & Mollie Chapman)

2. Lauren Hough, Blue Angel (Robin Parsky)

3. Saer Coulter, Springtime (Copernicus Stables LLC)

4. Duncan Mc Farlane, Mr. Whoopy (Simone Coxe)

5. Karl Cook, JonKheer Z (Signe Ostby)

6. Lucy Davis, Nemo 119 (Old Oak Farm)

7. Helen Mc Naught,  Caballo (Helen Mc Naught Show Jumping LLC)

8.  Josephina Nor, LantzmanChello Z  (Josephina Nor Stables LLC)

9. Helen Mc Naught, Lariccello (Alison Heafey)

10. John McConnell, Katie Riddle (Rancho Corazon LLC)

11. John Perez, Utopia  (John Perez)

12. Hap Hansen, Archie Bunker (Linda Smith)

Axl Rose (Paris Sellon) Paris Sellon

Avargo (Highpoint Farm LLC) Tina Di Landri

Union (Francie Snedegar) Francie Snedegar

Warco Van De Halhoeve (Katie Harris) Eduardo Menezes

ASB Conquistador (Signe Ostby)               Karl Cook

Peterbilt  (Peterbilt LLC)                Guy Thomas

Green Sleeps Vioco (Mark Watring) Mark Watring

Uitteraard  (Almi Ventures)  Michelle Spadone

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