Cadett Strengthens Bonds at Memorial Day Classic

By Marnye Langer May 25, 2013

It was a triumphant return to the show ring for Ashlee Bond and Cadett 7 with victory in the LEG Memorial Day Classic Horse Show Welcome Stake yesterday.

The $5,000 open 1.40m class took place on the grass at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Bond also placed fourth on the young mare Wistful and seventh on Agro Star.

The duo shook off the dust in Thursday’s $1,000 1.35M Jumper Classic where they went clear in round one, but Bond skipped the jump-off  “to conserve him for the rest of the weekend.” It was Cadett’s first time in the show ring since the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, where the duo had quite a few triumphs as she eased the 16-year-old Cor de la Bryere gelding back after a 2012 layup.

“I knew he would jump well today because he always goes better if he gets his feet wet and gets in a groove,” she noted. And what nicer place to do that than under the oak trees on LAEC’s newly-mown grand prix field?

Cadett delivered a clear, fast round over Danny Foster’s challenging course in the Welcome Stake. “It was a tough course, and I’m happy that it had a lot of long gallops because Cadett does really well off  the long gallop.” They had the fastest first round with a time of 73.027 seconds.

In a field of 17 starters, Bond’s most substantive challenger was Jamie Barge and Lasse, who made it to round two with a time of 76.520 seconds. In the jump off it was Ashlee who came out on top with another clear round in just 39.123 seconds. The other duo caught a rail on the last combination for four faults.

The Memorial Day Classic was not only a return for Cadett, but also Bond’s first appearance in years at at event that has become a Los Angeles show jumping tradition. The show coincides with the opening of the Spruce Meadows National Tournament, June 5-9 and more often than not she has found herself traveling to Canada this time of year.

Bond, whose family-owned Little Valley Farms is based in Hidden Hills, said she is happy to spend spring kicking back at home, and was impressed with how the Memorial Day Classic has changed over the years. “The footing on the grass has really improved, and they have done a lot of upgrades in the warm-up area,” Bond explained, adding, “While LEG has always done a great job of bringing in spectators, this year’s show is particularly well-attended.”

Bond said that though she has participated in LEG shows in recent years, the last time she rode at the Memorial Day Classic was 2007. “It was back when I was riding Tommy Gun. We came in second in the grand prix to Mark Watring and Sapphire.”

Ashlee will conserve Cadett for the rest of the weekend, and he will return to the grass field on Monday to compete in the $30,000 Memorial Day Grand Prix.

In the hunter arena, Tommi Clark and Leila Ward-Maroney won several championships aboard multiple horses. Tommi and her Chosen were champion in the 3’3” Performance Hunters and she was reserve champion on Ravenswood (Linda Fitton, owner) in the Small Working Hunters. She was also champion and reserve champion in the High Performance Hunters on Exemplar (Stephen Borders, owner) and her Raska, respectively.

Leila Ward-Maroney was champion in the 3’6” Performance Hunters on Rotterdam (Harrison Thompson, owner), champion in the Second Year Green Working Hunters aboard Roxbury (Samantha Sneider, owner), and champion in Small Working Hunters with Miramar (Ashley Taylor, owner).

During the 3’3” Performance Hunters, riders had the opportunity to attend an “Ask the Judge” seminar, sponsored by Practical Horseman. Carol Dean Porter, USEF “R” Licensed judge with over 40 years of riding experience and co-founder of Judge My Ride, sat ringside with exhibitors and explained her judging process, answered questions, and gave feedback while watching the class.

One of trainer Michael Leon’s junior riders, Nico Stahl, attended the seminar and found it illuminating. “I thought that I was riding pretty well, but she made me realize how perfect you have to be to win!”

After the serious show day, everyone had a chance to let loose and have fun at the California Professional Horsemen’s Association (CPHA) Foundation’s annual Bowling Benefit, with proceeds going to the CPHA Foundation, dedicated to helping equestrian professionals in times of need and providing opportunities for higher education through scholarships and grants.

The Memorial Day Classic Horse Show runs May 23-27. VIP tables for the Memorial Day Classic Grand Prix on Monday have sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.

For more information on LEG shows click here.

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