Monday, June 24 2013 / Published in General

John Pearce and Chianto Make it Look Easy to Clinch the Nutrena $30,000 Summer in the Rockies III Grand Prix

Parker, CO- June 22, 2013 – A crowd of spectators gathered to watch spectacular show jumping at the much-anticipated $30,000 Nutrena Summer in the Rockies III Grand Prix in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at the Colorado Horse Park on a perfect Colorado Saturday afternoon.

In the first round of the event, 19 horse and rider combinations battled it out over international course designer Alan Wade’s track, attempting to progress to the jump-off round. Ten would make the cut.

“It was a build-up over the week,” said Wade about his strategy in creating the course. “In the Welcome we went up for the second round. We were a little bit bigger again today. Then, they went up again in the jump-off. It was more about show jumping than pure speed.”

“I try to give a balance so that you don’t just suit one horse,” Wade continued. “You try to suit the best overall combination of horse, rider, scope and nimbleness – that they’re able to turn left and right and that they’re able to move up across the ground. You just try to test everything.”

The first to go clear within the 89-second time allowed was John Pearce from Bermuda Dunes, CA, and Johnny B Good, owned by Forest View Farm.

John Pearce and Johnny B Good. Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge

Three more clean rounds in a row followed from Bryn Sadler and Showcase 81 LLC’s 18.2 hand grey Holsteiner, Cincinnati. Then, Mark Mead of Longmont, CO, and Balthazar, a Belgian Warmblood owned by Marianne Marshall, had a speedy clean round and Kristen VanderVeen from St Charles, IL, and Bull Run’s Eternal went fault-free. Caroline Beecherl from Dallas, TX, followed suit riding her own S&L Zeppelin.

A few rounds later Pearce returned on Chianto, who also advanced to the jump-off. The Danish Warmblood superstar with his own Facebook page is owned by Forest View Farm and has a list of wins as long as your arm.

The next clear round came from Matt Cyphert from Lantana, TX, aboard Lochivar, winner of the 1.40m Open Jumpers on the opening day of Summer in the Rockies III.

Matt Cyphert and Lochivar. Photo by Carrie Wirth

Sadler returned on her second mount, Bon Giorno, and earned another chance at the short course, as did Armando Hassey and Taggert Enterprise’s Eminem and Bjorn Ikast and the fabulous Colorado, owned by Bovee Limited Liability.

VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Eternal were the first of the second-rounders to leave all the rails in their cups, stopping the timer at 44.665. The performance from VanderVeen, who has been a consistent winner at the Summer in the Rockies series, and the huge-strided Belgian Warmblood seemed improbable to beat.

Then Pearce came back for the jump-off round with his long-time partner, the 16-year-old Chianto. The pair effortlessly flew around the course, laying down a blazingly fast, clean round that timed out at 42.066, over two seconds ahead of VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Eternal.

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Eternal
Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge

Pearce and VanderVeen’s jump-off rounds would produce the only double clears of the goup. Pearce had the fastest four-fault time with Johnny B Good to earn the third place prize, while Cyphert and Lochivar placed fourth.

“I thought it was big, actually, but it rode nice,” said VanderVeen. “There wasn’t anything that trapped anyone. It was definitely a lot bigger than we’ve been jumping. My horse just did the Grand Prix last week and he didn’t do the Welcome again this week. So this was his first class out – so I thought, ‘I hope he’s on his A-game.’ He was. I’ll take second any day. We were double clean and that was what we’re shooting for.”

John Pearce and Chianto
Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge

“I don’t want to run him too much over little jumps,” said Pearce about Chianto. “He doesn’t need to do that at this stage in his career. He’s pretty much a Sunday horse now. I did him in the Welcomes the first couple of weeks because he hadn’t jumped since Thermal – not a jump. I used those classes as a warm up. I don’t jump the horse at home anymore. I just

Pearce and Chianto
Photo by Mary Adelaide Brakenridge

keep him really fit and happy.”

“He’s a great horse,” Pearce shared. “Like I’ve said, he’s my

Pegasus. I can’t count how many grand prix events he’s wonfor me. One of the reasons he’s so sound and so fresh is

because I don’t go to the well with him. I don’t jump a 1.60m with him every weekend. At that age they can’t do that anymore. I would still take that horse right now and drop him at any competition in the world and feel very comfortable. That’s how much I think of this horse. He feels great and I feel blessed. This was a walk in the park for him. He was smooth as glass and flawless. He was beautiful to ride today.”

“We ran fast in the jump-off and the footing held up,” VanderVeen said. “The course designer this week has been really good about galloping and turning, not just one or the other. It has tested the footing. It’s held up fantastic.”

“I thought it was a good course,” Pearce said. “It was a little bigger. He built a very nice encouraging course the opening day for the Welcome – which I am a strong believer in – and built a lot of confidence in the horses and riders. He didn’t do anything too trappy – he had some subtle difficulties, no doubt. It kept it really fair for everyone.”

“I was very happy how it turned out,” said Wade. “It was fair to the less-experienced ones, those who were just having their first starts in grand prix. The better horse and rider combinations came to the top.”

558. $30,000 Summer in the Rockies Grand Prix

1. 753/Chianto/Forest View Farm/John Pearce

2. 963/Bull Run’s Eternal/Bull Run Jumpers One LLC/Kristen Vanderveen

3, 755/Johnny B Good/Forest View Farm/John Pearce

4. 808/Lochivar/Matt Cyphert/Matt Cyphert

5. 699/Eminem/Taggert Enterprises LLC/Armando Hassey

6. 641/Cincinnati/Showcase 81, LLC/Bryn Sadler

7. 639/Bon Giorno/Showcase 81, LLC/Bryn Sadler

8. 679/Colorado/Bovee Limited Liability Partnership/Bjorn Ikast

9. 1494/Balthazar/Marianne Marshall/Mark Mead

10. 805/S & L Zeppelin/Caroline Beecherl/Caroline Beecherl

11. 961/Bull Run’s Le Conte/Empire State Equine Sales, LLC/Kristen Vanderveen

12. 675/Royal Flush/Bjorn Ikast/Bjorn Ikast

The Colorado Horse Park Summer in the Rockies Fast Facts

What: Summer in the Rockies AA-Rated Hunter Jumper Show Series

Event Dates:

Summer in the Rockies I June 5-9, 2013

Summer in the Rockies II June 12-16, 2013

Summer in the Rockies III June 19-23, 2013

Summer in the Rockies IV July 3-7, 2013

Summer in the Rockies V July 10-14, 2013

Summer in the Rockies VI July 17-21, 2013

Prize List:

Click here for an online version of the prize list. For a hard copy of the prize list, please e-mail prizelist@cohorsepark.com with your name, address and phone number and specify which prize list you would like (spring/fall or summer).

Entries:

Mail to The Colorado Horse Park, 7522 South Pinery Drive, Parker, CO 80134 or fax to (303) 841-7879. Opening date for Stall Reservations: April 1, 2013. Closing date May 20, 2013.

Contact Information:

Pat Boyle, Show Manager (847) 274-6834

Brian Curry, Show Manager (303) 918-2908

Show Office (303) 841-7461

Show Office Fax (303) 841-1419

ColoradoHorsePark Main Office (303) 841-5550

ColoradoHorsePark Main Office Fax (303) 841-7879

Tentative Schedule:
Wed – Sun: Show starts daily at 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted

Directions:

Address:7375 E Bayou Gulch Rd, Parker, CO 80134

From North: I-25S exit Ridgegate Parkway – go east under the freeway. Ridgegate Parkway to S. Chambers Road, approx 3 miles (Traffic light) – turn right/south onto Chambers Road. At end of Chambers Road turn left/east onto Hess Road. Hess Road to Parker Road/Hwy 83 – turn right/south onto Hwy 83 approx 4 miles to Bayou Gulch Road. (Traffic light). Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

From South: I-25N, exit Founder’s Parkway. Founder’s Parkway to Highway 86, approx 4 miles (traffic light). Turn east/left onto Hwy. 86 to Franktown/Hwy 83. At Franktown go north on 83 approx. 7 mi. to Bayou Gulch Rd. (Traffic light), turn right/east onto Bayou Gulch Rd. Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

About the Colorado Horse Park

Celebrating its 20^th Anniversary, the ColoradoHorsePark was founded by visionary Helen Krieble who acknowledged the need for a high-volume horse show and horse boarding facility to serve Colorado. The ColoradoHorsePark welcomes more than 75,000 visitors per year and hosts over 40 competitions annually. CHP features a derby arena designed by Olympic-designer Linda Allen and a cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor and eventing super-star James Atkinson. There are 300 permanent stalls with capacity for more than 1,000 stalls.

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful ColoradoRockyMountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space. The ColoradoHorsePark is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.

Sponsors:

Animo

http://theanimoexperience.com/

Bessemer Trust

http://www.bessemertrust.com/

ComfortSuitesCastle Rock

www.comfortsuites.com/hotel-castle_rock-colorado-CO154

DaysInnCastle Rock

www.daysinn.com/hotels/colorado/castle-rock/days-inn-suites-castle-rock/hotel-overview

Equine Sport Solutions

http://www.equinesportsolutions.com/

KBC Foundation