Articles: Horse News
Aaron Vale Flies to Victory in Pilatus Open Jumper Class
at the 36th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show
Hillary Dobbs and Richie Moloney Win the Wolffer Estate Open Jumper Class
Contact:
Marty Bauman, (631) 901-1450, ext. 3020,
info@classic-communications.com
Bridgehampton, NY -- August 31, 2011 -- Aaron Vale of Morriston, FL,
flew over the course to win the Pilatus Open Jumper class on the
revised Opening Day of the 36th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in
Bridgehampton, NY on Wednesday.
Vale bested the field of 34 riding Tibor, owned by Bonnie Smith, in a
clear round time of 60.614 seconds. Two-time Olympic gold medalist
McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, also went clear, but in a fractional
slower time of 60.986 seconds on Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve, owned by
Louisburg Farm. Third went to Joe Fargis of Middleberg, VA and
Lariat, owned by Sandron, in 62.014 seconds also going clear.
More than half of the riders were clear on the Guilherme Jorge
designed course. Vale went somewhat early, 14th in the lineup, and
managed stay on top of the leader board, which surprised Vale.
"My horse Tibor is a fast, careful horse and he got around there
pretty smoothly," said Vale. "I just went at a safe speed and
his natural quickness took care of the rest and no one else caught
us."
Vale almost did not compete in the 1.45 m class, but he is glad that
he decided to ride. "I didn't even know that I was entered in
today's class and I checked the order of go and I thought well
there's not too many horses in the class and the course looked like
it might suit Tibor, so I had a feeling that it might be a good day
for him."
Earlier in the day Hillary Dobbs of Sussex, NJ, and Richie Moloney of
Wellington, FL won the massive Wolffer Estate open jumper class, the
first in the Grand Prix ring this year. Originally consisting of
more than 100 competitors, the class was split with Dobbs winning
Section A on Marengo, owned by The Dobbs Group, and Moloney winning
section B on Quiloa, owned by Equinimity, LLC.
Dobbs was the first winner in the Grand Prix ring and was amazed at
the condition of the footing. "The field was great, they did a
fantastic job," said Dobbs. "It was like there was never even a
hurricane here. The course was super and it really suited my horse.
It was good to be back out on that grass field after some time off
with knee surgery."
This was the first win at the Hampton Classic for Moloney. "I'm
very happy with my first win here," said Moloney. "It's great
for the owners because it's a local show for them, so it's a big
thing and a good start for the week. Hopefully we can keep it up."
One of the most prestigious horse shows in the nation, the Hampton
Classic managed to keep almost its entire competition schedule,
albeit compressed from eight days into five. The Classic runs
through Sunday, September 4 when it culminates with the $250,000 FTI
Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier.
The Classic's revised show schedule is available on line at the
Hampton Classic website at -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ClassicCommunication/4420800bec/dd6a0eca60/4a4f1306b6 www.hamptonclassic.com. The Classic is also providing frequent
updates on its Facebook page.
For those who can't make it to the show grounds, WVVH-TV, the
official Long Island television station of the Hampton Classic,
broadcasts up to five hours of competition and highlights each day
during the Classic. These broadcasts can also be seen online at -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ClassicCommunication/4420800bec/dd6a0eca60/12e6f6c5b7 www.wvvh.tv.
Further information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show is available on
the Hampton Classic website at -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ClassicCommunication/4420800bec/dd6a0eca60/42e3bc2cdf www.hamptonclassic.com or by calling (631) 537-3177. Hampton Classic
Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) charitable corporation.
|
