Eric Navet and Catypso Conquer the $130,000 Hollow Creek Farm CSI3* Grand Prix

Navet has been waiting for the perfect course and right venue to let his mount put all the lessons he has learned over the past few years to work. The Rolex Arena provided that perfect platform for the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding to show his competitiveness at the Grand Prix level. The pair went early in the order of go and posted the first clear round of the night over a course designed by Marina Azevedo.

The French National Champion and Olympic medalist has been working with Catypso since he was acquired by the Cook family as a six-year-old. Even though 2016 was the first year that Navet began regularly competing Catypso in Grand Prix classes in California, the pair qualified to compete in the 2017 World Cup Finals in Omaha, Nebraska with positive results.

The spring Kentucky Horse Shows offered Navet with the perfect venue for his first show back since World Cup Finals. After competing in Kentucky for the first-time last year, the Kentucky Horse Park has become an ideal destination for Navet and his students because of the professional atmosphere and outstanding footing.

The $130,000 Hollow Creek Farm CSI3* Grand Prix was a truly international event, as can be demonstrated by the various countries that occupied the top three placings in the class: Navet of France, Andrade of Venezuela, and Wordley of New Zealand. In all, there were twelve different countries represented by the equestrian athletes.

The first week of the Kentucky Spring Horse Show Series concludes tomorrow with the $50,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix and the USHJA International and National Hunter Derbies. The Kentucky Spring Classic begins on Wednesday May 17 and will feature FEI CSI3* competition including the $130,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix as well as ‘A Day in the Park’ to honor Ellen Veitch on Saturday, May 20.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Eric Navet

On Why He Competes at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show:

“This is a fantastic show – the stadium is remarkable and the footing is fantastic. I always say that we must pick the shows with good footing and this really is all-weather footing! For me that is the most important thing – We want our horses to last and age and to achieve that we need to jump on good footing.”

On Catypso:

“The good thing with him (Catypso) is that he has no emotion, so he is very straight forward and mentally he is always ready to compete.”

On His Jump Off Round:

“Catypso has a big gallop but he is not a quick mover so this jump off was perfect for us. I took real angles because he is so brave. The two angles I took were coming into the double and then the angle to the white oxer and then went to the longest distance I could find to the last oxer just to keep the momentum going.”

Emanuel Andrade

On Why Hollow Creek Farm Sponsors FEI Events at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show:

“Hollow Creek Farm started sponsoring in Kentucky two years ago because we believed that we needed more FEI classes in the US and this was one of the ways to accomplish that. It is very important to promote the shows with the FEI classes and this is a very good horse show, it is a great place for riders.”

RESULTS
130,000 Hollow Creek Farm Grand Prix CSI3*
1.Catypso / Eric Navet / Signe Ostby / 0 / 40.65
2.Bon Jovi / Emanuel Andrade / Emanuel Andrade / 0 / 40.76
3.Casper / Sharn Wordley / Sky Group / 0 / 41.93
4.CHS Inception / Andrew Bourns / Andrew Bourns Sport Horses / 0 / 44.27
5.Royce / Margie Engle / Gladewinds Partners, LLC / 0 / 40.24
6.Carna Z / Gustavo Prato / Equus Forte LLC / 0 / 43.39
7.Chance Ste Hermelle / Michael Morrissey / QBS Equestrian LLC / 0 / 42.72
8.Finou 4 / Aaron Vale / Thinkslikeahorse & Don / 1 / 78.02
9.Dingeman / Santiago Lambre / Santiago Lambre / 1 / 78.77
10.Double T / Kyle Timm / Apex Equestrian Center / 1 / 81.69
11.Allegro Van De Donkhoeve / Paulo Stewart / Paulo Stewart / 2 / 82.02
12.Atlantis / Samuel Parot / Samuel Parot / 4 / 70.59

 Brad Wolf Wins the Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter Championship Aboard Libretto

Lexington, Ky. – May 13, 2017 – Receiving a perfect score and winning all five classes in the Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’3 36+ division, Brad Wolf and Libretto were the uncontested champions Saturday afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Show. The pair commanded both days of hunter competition with ease and graciously received the Grand A/O Hunter Championship title, sponsored by Visse Wedell of Wedell Real Estate.

Libretto, Wolf’s Warmblood gelding, has shown with him at the Kentucky Horse Shows in the previous three years since he was purchased, competing in the 3’6 amateur division. On Friday, scores of 86 and 87 in the two over fences rounds secured their early lead, in addition to placing first in the Under Saddle class. Returning for the second day of competition Wolf proved his consistency and continued his domination of the show ring, scoring a 74 over fences and 86 in the handy round.

Libretto was also win B Champion in the Performance Hunter 3’3 division with Victoria Colvin in the irons.

Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee; Wolf trains with Tom Wright of Uphill Farm, based in Nashville, Tennessee and Wellington, Florida. He routinely travels to compete in the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida and the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Michigan.

The final day of hunter competition in the first week of the Kentucky Horse Show LLC’s Spring Series continues Sunday with the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby and $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, sponsored by World Equestrian Center and Kentucky Horse Shows.