Temecula, Calif. – May 22, 2019 – The Temecula Valley National Horse Show returned to Galway Downs for another week of competition Wednesday, with the $5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake and 1.40m Jumpers attracting some of the most talented horse-and-athlete combinations to the Audi Grand Prix Ring, presented by Evergate Stables. Capturing his third Welcome Stake win in Temecula, Will Simpson in the irons aboard Chicharito blew away the challengers in the $5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake, concluding the class as the clear winners by more than three seconds. Narrowly emerging victorious ahead of a tight field, Harley Brown and Cubiki topped the 1.40m Jumpers, with Brown adding to his success with two more mounts ranking in the top ten.
The highlight jumper class of the day, the $5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake brought 31 entries to center stage to compete for the greatest share of the prize money, with course designer Anderson Lima’s (BRA) carefully constructed 13-obstacle track serving as the test each pair would have to overcome to advance into the jump-off. Following the first portion of riding, 16 partnerships earned a shot over the immediate short course, which consisted of eight efforts, and seven went on to add another clear ride to their final tally. As the second pair to ride, Nicole Haunert and Concolue were the first duo to successfully leave all the fences intact twice, breaking the beam in 43.105 seconds to set the early standard, but they were soon overtaken by Brown and Valiant, who improved upon their counterparts’ results by nearly four seconds to claim the lead with more than twenty teams still to ride.
Eleventh to go, Olympic champion Simpson took to the ring in the saddle aboard his own Chicharito, and the partnership jumped to a league all their own in a lightning fast time of 36.353 seconds, which they achieved in part thanks to completing four strides in a line in which most competitors completed in five strides. The remainder of the pack tried to eclipse Simpson and Chicharito, but none came close to usurping the quick pair. Brown and Valiant, owned by Harley Brown Equestrian, Inc., secured the runner-up position, while Femke Courchaine and John Van Den Bosch’s Dereusa S earned third place with their double clean time of 39.160 seconds.
Simpson has achieved a great deal of success in Temecula over the past two years, and last week alone he earned first prize in the $20,000 Platinum Performance 1.40m – 1.45m Speed Derby as well as the $5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake with Chacco P and Whoop De Doo, respectively. Proving to consistently be the one to beat at the beginning of weekly competition, Simpson logged his third victory in the class Wednesday, impressively aboard a third winning horse. In 2018 during the third week of the debut Temecula Valley National Horse Show, Simpson championed the $5,000 Moon Valley Nursery 1.35m Welcome Stake with the ride on Attention ET Z, and in the past two weeks the veteran rider has navigated both Whoop De Doo and now Chicharito to matching honors in the CWD-sponsored class.
Earlier in the afternoon in the 1.40m Jumpers, Brown and Emma Reichow’s Cubiki galloped to the top spot in the class thanks to a quick-footed performance in the ring, tripping the timers for their clear round less than two-tenths of a second ahead of the next-best finishers. The class operated under a power and speed format, with the initial eight efforts serving as the first phase of the class, with the clock restarting for the final six fences and faults carried throughout the entire ride. As the first to go in the order, Jonas Vervoort and Dakar VDL served as the pathfinders for the competition, turning in the first double clear of the class in 35.414 seconds to set the pace. Only a few trips later, Vervoort returned with Highpoint Farm, LLC’s Durango VDL to best his original time, clocking a clear effort in 32.747 seconds to take the lead, but halfway through the order Brown and Cubiki ensured their place at the top of the leaderboard with a blazing double clear performance in 29.969 seconds.
The latter half of the pack chased down Brown and Cubiki in attempts to capture the title, but none were able to do so, with only one pair coming within a second of the leaders. Piloting multiple mounts apiece, Vervoort and Brown statistically had the greatest chances of winning, and the two riders ultimately claimed six of the top 12 spots in the final standings to start the week on a high note. Trudi Fletcher and Linda Smith’s Gee Whiz clinched second position with their fast ride in 30.084 seconds, while Vervoort and Durango VDL still earned a place on the podium with the third-fastest effort of the class.
The Temecula Valley National Horse Show will continue Thursday with more jumper action, with the $20,000 1.40 – 1.45m Speed Classic and $7,500 Interactive Mortgage Horses 10 & Under Futurity Classic serving as the highlight classes of the day. The feature event of the horse show, the $40,000 MediVet Equine National Grand Prix, will bring competitors and spectators to the Audi Grand Prix Arena on Saturday afternoon.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Will Simpson – $5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake winner
On Chicharito:
“Chicharito is a 10-year-old by Chacco Blue and he doesn’t have a lot of experience in the timed jump-offs, but he responded beautifully today. I gave him the latter part of last week off to set him up for this week, and it seems that it was the right thing to do as he responded beautifully.”
On the course:
“The course was really nice, and everything was right in stride. The combination coming out of the corner was a little bit of a test, but he rode beautifully. There was no real place to make up time in the jump-off other than leaving a stride out of the five-stride line which the horse did, so it was really nice and we had a good time.”
On his wins at the Temecula Valley National Horse Show:
“It’s something I have been working at for a really long time. I usually have only had one horse, and now to have put together three nice grand prix horses is something I have been striving for for a long time. Now it’s all of a sudden happening and it really is an asset when you can let one have a little time off so that the others come through, your riding stays in top shape and you stay tuned up. It’s been really nice these past couple weeks when these horses are coming together at the same time. I am aiming for the $40,000 MediVet Equine National Grand Prix on Saturday, and I have to make a choice between two horses.”
RESULTS
$5,000 CWD 1.35m Welcome Stake
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Chicharito / Will Simpson / 0 / 70.798 / 0 / 36.353
2. Valiant / Harley Brown / 0 / 72.439 / 0 / 39.115
3. Dereusa S / Femke Courchaine / 0 / 69.261 / 0 / 39.160
4. Killosery Kuidam / Julia Nagler / 0 / 70.701 / 0 / 39.809
5. Jamaico Drum Van De Breepoel / Nicole Haunert / 0 / 74.287 / 0 / 42.124
6. Monseigneur / Matt Archer / 0 / 71.904 / 0 / 42.858
7. Concolue / Nicole Haunert / 0 / 73.961 / 0 / 43.105
8. Lorenzo-t / Carly Ramsey / 0 / 67.094 / 4 / 37.314
9. Centstar / Mandy Porter / 0 / 68.802 / 4 / 39.055
10. Costo Rico / Judy Nielson / 0 / 70.891 / 4 / 40.624
11. Wallstreet Rc / Chenoa Mcelvain / 0 / 73.072 / 4 / 43.510
12. Quatar / Jamie Taylor / 0 / 71.348 / 8 / 38.762
1.40m Jumpers
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Faults / R1 Time / R2 Faults / R2 Time
1. Cubiki / Harley Brown / 0 / 45.453 / 0 / 29.969
2. Gee Whiz / Trudi Fletcher / 0 / 47.556 / 0 / 30.084
3. Durango VDL / Jonas Vervoort / 0 / 49.124 / 0 / 32.747
4. Foster 39 / Harley Brown / 0 / 49.141 / 0 / 33.094
5. Chafleur / Katie Harris / 0 / 45.000 / 0 / 33.733
6. Doraindo / Jonas Vervoort / 0 / 49.692 / 0 / 34.649
7. Dakar VDL / Jonas Vervoort / 0 48.917 / 0 / 35.414
8. Genesis / Carly Anthony / 0 / 47.481 / 0 / 36.887
9. Ben Rye Dei Folletti / Nicole Haunert / 0 / 51.531 / 0 / 38.375
10. Hawai Van Paemel / Harley Brown / 0 / 46.563 / 4 / 31.916
11. Cincinnati Reds / Allison Kroff / 47.278 / 4 / 32.045
12. Deluxento / Craig Starr / 4 / 44.870 / 4 / 33.356
For more information, please visit www.jump-nee.com.
