Wilmington, Ohio – Junior rider Amy Krebs picked up right where she left off Thursday afternoon at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington, scoring a one-two finish with her own Jabantos (Carsari Van De Helle x Cassima) and Ike (Spartacus x Twister), respectively, in the $10,000 Premier Equestrian Welcome Stake.
Since her win in the $30,000 Grand Prix of Winter Classic 5, Krebs is on a hot streak and returned to the Standlee Sanctuary to top the class by nearly five full seconds over her professional competitors.
“It’s amazing to be first and second. This is my first show of the year since Maclay Finals. Today, when I went in on Ike, I looked at the board first and I wanted to ride the same track on him that I did on Elijah [Jabantos]. Their times were really close. They are both on a hot streak!”
Coming off a successful indoors season where she jumped some of the most technical tracks set for junior athletes, the 16-year-old athlete is confident in the ring, and was the only rider to attempt the fastest track of Joe Carnicom’s (USA) jump-off.
“It was a bit of a long jump-off. I am getting to know Ike really well, and I know Elijah really well. Even doing the leave out in the line in the jump-off, I got there steadying. I showed them both the inside turn so that they knew what to expect and they weren’t caught off guard when I landed and asked,” Krebs spoke on her turn that was untried by the rest of the field.
Krebs’ trainer of 11 years, Michelle Zimmer, spoke ringside with WEC about the young rider’s dedication to horsemanship and work ethic behind-the-scenes, “She has such great horsemanship. She is such a great kid and the horses are meticulously taken care of. She does it all by herself, we don’t have a team of grooms. At indoors, it was just us two! She has been with me since she started and is like another daughter to me.”
Krebs commented on the benefits of her hands-on approach with her horses in the barn, “I think it helps me build a deeper relationship with them. They can trust me more and I think it helps me learn their personalities. Sometimes in the stall I can tell if they will be a little tired or a bit fresh. I feel like I always know what to expect going into the ring. Mostly I think it helps to earn a lot of trust with my horses.”
Krebs claimed the win in with her ten-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Jabantos, in 39.245 seconds, and second place with her nine-year-old KWPN gelding, Ike, in 40.531 seconds.
Canada’s Sam Pegg returned to the top three with his own Big Girl Z (Big Star JR KZ x Oglaya). The 11-year-old Zangersheide mare was fresh and careful in 44.298 seconds to round out the top three.
$10,000 Premier Equestrian Welcome Stake Results:
1 Jabantos, Amy Krebs, Amy Krebs | 0 | 39.24
2 Ike, Amy Krebs, Amy Krebs | 0 | 40.531
3 Big Girl Z, Samuel Pegg, Samuel Pegg | 0 | 44.298
4 Lorstakov, Richard Rinehart, Catherine Rinehart | 0 | 44.369
5 Aruba Van’t Eigenlo Z, Michael Janson, Kimberly Janson | 1 | 47.008
6 Kinsella, Charlotte Clark, Charlotte Clark | 8 | 44.108
7 Caesar, Richard Rinehart, Catherine Rinehart | 4 | 79.344
8 Olympic Van De Meyhoeve, Izzy Beisel, Five Way Farm LLC | 4 | 79.728
9 Contigo, Izzy Beisel, David Beisel | 12 | 80.437
10 Hey Alexa, Miguel Ventura, Avanti Sporthorses LLC | 16 | 80.806
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Results can be found at wec.net.
All horse show images are provided by Winslow Photography and can be purchased onsite at WEC – Wilmington or online through their website.