Ocala, FL – Everything came together for Luis Pedro Biraben as the Argentinian rider steered his own Chacco Bumpy (Chacco-Blue x Too Bumpy II) to victory in the $40,000 Ste Michelle Grand Prix on Sunday. The class saw 27 horse-and-rider combinations compete over Catsy Cruz’s (MEX) first track, but only six managed to jump clear to qualify for the jump-off.
The first to go in the jump-off was Nigel Potts (CAN), riding Orlando Van Klapscheut, an eleven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by CM Sporthorses, LLC. The pair set an efficient pace in 35.535 seconds but incurred an unfortunate rail.
Next in was Jessica Mendoza (GBR) and her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Summerhouse (Guidam Sohn x Selva). The pair was just behind Potts’ time, crossing the timers in 36.014 seconds but leaving all the rails up to set the time to beat.
Kara Chad (CAN) followed aboard Stone Ridge Farms LLC’s nine-year-old Warmblood mare Corinna (Cornet Obelensky x Winea Vant Venninhof). The duo also jumped clear but landed just shy of Mendoza’s time, stopping the clock at 36.856 seconds to take the runner-up position for the time being.
After watching the first few riders tackle the jump-off, Biraben knew he could take the win with his speedy 15-year-old Oldenburg mare if he played his cards right. “I watched Jessica, and she was going fast. I knew I had a chance, but I needed to take a risk to pull it off.”
The duo laid it all on the line. Taking an inside turn midway through the course that no other rider attempted, Biraben gained the advantage he needed to shave over a second off Mendoza’s time. “For one to two, I took the risk and did seven strides, and then I turned inside for the yellow oxer. To the last one, in my head, I thought, okay, I have it – I’ll do seven, not six. And I was lucky at the last one because I touched it. I always have a little bit of luck when I win.”
With a time of 34.464 seconds, Biraben and Chacco Bumpy moved into the top spot on the leaderboard. Several more riders attempted the short course, but none were able to catch Biraben’s time.
The mare has been a consistent ride for Biraben, and the pair have found success on the international stage all the way up to the five-star level. Speaking of their partnership, he shared, “She’s a good mare. I’ve had many years with her – seven years. We’ve jumped the big classes and had many placings together. She’s very fast.”
$40,000 Ste Michelle Grand Prix Results
Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com. For real-time scoring, check out Ryegate.Live.
Photos courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV
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