Lisa Goldman-Smolen & Romeo B Dominate $50,000 Top Bedding Grand Prix of Fall Classic 2
04 OCT 25 Wilmington, OH
Wilmington, Ohio – Nineteen horse-and-rider combinations took center stage as they competed over a technical track set by Robert Barton for the $50,000 Top Bedding Grand Prix of World Equestrian Center – Wilmington Fall Classic 2.
Eight riders advanced to the short course, but Lisa Goldman-Smolen proved her dominance, jumping the first double-clear effort and remaining unbeatable.
Her list of grand prix wins is long, but it was a special day for Goldman-Smolen, as it marked Romeo B’s biggest victory to date.
“Romeo is American-bred. I have had him since he was a three-year-old, so I have done everything with him. He has been amazing from the start and has such a great brain and rhythm. He won the five-year-old finals in Traverse City and then was clear all the way through in the six-year-old finals the year after,” she shared about his development.
“I generally don’t get to do grands prix unless it is on something that I have developed, but this is very exciting because it is by far his biggest win,” Goldman-Smolen smiled. “He has stepped up to the big leagues so well. He even did his first CSI2* classes here in the spring. It has been so exciting to watch him grow.”
The eight-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion set the tone for the rest of the class after an effortless first clear round. Goldman-Smolen had a personal advantage going early in the order: “I like to go early because I don’t get to watch what other people do; I just ride it by feel.”
“It rode a bit differently than it walked,” she noted about the track. “All of the five-stride lines walked the exact same and then rode entirely differently. It rode well. The jump-off was a lot of fun.”
The duo crossed the timers in 37.174 seconds to lead the victory gallop.
Goldman-Smolen also rounded out the podium aboard Barbara Disko’s 12-year-old KWPN gelding, Ivaro N (Elvaro x Celli), in 38.339 seconds.
Rowan Willis and Patricio Pasquel’s 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, Cape Town, secured second place in 37.251 seconds, just shy of the leading time.
$50,000 Top Bedding Grand Prix Results
Sarah Vince & FF Olive Best the $7,500 1.20m Junior/Amateur Mini Prix at Fall Classic 2
The $7,500 1.20m Junior/Amateur Mini Prix kicked off competition Saturday at Fall Classic 2, where aspiring horse-and-rider combinations tackled Robert Barton’s track.
Seven partnerships advanced to the immediate jump-off phase, but only two managed to post a double-clear effort.
First to go in the posted order, Sarah Vince and the Freestyling Farms LLC entry, FF Olive (Alonso x Arnika), led the victory gallop.
Vince and the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare stopped the clock in 36.779 seconds to secure the win.
Taylor Campbell and her own 11-year-old Warmblood mare, Upsy Daisy, were the only other pair to jump fault-free, finishing second in 39.72 seconds.
Aiden Clark rounded out the top three aboard his own 10-year-old Warmblood gelding, Celynos (Nevados S x Celyna), with the fastest time of 35.15 seconds but an unfortunate four faults.