Nora Gray Pilots Corallo to $30,000 Clinton County CVB Grand Prix Win at WEC – Wilmington Summer 1

11 JUL 26 Wilmington, OH

A rider wearing a helmet and jacket guides a brown horse over a pink and black jump during an outdoor equestrian event.

Wilmington, Ohio – The rain could not stop featured jumper action Saturday afternoon at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington (WEC) Summer 1. After a brief delay, 20 athletes returned in top form to contest the $30,000 Clinton County CVB Grand Prix, designed by Bobby Murphy. In the end, a four-horse jump-off saw Nora Gray pilot her own homebred Corallo (Capone I x Carmen Delores) to the win.

A rider in equestrian attire jumps a brown horse over a green obstacle during a show jumping competition outdoors.
Nora Gray & Corallo. Photo by Winslow Photography.

Having produced the 10-year-old Warmblood gelding from the start, Gray shared about their memorable milestone. “He’s one of our homebreds, so I broke him as a three-year-old. My parents bred him, and I’ve been showing him ever since. My mom competed with him when he was younger, and I’ve been showing him pretty consistently since he was seven. So, it’s kind of a special win! I think this is our first homebred to win a Grand Prix, so it’s a good day,” she smiled.

Thursday’s Welcome Stake winner, James Billington, was the first rider to produce a double-clear effort riding Inajottie WB (Carerra x Wajottie), a 13-year-old KWPN mare owned by Samantha Mackenzie. The duo set a quick time to beat of 37.117 seconds for a momentary lead.

Equestrian rider on a brown horse jumps over a blue obstacle during a show jumping competition at an outdoor arena.
James Billington & Inajottie WB. Photo by Winslow Photography.

Gray saved the best for last as she entered to jump an efficient track, stopping the clock in 36.486 seconds for the win and moving Billington into second.

Four people and a horse pose in front of a Clinton County Convention & Visitors Bureau sign; one holds a large check, another person is mounted on the horse, and another holds a prize bucket.
Nora Gray & Corallo in the winner’s circle presented by Clinton County CVB. Photo by Winslow Photography.

Gray returned to WEC – Wilmington for the first time in several years and enjoyed a successful week from start to finish. “I actually haven’t been here in about six years! We had a great week. I brought some young horses, and it’s a great place for their first horse show. I also brought two older horses to get more miles and jump some of these nice money classes, so it was a really good week.”

“This show has been a great experience for them, learning and getting to compete in all the rings, so we’ll be back,” she continued.

A rider in equestrian gear jumps a brown horse over a green obstacle during a show jumping competition on an outdoor sand arena.
Nora Gray & Corallo. Photo by Winslow Photography.

After a weather delay temporarily halted competition, the eventual winner shared that the wait was well worth it.

“I was actually the last one in the ring for the Futures Prix while it was pouring, so I got completely drenched,” Gray laughed. “Then I spent a couple of hours drying off in my car, but it was definitely worth the wait. I have to say, the footing held up amazingly. It was perfect for the Grand Prix.”

A rider in equestrian attire jumps a brown horse over a blue obstacle at an outdoor show jumping event.
Nora Gray & Corallo. Photo by Winslow Photography.

Gray also praised Murphy’s course design, which produced just four clear rounds. “I thought Bobby did a really nice job. There were a couple of lines that were a little difficult. The green oxer to what was a skinny in the first round rode a little tricky, and there were a couple of bigger oxers off shorter turns. There were a few jumps that caught people coming off the turn. My horse jumped really well. He’s a really big horse, so I wasn’t quite sure how he’d handle this ring, but he was great. I’m super happy.”

A rider in equestrian gear jumps a brown horse over a green obstacle during a show jumping competition on an outdoor arena.
Maria Blankemeyer & Reina Van Hellehof. Photo by Winslow Photography.

Maria Blankemeyer rounded out the top three with her fiery nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Reina Van Hellehof (Gino H), jumping to the quickest time of 35.701 seconds, but incurring eight faults along the way.

Explore the daily class schedule, orders of go, class counts, and final results on HorseShowing.com.

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