Ocala, FL – The $50,000 Barnwalkers National Grand Prix served as the final feature class of Week IV of the 2025 Summer Series at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. Twenty-four horse-and-rider combinations vied for the lion’s share of the prize money, but in the end, it was fan-favorite Tracy Fenney (USA) and MTM Apple (Favorit Ask x Kong’s Whopsie) who simply couldn’t be caught.
Manuel Esparza (MEX) designed Sunday’s Grand Prix tracks, which proved to be quite the challenge. The time allowed was tight, and the winding course caused rails to fall throughout. Six combinations managed to jump the first test clear to advance to the jump-off, but only half were able to deliver a second clear round.
Fenney agreed that Sunday’s course was no easy task. “When I walked the course, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is hard.’ Right out of the box, the seven ended up being nice from one to two, which walked longer than I thought—then a liverpool right away. The time was super tight, and then doing an eight, a triple bar, and a vertical. I had Apple and a green horse, but Mike always says, ‘Just jump each jump.’”
Fenney piloted both of her mounts—MTM Apple, owned by MTM Farm, and MTM Can Talk To Me, owned by Nina Koloseike—to clear first rounds, qualifying both for the jump-off. She returned first aboard her seasoned partner and crowd favorite, MTM Apple.
Fenney felt the track suited the speedy 14-year-old Danish Warmblood mare. “I always know she is fast and has a huge stride. Going to the first jump, I’ve been trying to work on something different. The second jump, I thought, ‘Oh, this is a little far,’ but she’s great at that kind of stuff and always wants to go left. Maybe made it a little farther than we thought it would, but she did great and stood up great to the skinny. She did the in-and-out well, spun right around, and that last line she did her little left-right-left zigzag, which made it ride really well. Because if she had gone straight, I think I would’ve had to do the nine!”
The pair made light work of the track, stopping the clock in an uncatchable 35.901 seconds to ultimately gallop away with the win.
MTM Apple has been with Fenney for seven years. “We’ve had her since she was seven. I got her in the summer as a seven-year-old in Chicago, and I remember riding her in her first class.” After years of competing together, the pair has amassed a long list of victories. Fenney knows the mare like the back of her hand, and after every Grand Prix, Apple enjoys a well-earned routine at home. “She has her paddock and her tree that she scratches on every single day, without fail. She gets home, gets straight off the trailer, and goes right into the paddock to itch on her tree, where she gives herself a full-body scratch,” Fenney laughed.
Luis Larrazabal (VEN) came closest to catching Fenney’s time aboard Paloma Santa Cruz’s Jon Snow (Vingino x Happy Girl). The nine-year-old Australian Warmblood gelding delivered an impressive clear in 37.462 seconds to secure second place.
Megan Wexler (USA) was the only other rider to produce a double-clear. She piloted Procedures, Inc.’s 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Charly Brown 353 (Companiero x Waconda I), to an efficient jump-off round in 39.300 seconds to round out the podium.
Kyle Dewar (CAN) earned the fastest four-faulter award aboard Chacoons Gisa Blue Z, posting a quick first-round time of 78.466 seconds with one rail down.
Jessica Pye received the Luck of the Draw award.
$50,000 Barnwalkers National 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.
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