Ocala, FL – Sunday afternoon, the WEC Grand Arena at World Equestrian Center – Ocala hosted the $50,000 YETI National Grand Prix, where 23 horse-and-rider combinations competed for the win. In the end, it was Tracy Fenney (USA) aboard the famous MTM Apple (Favorit Ask x Kong’s Whopsie) who claimed victory.
Catsy Cruz (MEX) designed a challenging course to wrap up Week I of the 2024 December Show Series, with only six pairs managing clear rounds.
Richard Spooner (USA) and Lyjanair (Lyjanero x Villa), fresh off a third-place finish in the $75,000 Barnwalkers Grand Prix in November, were the first to test the jump-off. The 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding delivered a strong performance, setting the pace at 35.823 seconds.
Maya Denis (MEX) put in a solid effort aboard her own Postin Ls La Silla but couldn’t quite match the time. Luis Pedro Biraben (ARG) and Chacco Bumpy (Chacco-blue x Too Bumpy II), a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare, followed, narrowly overtaking Spooner with a time of 35.658 seconds. Ilan Bulman and Cool Lady were next but had an unlucky rail.
Second-to-last in the order, Tracy Fenney and MTM Farm’s 13-year-old Danish Warmblood mare MTM Apple entered the arena. “I know Richard is really fast because recently he’s beaten me,” Fenney admitted. “I’ve just been having bad luck in the jump-off—I always seem to have the time, but I knock the last rail. So, knowing someone beat Richard’s time today, I thought, ‘Gosh, this might be hard to do.’”
“The horse that was winning did eight strides down the first line, so I think it helped when I did seven. I think I was faster from one to three. Everywhere else, we all pretty much did the same,” she explained.
Flying over the final jump, Fenney and MTM Apple stopped the clock at 35.091 seconds to claim the win.
“This was a great class for her. I used it to get warmed up for showing next week and to get her muscles in gear,” Fenney said. “I didn’t want to pull anything too crazy and start our season poorly by doing something wrong. Today, she felt fresh and a little wild,” she laughed. “She’s just great, and I have fun with her every time we step in the ring.”
Hayley Waters Wear (USA) and Over Lux received the fastest four-faulter award with a quick first round time of 65.386 seconds with one rail down.
David Tromp (USA) received the ‘Luck of the Draw’ award.
$50,000 YETI 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.
Videos available at ClipMyHorse.TV
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