Wilmington, Ohio – Spring II at World Equestrian Center – Wilmington concluded Sunday, June 4 with Kady Abrahamson (USA) having dominated the $25,000 Grand Prix with her top mounts while Samantha Cooper (USA) rode to the top in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby.
Abrahamson, of Abrahamson Equestrian LLC in Georgetown, Kentucky, has been a force to be reckoned with at WEC Wilmington. The seasoned amateur athlete made light work of the first-round track aboard both of her expressive mares, Any and Jazil Du Houssoit (Peppermill x Gerboise Du Houssoit), qualifying both for the jump-off phase. Abrahamson earned the blue ribbon aboard Any and rounded out the podium with Jazil Du Houssoit.
“It’s Girl power with those two! They are like a dynamic duo,” laughed Abrahamson. “Jazil has been great. Almost every single welcome and grand prix that she has jumped in this year moving up she has been double clear. It has been fantastic to see since she is only eight and expressive in what she does. The first rider had a couple of time faults, so I knew the time was quite tight. For Jazil it worked out because I went inside to the triple, so she had less time to mess around in the turn and it kept her on her toes. I brought Any after she jumped some FEI classes in Kentucky to give her an easier week before July. I know that Any is wicked fast, and I don’t want to run her off of her feet, but she is so fast in the turns and across the jumps that it makes her that much quicker.”
In the $7,500 Futures Prix, it was Luke Rinehart (USA) that mastered Bobby Murphy’s (USA) tracks aboard Captain America 10 (Contendro) to gallop away with the blue. The nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding was incredibly quick across the ground and through the turns, remaining in careful form for a double clear effort and a jump-off time of 35.449 seconds to secure the lead.
Samantha Cooper, of Streetsboro, Ohio, and her winningest mount, Nandino, saw no challenge in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby and demonstrated two textbook rounds earning a scores of 89 and 91 from the judging panel. With a two-round total of 180, Cooper and Ellen Malson’s Nandino added another prestigious win to their impressive record.
“I was grateful that nobody else took the inside turn that I didn’t want to do,” laughed Cooper. “I was watching and keeping an eye on that to see if I was going to have to make that really tight turn. I ended up playing it a little bit safe there because I just wanted to have a solid round. I felt like he was a bit tired this morning, but he power walked in for the handy and he always really enjoys the handy round. The course was beautiful, all the décor outside makes it so fun to show here.”
Kady Abrahamson (USA) also proved uncatchable Thursday evening aboard Banco Du Moulin (Popstar x Lozonais x Gerboise Du Moulin) in the $7,500 Welcome Stake sponsored by Clinton County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CCCVB). The 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding, Banco Du Moulin, was in careful form and galloped quickly across the ground through each inside turn to post a time of 30.514 seconds, just quick enough to take the lead.
“Banco came to me at the end of April, I am leasing him from Kate Mulligan. I showed him last week and he had one down in each class, but he jumped great and today we felt back to normal. He jumped so well in the first round today, and he was great in the jump-off. I was a bit more conservative in the jump-off with him than usual, but he is naturally so fast that a conservative plan for him ends up winning the class,” Abrahamson spoke on Banco Du Moulin.
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Results can be found at wec.net.
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