Katie Prudent and V Take Top Prize at Spruce Meadows
Two exciting feature competitions were held on Friday under beautiful blue skies for day two of the ‘Pan American’ Tournament at Spruce Meadows. In the $33,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup 1.60m, Katie Prudent (USA) and V led the victory gallop, while Meagan Nusz (USA) and Vesuvius took top honors in the $15,000 CIBC Junior/Amateur Jumper 1.40m.
The ‘Pan American’ Tournament continues through Sunday, July 14, featuring CSI 5* competition and $625,000 in total prize money. The weekend will highlight the $40,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup Parcourse de Chasse and $33,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup on Saturday, followed by the $400,000 Spruce Meadows ‘Pan American’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex to wrap up competition on Sunday.
The highlight competition on Friday afternoon was the $33,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup 1.60m with 28 entries jumping a course set by Peter Grant of Vancouver, BC. Jumping in the beautiful Meadows on the Green, six entries went clear to advance to the jump-off and five of those were able to also clear the short course without fault. Last to go in the jump-off, Katie Prudent and Michael Smith’s V had the fast time of 45.16 seconds for the win.
Second place honors went to Canada’s Ian Millar and Dixson, owned by Susan and Ariel Grange, with a double clear round in 46.94 seconds. Belgium’s Francois Mathy and Polinska des Isles, owned by Mathy and Team Harmony, finished third in 47.10 seconds. USA’s Charlie Jayne and Alex Jayne’s Chill R Z finished fourth in 47.76 seconds.
Fifth place honors went to the double clear efforts of Tiffany Foster (CAN) and Artisan Farms LLC’s Southwind VDL with a time of 51.09 seconds.
The afternoon’s 1.60m competition was actually the second win of the day for veteran rider Katie Prudent. Earlier in the day, Prudent guided Reed Kessler’s Onisha to victory in the $1,000 Jayman Jumper 1.40m. The win with V, an eleven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Landstreicher x Lennard, topped off a banner day.
Prudent describes her partnership with V as “a work in progress”, explaining that his high-spirited nature and boundless energy can sometimes make things difficult.
“I have had some great wins with him this year, but still I am not as consistent as I would like to be,” she admitted. “I think he is a very good horse. There is nothing he can’t jump and he is very careful, but I still get too much fighting from him and I am constantly working on that.”
Peter Grant’s course was big and difficult today, but V successfully cleared all of the obstacles to advance to the jump-off, which is where Prudent feels most confident in her horse’s abilities.
“He is the happiest when I can just let him go,” she detailed. “I always breathe a sigh of relief if I make it to the jump-off because usually my jump-off is better than my first round. The first round where I have to hold him back is a chore, but when I can let him go he is great. Everything came up well; it was just out of stride. When it’s a day like today where he listens to me the jump-off is always just fun.”
Prudent and V will compete in Sunday’s $400,000 Spruce Meadows ‘Pan American’ Grand Prix presented by Rolex and then head back to Europe to compete for the rest of the summer.
“I have a nice little tour with him,” she stated. “I am going to show at Dinard and then Valkenswaard and then a few other shows. I am trying to keep up with some of my students. I have Reed Kessler and Brianne Goutal and they are doing some of the five-stars, so I tag along to do the two-stars behind them. It is fun for me. My main job now is teaching, but I still just love to ride. I like to get out there and try.
Once in a while I do it well and once in a while I don’t do it well, but I still feel like it keeps me sharp for teaching to be in there doing it.”
Final Results: $33,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup 1.60m
1. V: 2002 KWPN gelding by Landstreicher x Lennard
KATIE PRUDENT (USA), Michael Smith: 0/0/45.16
2. DIXSON: 2003 Belgian Sport Horse gelding by Vigo d’Arsouilles x Olisco
IAN MILLAR (CAN), Ariel and Susan Grange: 0/0/46.94
3. POLINSKA DES ISLES: 2003 Selle Francais mare by Diamant de Semilly x Valespoir Malabry
FRANCOIS MATHY (BEL), Team Harmony & Francois Mathy: 0/0/47.10
4. CHILL R Z: 2003 Zangersheide stallion by Chellano Z x A Lucky One
CHARLIE JAYNE (USA), Alex Jayne: 0/0/47.76
5. SOUTHWIND VDL: 1999 KWPN gelding by Baloubet du Rouet x Ahorn
TIFFANY FOSTER (CAN), Artisan Farms, LLC: 0/0/51.09
6. DUNDEE VD DWERSE HAGEN: 2003 Belgian Sport Horse gelding by Caesar vd Helle x Brownboy
CAMERON HANLEY (IRL), Eleonore Paschoude & Yves Bouvier: 0/4/55.61
7. CADENCE: 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Cardento x Irco Marco
MCLAIN WARD (USA), Procedures Inc: 4/75.76
8. ZAMIRO: 2004 KWPN gelding by Lupicor x G. Ramiro Z
SUSAN ARTES (USA), Alix Fargo: 4/76.72
9. ROUNDTHORN MADIOS: 2002 Irish Sport Horse gelding by Condios x Clover Hill
LAUREN TISBO (USA), Tequestrian Farms LLC: 4/76.91
10. ZAFIRA: 2004 KWPN mare Nassau x Cappucino van Berkenbroek
KENT FARRINGTON (USA), Haity McNerney: 4/77.73
11. CORAL REEF VIA VOLO: 1998 BWP mare by Clinton x Heartbreaker
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Coral Reef Ranch: 4/78.02
12. TIC TAC: 2003 Belgian Sport Horse stallion by Clinton x Darco
LESLIE HOWARD (USA), Jane Clark: 4/78.73