Todd Minikus and Quality Girl Win $25,000 ESP Spring 2 Grand Prix
Equestrian Sport Productions LLC (ESP) wrapped up its second week of spring competition April 10-14 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, with an exciting victory for Todd Minikus and Quality Girl in the $25,000 ESP Spring 2 Grand Prix. Minikus also won the $10,000 Open Jumper Stake earlier in the week riding Legacy Stables' Tuxedo.
The week's jumper courses in the International Arena were designed by Michel Vaillancourt of Aiken, SC. In Sunday's grand prix, Vaillancourt saw 38 entries in the first round of competition with 11 qualifying for the jump-off. One entry opted not to jump-off, so ten continued on to contest the short course with six of those jumping double clear rounds. The fastest time of 36.178 seconds gave the win to Todd Minikus and Quality Girl, a ten-year-old Oldenburg mare by Quidam's Rubin x Dobrock.
Lauren Crooks and C'Est Ci Bon 4, owned by Glen Youell and Crooks Show Jumping, were second with a time of 37.760 seconds. Paul O'Shea and Michael Hayden's Primo de Revel finished third in 38.269 seconds.
Minikus and Quality Girl have had a great season so far and the young mare has quickly moved up to competing in the top classes.
“She is actually a very sweet mare, but she is cautious about everything,” Minikus added. “Her eyes are always wide open. I like horses that are like that, that are paying attention and notice what's going on around them. I like for them to be aware of their surroundings and she is very aware. She notices what's going on. When my kids come running around in the barn on their bicycle she is first to notice.”
Minikus noted, “She is doing great. She has really matured a lot during the circuit. She started off a green horse not belonging in the grand prixs and she has ended up winning quite a bit. She has been just fantastic and between Purina, Vita Flex and Charles Owen, they are keeping her in the winner's circle and me in diaper money.”
“It seemed like it was almost a perfect course,” Minikus said of the day's class. “He had 11 clear and that was probably just about the right number for 38 starters. It was kind of a fun jump-off. There were a couple turns and a couple spots where you could get on the gas pedal a little bit, so it worked out quite well I think for everybody involved. It seemed like everybody's horses went nice.”
Minikus explained that the ultimate goal is for Quality Girl to be sold, but he would love to keep riding her. “I'd like to have somebody jump up and buy her for me to keep riding her, but if that's not the case, I would think that sooner or later somebody is going to get tired of getting beat by her and give me a big old bag of money for her,” he laughed. “Otherwise Otherwise I'm gonna just keep beating them and they'll get sick of it sooner or later.”
Final Results: $25,000 ESP Spring 2 Grand Prix
1. QUALITY GIRL TODD MINIKUS TODD MINIKUS, LTD: 0/0/36.178
2. C'EST CI BON 4 LAUREN CROOKS GLEN YOUELL & CROOKS SHOW JUMPING: 0/0/37.760
3. PRIMO DE REVEL PAUL O'SHEA MICHAEL HAYDEN: 0/0/38.269
4. CHICAGO 88 FEDERICO SZTYRLE ROSIANO FARM: 0/0/38.313
5. CATHARINA 9 LAUREN TISBO TEQUESTRIAN FARMS, LLC: 0/0/38.561
6. WILLOW MEAGAN NUSZ AMALAYA INVESTMENTS: 0/0/39.445
7. ZIEDENTO RAMIRO QUINTANA ST. BRIDE'S FARM: 0/4/38.170
8. G&C CONSIGLIERE RODRIGO PESSOA GUSTAVO MIRABAL: 0/4/39.102
9. CARLOS 455 CHRIS EWANOUSKI ROSIANO FARM: 0/8/38.769
10. DAKOTA PAIGE JOHNSON SALAMANDER FARM: 0/EL
11. WIZZ PAUL O'SHEA DAN WALSH: 0/WD
12. WHITNEY RAMIRO QUINTANA ST. BRIDE'S FARM: 1/80.486