Wellington, Florida, USA – October 24, 2021 – ESP Fall II reached its pinnacle on Sunday as 26 riders, representing a total of eight different nations, took to the Derby Field at Equestrian Village for the $25,000 Long Creek Farms Grand Prix. No stranger to the winner’s circle and last week’s Grand Prix winner, Brazil’s Gabriel de Matos Machado and Clearwater finished the class at the top of the leaderboard once again. The win marked their third Grand Prix victory during the ESP Annual Series, along with a number of other top placings throughout this summer and fall.
“It’s been amazing to have such a wonderful horse,” reflected Machado. “Today was definitely a fast class again with a lot of people in the jump-off. I watched Ashlee Bond go first, who’s really quick, so I tried to do my best to be faster than her and it worked out.”
Following the first round of competition, twelve pairs were invited back to test Héctor Loyola’s (PUR) jump-off track. Fourth to go in the jump-off, Ashlee Bond (ISR) and Hylanderhofs Chica Bella Rosa, owned by Aurora Farms LLC, set the bar early after clearing the course in 39.99 seconds and held on to the top position until Machado and Clearwater flew through the jump-off, tripping the timers nearly two seconds ahead of her with a time of 37.51 seconds.
The final pair to ride, Hector Florentino (DOM) and Wyndmont’s ABC Quantum Cruise slid into second place with a clear jump-off time of 39.55 seconds. Bond and Hylanderhofs Chica Bella Rosa finished the day in third position. In total, half of the partnerships out of the initial jump-off list posted double-clear rounds.
“In the jump-off, I started with a really nice pace. From one to two I took two strides out, so I think that’s what saved a lot of time because the rest of the course I did about the same as everyone else,” Machado noted on his ride in the jump-off. “Clearwater jumps really fast and it’s just easy for him.”
Machado concluded, “It’s not always that you have an amazing horse like this to ride, so we definitely keep all the coolers and ribbons for good memories. I hope to keep it going this way.”
The ESP Fall II show concluded on Sunday and will be followed by the ESP Fall III show, which will run from October 28-31 as the fourth of seven events in the ESP Fall Series. Equestrian competition will reach its peak during the ESP Pre-Charity CSI3* from November 17-21, when international partnerships will vie for points and prize money in FEI-rated classes. To view the full ESP Fall Series Prize List, please click HERE.
Final Results – $25,000 Long Creek Farms Grand Prix
1) Gabriel de Matos Machado (BRA) & Clearwater – 0 / 0 – 37.51
2) Hector Florentino (DOM) & ABC Quantum Cruise 0 / 0 – 39.55
3) Ashlee Bond (ISR) & Chica Bella Rosa – 0 / 0 – 39.99
Source: Press Release from PBIEC – Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
Photos: © Anne Gittins Photography
Categories: English, Jumper News Brasil, Jumper News USA
