Keith Makes It a Double Winning the Langley Grand Prix at Thunderbird Show Park

By Jumper News on 2024-07-02

Langley, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – June 30, 2024 – Kassidy Keith (CAN) started a streak Sunday on closing day of the West Coast Classic.

After winning Saturday’s feature class in the “Seize the Day” Speed Derby with Evita, she made it a double aboard her longtime partner Havana in the Langley Grand Prix 1.40m.

First to return in a five-horse jump-off over Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) short course, Keith and Havana set a standard that could not be matched. They produced the only double-clear effort of the day.

Their winning time was 49.99 seconds. Ayla Martinoff (CAN) gave great chase with Calloway, but a rail relegated them to the runner-up position (4/48.62s). Stephanie Valdes (CAN) and Cyber Lady Z finished third (8/60.27s).

“With Havana, I’m 100% confident in her all the time,” said Keith, who has developed the mare since her 4-year-old season. “She was feeling her best today, and I knew that there were some fast horses behind me, so I just tried to keep it efficient.”

It was an anxious wait for Keith through four combinations after her jump-off, but she was able to see firsthand the results of the pressure she had put on her competitors—despite doing one additional stride than she would have liked in the line that followed the oxer-vertical combination.

Azevedo’s short course dared riders to push forward with a number of gallop lanes, and that resulted in some miscommunications and flatter jump arcs over the fences. Instead of extending her stride too much, Keith prioritized Havana’s footspeed and agility.

“I think it’s a really hard thing to do, to land off the first jump and already be galloping,” Keith expressed. “That’s where Havana was a bit behind the leg and I could have left [a stride] out, but she was right there [with me], and she’s so quick in the turn.

“To the last line, I just thought that I needed to clear the [penultimate] oxer before I asked [Havana] to go forward,” she continued. “She was very good there: She stayed up in my hand and was very observant and quick.”

tbird remains at the top of Keith and Havana’s schedule. The pair will show again at next week’s Western Family and are targeting international competition in Langley in August. Coming up the grades behind the mare are her foals, whom Keith and her mother Cheryl have bred. The oldest is 5-year-old Statement, affectionately known as “Sabrina.”

“I showed her at Thermal—and here [at tbird] until the last show,” Keith shared. “I’m giving her a bit of a break. She’s really big, and she’s growing. The other baby is two [years old], out of Havana and Fenelon WF.”