Lexington, Ky. – July 31, 2018 – Aaron Vale was the first rider in the $5,000 Open 1.40m Jumpers during the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Classic and, after putting in a clear round on Sarah Turner’s Acolina R, he wasted no time in completing a very fast jump-off that proved to be unbeatable throughout the remainder of the class. Alex Granato and Beorn achieved another double clear effort that put them in second place, while Christoph Schroeder finished third on Diamant De Revel.
This was the second time in as many weeks that Vale piloted Acolina R to a top placing in the Rolex Stadium. Last week, the pair finished second in the $5,000 Open 1.40m Jumpers Wednesday, ahead of the mare’s strong performances with owner Turner in the Medium Amateur-Owner Jumper divisions. Acquired by Turner four years ago for Vale to show in the grand prix, Acolina R has proven herself to be an incredibly valuable partner for both Vale and Turner.
The class today saw several riders that had multiple mounts, including Vale, who also rode Darling GR and Da Vinci. The competitor was able to draw on his past performances with the 13-year-old Oldenburg mare to make a crucial inside turn that no other competitor attempted during the jump off, which ended up giving him the edge over Granato, who also rode three horses in the class.
The second week of showing at the Kentucky Summer Series will continue Wednesday with hunter and jumper competition at the Kentucky Horse Park. Show jumping competitors will have the opportunity to earn points for the Hagyard Challenge Series as well as the Envisian Leading Riders Award that is presented at the end of each week of competition.
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FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Aaron Vale – $5,000 Open 1.40m Jumper winner
On Acolina R:
“She is an experienced horse that I used to show in the grand prix so she has a pretty high level. She is a bit feisty but when everything falls into place, she is very competitive at this level.”
On his plan in the jump-off:
“There were a couple of turns where I went inside and I don’t think that anyone else did that, so that bought me two seconds there. I didn’t have to go crazy anywhere else because that turn gave me such a big lead.”
On Sarah Turner:
“We purchased the horse with Sarah several years ago, but she herself has just started riding her more frequently in the last year. I rode the mare in the grand prix and, after giving her some time off for a minor injury, Sarah started to make more time to ride her at shows. She rode years ago and was very competitive and is very, very good in the Medium Amateur-Owner Jumpers, so I’m happy to see them being so successful this summer.”
RESULTS
$5,000 1.40m Open Jumper
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. Acolina R / Aaron Vale / 0 | 65.616 / 0 | 28.681
2. Beorn / Alex Granato / 0 | 68.298 / 0 | 30.386
3. Diamant De Revel / Christoph Schroeder / 0 | 68.324 / 0 | 33.166
4. Duran Duran / Christoph Schroeder / 0 | 71.093 / 0 | 33.639
5. Campo S / Ezequiel Peralta / 0 | 69.776 / 4 | 31.914
6. Darling GR / Aaron Vale / 0 | 68.254 / 4 | 32.070
7. Jericho / Hayley Waters / 0 | 68.138 / 4 | 35.204
8. Orage Z / F. Peter Jordan / 0 | 64.526 / 8 | 32.442
9. Cleaveland / Hayley Waters / 0 | 68.139 / 8 | 33.717
10. Igor Van De Grauwe Berg / F. Peter Jordan / 4 | 65.568
11. Criss Cross / Alex Granato / 4 | 68.254
12. Cyra / Alex Granato / 4 | 68.504