Temecula, Calif. – Oct 20, 2021 – Show jumping kicked off Wednesday afternoon in the Grand Prix Arena at Galway Downs for Nilforushan Equisport Events’ Temecula Valley National Fall Week II presented by Interactive Mortgage, with the $10,000 1.35m Welcome Stake, sponsored by CWD. 35-horse-and-rider pairs battled it out in hopes of taking home the top prize of the day. Ultimately Angel Karolyi and S & L Sage bested the field of competitors to take home the sought after share of the $10,000 prize.
Set in the USEF Table II 2b format, competitors took to the ring hoping to go clear around Peter Grant’s (CAN) 14-effort first round and secure their chances at an immediate jump-off. The winding 1.35m track utilized the expansive Grand Prix Arena, featuring multiple combinations which proved tricky to many riders. Out of the 35 competitors, only nine competitors advanced to the shortened track in hopes of tripping the timers with the fastest time as well as earn valuable points towards the two-week series, $25,000 Leading Rider Bonus, sponsored by Desert International Horse Park awarded to the horse-and-rider combination who accumulated the most points across the several large jumper classes hosted in the Grand Prix Arena.
As pathfinders for the shortened 7-fence jump-off track, Eric Navet (FRA) and Tizian 79 put forth a solid double-clear round finishing in 40.85 seconds to set the pace for those to follow. Determined to put in a fault-less round for a shot at the top of the class, Navet and Tizian 79, a 8-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Signe Ostby, took a cautious approach to their ride. The duo carefully galloped their way through the course in hopes of laying down a solid clear effort, their time of 40.85 seconds, would ultimately hold the early lead as the only clear second round.
Immediately following Navet, Angel Karolyi (VEN) took to the ring fourth in the order aboard S & L Sage. The duo snagged an early lead overtaking the top position nearly two tenths of a second faster than the French rider.
Angel Karolyi and Imani Mackani’s amateur jumper mount, S & L Sage, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, left no room for chance heading into the jump-off. The pair showcased their natural footspeed, slicing and dicing the fences to get a direct line into the next one. Their quick approach paid off as they took the early lead with a fault-free effort clocking in with an impressive time of 39.116 seconds, knocking Navet into the second-place position. Karolyi and S & L Sage’s swift round posted at the very beginning of the class was so fast that the pair held onto the lead following thirty-one more attempts to oust them from the top spot. The duo walked away with the lion’s share of the prize as well as points putting them in contention for the additional $25,000 Leading Rider Bonus awarded at the end of Week II.
California native, Mandy Porter knew she would have to be quick with Triskel De Kerliven, a 14-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by HHZ, LLC, in order to top Karolyi’s performance. Porter piloted Triskel De Kerliven around the twists and turns of the demanding course, tripping the timers in just 39.365 seconds with no faults, placing them in the second place position on the leaderboard, while Navet and Tizian 79 settled for a third place finish on the podium.
Jumper competition at Nilforushan Equisport Events’ Temecula Valley National Fall Week 2 will continue Thursday, October 21, in the Grand Prix Arena for the Low, Medium, and High Junior/Amateur/Amateur-Owner classes before the class of the evening, the $20,000 1.40m Speed Classic sponsored by EquiFit.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Angel Karolyi – $10,000 1.35m Welcome Stake winner
On S & L Sage:
“I sold him [S & L Sage] to one of my clients. I used to jump him in Grand Prix’s myself. He’s a very experienced horse, a veteran, he knows what he’s doing. I always do a class to begin the week and see where they’re at and kind of set them up for my clients.”
On the course:
“It was a nice course and Peter Grant always does a lovely job. It’s nice to have him here from Canada. He had a lot of clears but it’s a welcome class so it’s ok. The jump-off was a tidy track and there were some optional inside turns. I opted to do one of them and the rest I thought it would be faster to go around with [S & L] Sage. He’s got a big stride to work with also, so when I go around I can benefit from that stride.”
On future plans with S & L Sage:
“I’ve got a couple of other horses that I will be jumping but nothing too big. He [S & L Sage] will be going back to his owner to jump in the amateur classes.”
On Nilforushan Equisport Events:
“To win and even just to ride at this horse show is a pleasure. The amount of effort that Ali [Nilforushan] and his team are putting for us, they’re trying to execute top quality show jumping for us and the entertainment they provide for us and everybody is above and beyond.”
RESULTS
$10,000 1.35m Welcome Stake
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults | R1 Time / R2 Faults | Round 2 Time
1. S & L Sage / Angel Karolyi / VEN / Imani Mackani / 0 | 77.89 / 0 | 39.11
2. Triskel De Kerliven / Mandy Porter / USA / HHZ, LLC / 3 | 76.52 / 0 | 39.36
3. Tizian 79 / Eric Navet / FRA / Signe Ostby / 3 | 76.52 / 0 | 40.85
4. A Picasso De Vie / Sophie Simpson / USA / Will Simpson Stables Inc. / 0 | 74.47 / 0 | 41.94
5. Gatsby / John Pearce / CAN / Mary Poelman / 0 | 77.03 / 0 | 42.05
6. Paddington 92 / Kacie Doyle / USA / Juan Carlos Martin Del Campo / 0 | 78.40 / 0 | 42.62
7. C’est Bon / Kirsten Coe / USA / Equine Trading Company / 0 | 80.30 / 0 | 47.84
8. Charly-Ann / Sydney Flashman / USA / Sydney Flashman / 0 | 78.27 / 4 | 44.87
9. Halifax VDM / Nicki Wilcox / USA / Marjorie Martin / 0 | 77.76 / 8 | 45.12
10. Fraulein ETC / Kirsten Coe / USA / Equine Trading Company / 1 | 81.37
11. Chicharito LS / Bjorn Ikast / DEN / Skylark Equestrian LLC / 1 | 81.59
12. Edesa’s El Dorado / Bruno Diniz Das Neves / POR / Edesa Horse Promotion / 3 | 83.43