David O’Brien Packs One-Two Punch in Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 6-Year-Old Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic

Lexington, Ky. – July 29, 2020 – The Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 6-Year-Old Jumper class took place in the Rolex Stadium Wednesday afternoon during day two of the Kentucky Summer Classic. These special classes give riders the opportunity to expose their up-and-coming jumper prospects to horse show life in a formal setting with course design that is educational and age-appropriate. Triumphing in the 6-Year-Old Jumper class was David O’Brien who would collect the first place prize on Olivia SCF and also bring home second place honors with Out Of The Blue SCF.

David O’Brien and Olivia SCF

The majority of the young horses in the 6-Year-Old Jumper class navigated Bobby Murphy’s 1.30m track with little issue posting several clears across the board. Second in the lineup, O’Brien and his first of two entries, Out Of The Blue SCF owned by Spy Coast Farm, LLC, took the early lead on a time of 69.37 seconds. Six competitors would follow eager to tip the timers under O’Brien’s lead, but would be unable to do so.

David O’Brien and Out Of The Blue SCF

Eight trips later, O’Brien would return to the Rolex Stadium, this time aboard his final entry, Spy Coast Farm, LLC’s Olivia SCF. With only himself to beat so far, O’Brien and the 6-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare made easy work of the 13-effort speed track and topped O’Brien’s original leading time by shaving off just over two seconds. Aaron Vale followed O’Brien two trips later and put the pedal to the metal aboard Sambo Do Brasil, Vale’s winning mount in last Tuesday’s Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 6-Year-Old Jumper class, but heartbreakingly saw the rail of the last jump fall, adding four faults to their speedy round of 64.63 seconds.

Earlier in the afternoon it was Victoria Colvin and Hathina who would rise to the top of the pack in the Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 7-year-old Jumpers, while Aaron Vale and Fireball SCF conquered the class in the Walnut Ring in the 5-year-old division.

Jumper competition in the Rolex Stadium will resume Thursday, July 30th with the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Thursday at 8 a.m. Another highlight on the schedule this week is the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix on Saturday, August 1st.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
David O’Brien – Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 6-Year-Old Jumper winner

On Olivia SCF:
“She is a homebred 6-year-old mare. This year she actually has had three foals through ICSI [Equine Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection], all by Chaqui Z, our stallion on the farm that Shane [Sweetnam] is going to jump this week in the grand prix. It’s crazy to think she has three foals on the ground this year. They were all through ICSI and then we took embryos from her again this year. For her, I really plan out my year because we breed her, so she is just starting to come back. She was in Tryon for a little bit during the summer and then this is her third or fourth week of jumping this year.”

On Out Of The Blue SCF:
“She is by Verdi and she is another one that we bread at the farm. She is super easy and she won the Developing Jumpers five-year-olds last year at the Kentucky Horse Park with Jennifer Waxman. She is just super easy – she is a class horse.”

On the Developing Jumper Series:
“It is nice to have the variety with the two rings. They are two of the best rings in the country, if not in the world! To be able to jump a young horse in the Rolex Ring is amazing – to have so much room and to let the horses see a ring like that. The courses are friendly to the horse and they are designed to build them up throughout the year. You don’t have to come out and jump big jumps on day one, you’re steadily building up to the finals. A could of years ago, Lisa [Lourie] started the Developing Jumpers down in Florida and she sponsored one or two years at the Kentucky Horse Park, then Cynthia Hampton took it over and she brought in a bit of her own feel to it. It is great to have and everyone works together on it. To see all of these people work together to produce horses is great.”

On competing at the Kentucky Summer Classic:
“Everything has been good! Last week, because we have so many young horses, I changed them out each week. It is a great experience at the Kentucky Horse Park. It is such a beautiful facility, everything is outdoors and because of COVID, they really stepped it up to keep the shows running.”

RESULTS

Developing Jumper Tour 6-Year-Old Jumper:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time

1. Olivia SCF / David O’Brien / Spy Coast Farm, LLC / 0  | 67.02
2. Out Of The Blue SCF / David O’Brien / Spy Coast Farm, LLC / 0 | 69.50
3. One In A Million SCF / Andrea Simpson / Spy Coast Farm, LLC / 0 | 69.51
4. Jillz / Alex Matz / Vintage Sales / 0 | 70.009
5. Bradley / Sarah Sturges / Sarah Sturges LLC / 0 | 76.19
6. FF Blade Runner / Jill Gaffney / Freestyling Farms LLC / 0 | 76.73
7. Chagolando PS / Aaron Vale / April Miller / 0 | 81.80
8. Jackpot TD / Cari Gleeson / Cari Gleeson / 0 | 79.95

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