Lexington, Ky – May 18th 2022 – Show jumping competition kicked-off the Kentucky Spring Classic II Wednesday, May 18, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The young show jumping mounts stepped foot into the Walnut Ring Wednesday morning, hoping to claim the victory ribbon in the 6-Year-Old Jumper class. It was Robert Mendoza aboard Coruscant Stables LLC’s, US Bred by Bannockburn Farm, Belgian Warmblood mare Queen B who were the pair to emerge victorious.
A group of 10 talented 6-year-olds lined the ingate waiting to showcase their talents across an winding course containing 13 obstacles, continuing through the course to chase the fastest time with no faults. It was Mendoza and Queen B who navigated the course with no faults in the fastest time of 28.74 seconds to rise to the top of the leaderboard. Partnered with Mendoza since her birth after being bred in the United States by Bannockburn Farm, Queen B’s win Wednesday proves her show jumping future is bright.
Second-place finisher, Ty Simpson aboard Quaralia EVS owned by Eden Valley Stables, cleared the course in 30.31 seconds. Rounding off the top three finishers was Sam Berry and his own mount Volkan G, crossing the timers fault-free in 30.67 seconds.
Earlier in the morning, setting the stage, the 7-Year-Old Jumper competitors stepped foot in Walnut Ring to compete for the first place finish. At the conclusion of the class, it was Francisco Goyoaga Mollet and Lily Walton’s Cypress S who took the victory in 29.941 seconds. Taking second place honors was Summer Hill and her very own Lausbub 458 for their time of 30.255 seconds. Rounding off the top three finishers, it was Cathleen Driscoll who piloted Dorothy Cox’s Conajita to third place in a time of 30.258 seconds.
Show jumping will continue at the Kentucky Spring Classic II Thursday, May 19th, starting at 8:00 AM. At the apex of a competitive show week will be the $140,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI 3*, Presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, taking place in the Kentucky Horse Park Rolex Stadium Saturday, May, 12, at 5:00 PM.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Robert Mendoza – 6-Year-Old Jumper winner
On Queen B:
“The course itself went pretty well for her. This is the first time she’s shown outside this year so I was a little interested to see how she would do. That ring tends to be fairly distracting for the young horses and I was really happy with her. She got a little stuck down the first line by the gazebo and I thought she would. She’s a little bit like a cat and she sees everything and wants to jump at and over everything, so I knew that line would be a little tough. But then the rest of the course rode beautifully for her. There was an inside turn to the second to last jump that she just ate up and came right around the corner, she’s always been good at that, so I know she could do a nice little slice there. I started her as a baby. I actually pulled her out of her mother, so I have known her for her whole life. She was a great baby to start, she was a great 5 year old last year and she’s just a blast.”
Plans for Queen B moving forward:
“We’ll see what she can do. We’ll continue to do the 6-Year-Old division this year. She probably won’t head up to Michigan for the finals this year – she’ll be in Ocala for the summer and that’s kind of a long way to go. We’ll continue to do the young jumpers and see if she is ready to do the 7-Year-Old division next year. If not, we’ll keep her doing the 1.20m-1.30m, it just depends on how she comes along. I am interested in her having a nice long career.”
On Kentucky Horse shows:
“I love Kentucky. Kentucky is one of my favorite venues ever. The weather this time of year is lovely, the rings are lovely, the courses are always of nice quality and it’s always a lot of fun to be here.”
RESULTS
6-Year-Old Jumpers
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | R1 Time / R2 Faults | R2 Time
1. Queen B / Robert Mendoza / Coruscant Stables LLC / 0 | 46.27 / 0 | 28.74
2. Quaralia EVS / Ty Simpson / Eden Valley Stables LLC / 0 | 46.36 / 0 | 30.31
3. Volkan G / Sam Berry / Sam Berry / 0 | 47.48 / 0 | 30.67
4. Quassenella SCF / Reese Madden / Spy Coast Farm, LLC / 0 | 47.44 / 0 | 35.34
5. Calvidor YSH / Sarah Meier / Thinks Like A Horse / 0 | 48.53 / 0 | 36.69
6. La Belle Coral HX / Lauren Hester / Hester Equestrian LLC / 0 | 49.01 / 4 | 33.03
7. Juliette De Spalbec Z / Karen McFarland / Karen McFarland / 4 | 48.09
8. FlowerBomb / Aaron Vale / Sarah Meier / 6 | 55.33
9. Sunday Girl / Sean Jobin / Foxridge Farms Stables / 8 | 45.14