Harrie Smolders pakt dubbel te Washington met Verelst Quebec
Harrie Smolders, de ruiter van Eurohorse (Axel Verlooy) deed het uitstekend in zijn eerste optreden te Washington DC, en dit met zijn Verelst Quebec. Quebec werd pas een 2-tal weken aangekocht door Axel Verlooy...
Hij won er de krachtproef (2.22m) die goed was voor 25.000 dollar en de Accumulator class, een snelheidsproef die nog eens goed was voor 25.000 dollar.
Hieronder vindt u het persartikel over Washinton:
Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands hit the big time twice on his first trip to the Washington International Horse Show, taking both the $25,000 Accumulator class on Friday afternoon and then topping the huge wall at 7´4´ to win the $25,000 AOL.com Puissance on Friday night.
A crowd of over 9,500 excited fans watched as nine challengers negotiated the first round of competition in the Puissance. The class is scored under FEI Art. 262.2.
The field was reduced by one when Kim Farlinger of
In the first jump-off, with the big wall now set at 6´5 ½´ (1.96m), the field was further reduced by three as Kelly Small and Black Ice, McLain Ward with Santa Monica Millenium and defending champion Mark Leone and Diamond Safari all failed to clear the top of wall.
Five competitors then advanced to the second jump-off, and all five failed when the wall was raised to 6´11 ½´ (2.11m). Jimmy Torano and Ruco-Line Van´t Paradys elected to withdraw after a refusal.
When the decision was made to try again, all but Todd Minikus and Game Boy elected to give it a second try at the same height. Harrie Smolders on Verelst
With the wall now set at a staggering 7´4´ (2.22m) and the crowd in a frenzy, Harrie Smolders and Verelst
Following Smolders, Vale and Skelton both just rubbed the blocks off at the maximum height, sealing the win for the young Dutchman.
´It was amazing,´ said Smolders jubilantly. ´I went in the class with the idea of only going two rounds. I´ve only had the horse two weeks, but he kept going better and better. And then, what a great finish. He jumped the wall really well,´ he said. ´He was confident and he gave me a good feeling. Then the crowd got into it and they were super. It was great sport for everybody, especially the big crowd and for the sponsor,´ he said.
´I didn´t know what to expect, so I expected nothing, and I got everything,´ said a beaming Smolders. ´That´s how it goes in this sport sometime.´
Harrie Smolders and Verelst
The Accumulator class, a competition that takes place against the clock over ten obstacles of increasing difficulty is scored under FEI Article 269. The course was designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto,
Michael Walton and La Rocca took the early lead, riding out of the third spot in the jumping order. Walton tallied the maximum of 65 points and crossed the finish line in 52.42 seconds. Walton´s lead lasted through the next five competitors. Kim Farlinger from
Harrie Smolders of the
´I had a chance to watch a couple go. I was sixteenth in the order,´ said Smolders. ´I felt that none of them went really, really fast, so I didn´t have to take any risks for the victory.´
Smolders and his mount have only been together for weeks. ´He´s a twelve year old that I´ve had for just twelve days now. I rode him in
Does he like
Results of Class 214 -$20000 International-Open Accumulator -Art 269-2005
1-710-Harrie Smolders ?NED-VERELST
2-393-Kim Farlinger ?CAN-LAFORZA 65 /47.05
3-137-Michael Walton ?
4-708-Gerco Schroder ?NED-EUROCOMMERCE MILANO 64 /67.30
5-481-Kent Farrington ?
6-698-Candice S. King ?
7-701-Philippe Rozier ?FRA-IDEAL DE PRISSEY 58 /61.11
8-620-Eliza Shuford ?
9-635-Lauren Hough ?
10-384-Molly Ashe ?
11-396-Kelley Small ?CAN-BLACK ICE 56 /50.19
12-317-Mary Lisa Leffler ?
Website Washington: www.ryegate.com
Website Eurohorse: www.eurohorse.be