OCALA, Fla.--Andre Thieme of Germany on Paule S won the $75,000 Grand Prix in a 12 horse jump-off on Saturday, Feb. 24 at HITS.
Andre Thieme on Paule SBernardo Costa Cabraln set the course for 29 competitors in the first round.
Thieme had three in the jump-off, two of which were clean and one had four faults, but he said his plan all along was to try to win on his 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding Paule S, which he did, finishing clean in 37.11.
“I was really happy today with all three of my horses,” he said. “My chestnut mare, DSP Chakaria, is on her way back so I already knew in the jump off I wouldn’t plan to go fast with her. I knew the first one was the horse to get it done and I took all of the risks I could.”
“The horse that won here today is a little nervous so I’m very happy for him to have held it together so well today,” Thieme said. “He is just starting to do the grand prix. The second horse is on her way back from a small injury, and the last horse is pretty new to me. So this is really the perfect place to be with all of them.”
Harold Chopping of Canada on Quadrant 3 placed second in 39.73 seconds, and Jonathan McCrea, a winner earlier in the week, was third on Kannascha in 41.98 seconds.
ON FRIDAY, Madison Kondracki on Gold Rush VLV. won the $15,000 Speed Series again and now is even more comfortably in the lead with a whopping 50.5 total points.
McCrea’s second place finish on Olily van D’Abelendreef was enough to move him into second place on a total of 16 points, while Tracy Fenney held on to the third place position with a total of 12 points.
On Sunday, Kondracki won again, this time in the $24,500 Jumper Classic.
Kondracki, one of the youngest in the field of 34 competitors, was one of six clean in the jump-off, but she was easily the fastest in a time of 34.97 seconds.
“Today’s course was fun even though it wasn't set for my horse exactly,” Kondracki said. “She put in a lot of effort today and this has really been a good week for her. We did the Alliant Cup and the speed class and I think both of those set her up really well."
“The speed classes had her underneath herself, then we took yesterday off, and today we just put everything together,” she said. “She’s a specific ride and takes a little more leg at the base, but she gets it done and she got it done today.”
David Raposa was second, clean in 36.06 seconds on Lingote De Oro RFB, and Tiffany Hammack was third, just off the pace in 36.82 seconds, on Ghana FS Z.
