OCALA, Fla.--Aaron Vale on Helios du Moulin won the $150,000 CSI3* Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center on Saturday evening, June 20.
Aaron Vale on Helios du Moulin (Photo by Andrew Ryback)Over the course set by Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, only four went clean from a starting field of 36, and Vale was one of only two clean in the jump-off.
After finishing third in Saturday morning’s $65,000 Grand Prix CSIU25, Tanner Korotkin on Kinmar Quality Hero had the first clear round of the night, and thus went first in the jump-off, and he finished with four faults in 38.71 seconds.
Argentina’s Luis Pedro Biraben on Vasco 109 was next to go in the jump-off, and he also had a rail down, finishing in a slower time of 39.23 seconds.
Fellow Argentinian Tomas Yofre on Kingston was third to go in the jump-off, and he opted for a more conservative approach, going clean but in 44.41 seconds to take over the lead.
That left Vale as the final rider to return.
With only one clear jump-off round on the board, Vale faced a unique strategic decision on Helios du Moulin.
“THAT'S A scenario we don’t get very often these days,” Vale said. “The horses are so good, the footing is so good, the lights are so good. Normally, you’re jumping off against eight to 12 people.”
“The first two were pretty quick, and I knew the last rider was clear but not especially fast,” he said. “It was an odd strategy, because if you go slow and have one down, you’re in fourth place. You want to stay close enough to the fast pace that if you have a rail, you can still finish second.”
“I wasn’t super fast early on, and when he jumped the purple vertical really well, I felt like the only thing left to worry about was the double," he said. "Once he jumped that so confidently, I was pretty sure he was on it and going to jump clear, and he did.”
Vale finished clean in 41.20 seconds, securing the win by three seconds.
. “We bought Helios du Moulin in late summer of 2024, so it's been about two seasons now, said Vale. "We jumped a couple of shows with him that year as a 7-year-old, and last year he moved into the Grand Prix ranks. He’s a competitive little horse. He is so, so fun to watch. Apparently, everybody loves him. We love him because he wins a lot for us, and he tries so hard.”
