LAKE PLACID, N.Y.--Vasco Flores of Puerto Rico on Steno opened the international competition on Thursday, June 25 with a win in the $5,000 FEI 3* Two-Phase at the  Lake Placid Horse Shows.

Vasco Flores on Stena (Photo by KindMedia)Francesca Bolfo won the 1.40m Speed Challenge, and JJ Torano, at 16 years old, continues to win over top competition, winning the Caristo Family 1.30m Speed Class;

In the Two Phase, Flores was clean in 33.05 seconds to beat a field of 47 over the course set by Nick Granat.

“Today was fantastic, and I’m very happy to be here,” Flores said. “I’m very fortunate to have Stena right now; she’s a very competitive horse. She felt very comfortable in the ring. She thrives in these speed classes, and that’s why we brought her here. My plan was to set a pretty dominating pace right off the bat and hope for the best that it would stick to the end. I knew we had a pretty good round, so it was just dependent on how many others were going to chase that time. You never know at these big events; when you have a fantastic horse show like Lake Placid, everyone comes to compete.”

 

IRELAND'S Philip McGuane on Donvier placed second in 35.15 seconds, and Schuyler Riley on Cornet's Pezi was third in 35.58 seconds. 

Earlier in the day in National jumper classes, Bolfo won over a field of 37 entries in the 1.40m Speed Challenge with a clean round on Duterra’s Jadalco.

Boffo finished the single round course in 65.250 seconds, over a second faster than the other competitors.

Gustavo Xavier Cortez on Zambrini was second n 66.404, and TJ O'Mara on Ronnie Flex Castando was third in 57.192.

Then Torano beat a field of 51 entries to join the winner’s circle in The Caristo Family 1.30m Speed Class.

He posted a fast, clean time of 59.551 seconds with Diamond to just edge out Devin Ryan on Chacoa Z, clean in 59.742.

Michael Desiderio on Hermes Manciais was third in 64.753.